The photo above was taken by William L. Klender, a longtime photographer for The Baltimore Sun and The Sunday Sun's magazine who passed away last week. Klender was a talented, prize-winning photographer who was very good at telling stories with his photographs.

At the time Klender was shooting for the Sunday Sun magazine, he was part of a noted team of photograhers headed by A. Aubrey Bodine, and including Richard Stacks, Ellis Malashuk, Paul Hutchins and Robert F. Kniesche.

Our library has thousands of his "House of the Week" and other feature photos. I hope you enjoy this gallery of some of his prize-winning photos and others.

I also linked to his obituary so you can read more about his life and career. I know I will be using more of his photos in future blogs.

Edited to add: The above photo's caption reads: "When [Klender] looked out of his fourth-floor window and saw this he grabbed his camera and then investigated, the hand belonged to a workman just below the ledge."

Posted by Paul McCardell at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The first sign that winter is receding is that the Baltimore Orioles baseball team reporting for spring training. This time of year for Baltimore fans, hope springs eternal that this will be our season to shine.

The photo above was taken by my father Walter M. McCardell, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles four 20-game-winning pitchers at spring training in 1972. From left to right are Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Jim Palmer and Dave McNally .

My father was fortunate to cover two spring trainings in Floridia, in 1971 and 1972. Ufortunately for me, I had to stay home and attend school. Covering spring training is a lot of hard work under tight deadlines. But it is a change of pace and you can't beat the weather.

You can click here to see more historic photos from Orioles' spring training camps.

And here are some other links to check out...

The Orioles on baltimoresun.com

The Official Site of the Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles on Sports Illustrated

ESPN's Baltimore Clubhouse

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded on February 12, 1909, which happened to be the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

The NAACP is a multiracial organization that took on a large mission that required much struggle and patience to change society in a peaceful manner. The organization was blessed with many people who had the talent, determination and fortitude to see the mission through.

Along with a coalition of other groups, the NAACP was able to get rid of "Jim Crow" discrimination, open the doors of opportunity and improve the quality of life for all. Among the biggest accomplishments was the role the group played in the Brown vs, Board of Education case in 1954, which led to the desegregation of schools.

This link takes you to special coverage The Sun had of the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education and the desegration of Baltimore City Schools.

The photo above was taken in 1955, a year after the Brown decision, by noted Baltimore Sun photographer Richard Stacks. It shows a first grade classroom at Public School 60 in Baltimore, with an integrated group of students saying the Pledge of Allegiance. This photo has a Norman Rockwell feel to it and is one of my favorites because it shows students standing together with hopefull eyes and you can imagine what struggles were overcome to get to that day and how bright the future could be.

Here's a link to a gallery of other Sun archive photos about the NAACP.

Baltimore contributed greatly to the NAACP with foot soldiers and leaders such as Clarence and Juanita Mitchell, Lillie Carroll Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, Enolia P. McMillian, Parren Mitchell, Kweisi Mfume and many others.

The links below have more information about the NAACP and the civil rights movement.

National NAACP

NAACP Baltimore

Maryland Civil Rights

Lillie Carroll Jackson

Clarence Mitchell Papers

Brown vs. Board of Education

More on Brown vs. Board of Education

Posted by Paul McCardell at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

This picture of the John E. Hurst Building in flames was taken just 17 minutes after the Great Baltimore Fire started there on February 7,1904. The photo was taken by Joseph E. Henry, a railroad telegrapher.

The first alarm was sounded at 10.48 a.m. on Sunday, February 7. The fire burned for more than 30 hours before it was brought under control. The fire claimed 140 acres of downtown Baltimore, laying waste to more than 1,500 buildings that contained 2,500 businesses. Among the buildings destroyed was the Baltimore Sun Iron Building at Baltimore and South streets. The fire tested Baltimore's resolve to rebuild from the ashes and become a better city.

The fire and the after effects were well documented by several photographers, including Joseph E. Henry and Frederick W. Mueller. Mueller, who was known for designing and building his own cameras, shot a famous 360-degree cyclorama taken in the center of Baltimore and Charles the day after the fire. Another photographer on the scene of the fire was Julian Jenkel, who took many glass negatives.

One of the first motion pictures newsreels was made of the aftermath of the great conflagration. The original film disintegrated but was reconstructed using a complete set of small photographs made from the film on file at the Library Congress with the help of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A picture book of the Great Baltimore Fire was published, titled Souvenir of the Baltimore Fire, February 7th,8th and 9th, 1904, as seen through a camera by John C. Hemment .

I am sure I am leaving out several other photographers, both amateur and proffessional. For some good reading and photographs I recommend The Great Baltimore Fire by Peter B. Petersen and Baltimore Afire by Harold A. Williams.

You can click here to see a gallery of fire photos from the Sun's archives.

Check out the links below to learn more about the Great Baltimore Fire.

The Fire Museum of Maryland - Great Baltimore Fire 1904

Teaching American History Maryland - The Great Baltimore Fire 1904

Johns Hopkins interview with Peter B. Peterson author of The Great Baltimore Fire 2004

Library of Congress - The Baltimore Fire

Maryland Online Encyclopedia

Great Baltimore Fire Map from Maryland Digital Cultural Project Enoch Pratt Free Library

Posted by Paul McCardell at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I was happy to read that the steam tug Baltimore, a maritime treasure built in 1906 and the only operating coal-fired steam tug in the United States, received a restoration grant from Save America's Treasures.

The tug has overcome many odds in her long history, including being at the bottom of Sassafras River in the upper Eastern Shore. She was towed back to Baltimore and restored by a dedicated group of volunteers at the Baltimore Museum of Industry . I salute these volunteers.

I was lucky enough to see her under her own power in 1999 when the Constellation returned to her berth on Pratt Street. I look forward to the day when she will be steaming in the harbor once again.

The picture I posted is a 1992 photo of the S.S.Baltimore by Baltimore Sun photographer William G. Hotz. You can also see a gallery of photos of the tug by clicking this link.

And here's a Sun video shot last month by Jed Kirshbaum after the tug was awarded the $250,000 restoration grant.

Baltimore is lucky to have maritime treasures such as the U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.C.G.S. Taney and S.S. John W. Brown, as well as the Pride of Baltimore II, the U.S.S. Torsk and several others. It is important that we keep these ships afloat for the future.

Here are some links to other related maritime Websites:

Maryland Historic Trust Baltimore Tug National Historic Landmark

The Baltimore Museum of Industry

Baltimore Maritime Museum

U.S.S. Constellation

Project Liberty Ship S.S. John W. Brown

Pride of Baltimore II

Save America's Treasures

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)