It is a custom here on Midday to take time near the end of the year to remember some of the people in our area who passed away over the year. This not an exhaustive list, but simply people I have befriended over the years. I simply want to remember them, and give thanks for the blessing of their friendship.
Bob Kent passed away last December. He was a businessman and philanthropist who served on many civic boards, including the Baltimore Community Foundation, Baltimore Center Stage, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, the University of Maryland Medical School, and the Maryland SPCA. He was generous, and deeply committed to making our city better. Bob was 82 years old.
In January, the great jazz saxophonist Carl Grubbs passed away at the age of 79. Carl was a terrific musician, a gifted pedagogue, and an inspiration to countless numbers of colleagues and students over the course of a long and influential career. With their organization, Contemporary Arts, Carl and his wife Barbara have done so much for the musical community in Baltimore, and beyond.
Karen Hosler was a correspondent for the Baltimore Sun for many years, and later, a reporter here at WYPR. She was an excellent journalist, who covered Presidents and politicos at all levels of government. An experienced marathoner, and a lover of horses, Karen passed in February at the age of 75.
Jay Fisher, an art historian who was a longtime curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art, died in March. Jay not only knew his stuff, he knew how to advocate for great art to novices and scholars alike. He taught me a lot. Jay was 74 years old.
Philip Arnault was a force of nature in the theater community, here and around the world. The founder and director of the Theater Project, Phil brought some wild shows to Baltimore, and championed the work of artists who were often overlooked. Phil was 83 when he passed away in July.
Two great patrons of the arts, Arthur and Isadora Dellheim, passed just weeks apart from each other last summer. Arthur and Isadora were dear friends, and dear people, and they are dearly missed. They were wise, gracious, and fun. Isadora was 93, and Arthur was 97, when they passed in August.
Jack Jones was a lawyer whose work is legendary in legal circles, and whose mentorship and friendship for me, was life-changing. Jack was brilliant, a person who challenged so-called “common wisdom” with an uncommon and wondrous wisdom of his own. I learned a lot, we laughed a lot, and I will be forever in his debt for his incredible kindness. Jack was 95 years old.
I met Paula Rome in the early 1980s, when as the new conductor of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, she and her partner, Hilary Aidus, took it upon themselves to help us market our fledging organization. They did this out of the goodness of their hearts. And, without doubt, Paula’s heart had plenty of goodness to go around. Paula died in September at the age of 84.
Mary Pat Clarke had a lot of friends, and she made even people she didn’t know well, like me, feel like friends. Well before I covered her as part of my job as a journalist, Mary Pat was a terrific source of insight and guidance, for which I will always be grateful. She died in November. Mary Pat was 83 years old.
Although our paths didn’t cross often, when I did encounter Camay Murphy, it was always a fun and invigorating experience. Camay was the daughter of the great jazz legend Cab Calloway. She was 97 when she passed away last month. And she used every minute of that long and accomplished life to advocate on behalf of her students, the arts, and the causes of social justice.
Jonna Lazarus was one of those remarkable people who was good at a lot of things, graceful beyond measure, and as compassionate and supportive as they come. She was an amazing designer, landscape architect, artist, mover and shaker. Her meals were masterpieces, and every single person at her table was made to feel warm and welcomed. Jonna was 81 when she died in November.
This is the time of year when we take stock of blessings. I count among my blessings the fact that these wonderful people enriched and enlivened me and our community with their talent and their generous spirit. May they rest in peace.
