City of Brunswick, MD History Commission

City of Brunswick, MD History Commission This is the official page of the City of Brunswick, MD History Commission.

This page is used to share information about Brunswick history and is maintained by City of Brunswick Commissioners and staff.

Distinguished Citizen biography for:William Waltman Wenner Sr.1810-1910Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.Willia...
09/02/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
William Waltman Wenner Sr.
1810-1910

Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.

William Waltman Wenner Sr. never lived in Brunswick, yet few people did more to lay the groundwork for the city’s future. A Loudoun County farmer, ferryman, and landowner known as “Uncle Billy,” Wenner helped catalyze the expansion and development of Brunswick into a thriving B&O Railroad company town.

Wenner (whose full name is often abbreviated to “W.W. Wenner”) was born in 1810 to John Wilhelm and Elizabeth Waltman Wenner and spent his life at Woodbine, the Federal-style family home his father built just north of Lovettsville, Virginia. He had family connections through his mother and wife to one of the region’s most important river crossings: the Loudoun-Berlin Ferry, also known as Waltman’s Ferry.

With his brother-in-law and business partner Joseph Waltman, Wenner controlled the ferry route across the Potomac from the 1830s to the 1850s, when farmers, merchants, travelers, and goods moved between Loudoun and Frederick Counties. Waltman’s ferry connected Loudoun mills and farms with Berlin (Brunswick’s predecessor), a place made increasingly important by the promise of commerce along the C&O Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

The Potomac River crossing placed the partners at the center of what would become Brunswick’s early geography. Wenner remained in Lovettsville, but in 1835, Joseph Waltman purchased several tracts of land along the Berlin side of the Potomac extending toward Petersville. He continued to acquire land there throughout his life. For many years, Waltman lived in Berlin on the Potomac Farm, and his farmhouse later became the home of American Legion Post 96.

In 1855, W.W. Wenner received $3,150 (equivalent to $121,338 today) for his interest when the Loudoun and Berlin Bridge Company acquired the right-of-way for a covered bridge across the Potomac. The bridge opened in 1857 but was destroyed by the Confederate Army in 1861.

Wenner’s greatest influence on Brunswick came through land, however. After Waltman, a wealthy bachelor, died in 1870, Wenner’s family inherited much of his substantial holdings in and around Berlin. As the B&O Railroad invested in the area in 1889, W.W. Wenner’s real estate became central to Brunswick’s transformation.

Whether or not Wenner possessed advanced knowledge of the B&O’s arrival and sat on the land is a matter of conjecture. The railroad made its decision about Berlin privately in 1880. Wenner’s cousin, Charles Fenton Wenner, owned a mill at Lock 30 in Berlin and served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1868 to 1870. With an office on Light Street in Baltimore, C.F. Wenner was a possible insider to the railroad company’s plans and may have whispered in W.W.’s ear.

In 1891, the same year the B&O opened its great freight yard, the 81-year-old Wenner laid out “W.W. Wenner’s First Addition”, which covered much of Brunswick’s west end. The First Addition was expanded westward in 1897 and labeled “W.W. Wenner’s Second Addition.” Wenner recorded a third plot called “Potomac Heights” in 1908. He sold land on present-day Brunswick Street for a one-room brick school. This was later replaced by the much larger West Brunswick Elementary School, formerly the site of the Brunswick Masonic Lodge.

Then, in 1906, Wenner completed his final transaction of lasting importance: the sale of 26 acres that the B&O needed for development of the eastbound railyard on the west end of town. The largest single company-owned railroad yard in the United States was by then well underway.

Wenner’s family left its mark on both sides of the river. He married Susan A. Waltman in 1838, and together they raised a large family. Their daughters, Susan and Virginia, taught school in a small octagonal building at Woodbine. Their second son, William W. Wenner Jr., owned a farm just above Brunswick Street. His farmhouse was rolled down the hill on logs to what was known as Wenner Street (now 609 West Potomac Street) and connected behind the house he built in 1906. His wife, Ellen Brady Wenner, a native of Donegal, Ireland, was the town’s first schoolteacher.

By the time W.W. Wenner Sr. reached his final years, Brunswick had changed dramatically. The old village of Berlin had become a thriving railroad hub. Wenner’s decisions helped make that change possible. He connected Brunswick’s past to its future: from ferry to bridge, from farmland to neighborhoods, from village to railroad town.

The Brunswick Herald reported in March 1910 that Wenner was “the oldest resident of Loudoun County” and still remembered national political events from the early nineteenth century. He remained active into old age before retiring as Loudoun County Judge of Elections in his 88th year. His third son, Americus Armstead Wenner succeeded him.

William Waltman Wenner Sr. died on September 1, 1910, at the age of 100.

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor William Waltman Wenner Sr. as a Distinguished Citizen of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=William_Waltman_Wenner_Sr

Distinguished Citizen biography for:Eugene Harrison “Gene” Green1928-2022Mary Lou Greenb. 1941Honored as Distinguished C...
08/29/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
Eugene Harrison “Gene” Green
1928-2022
Mary Lou Green
b. 1941

Honored as Distinguished Citizens in 2026.

Gene Green was born April 19, 1928, in Lovettsville, VA. He had two brothers (one of whom died in infancy) and four sisters. They lived on a farm and his father worked on the railroad in the signal department. When Gene’s father retired from farming, he and his family moved into the former tollhouse on the Virginia side of the bridge. Gene left high school after the 11th grade and went to work for the railroad. He was exempt from the draft because of a baseball injury, a broken leg requiring a metal plate. Gene continued living with his mother until he married Mary Lou in 1966.

Mary Lou Jenkins was born July 29, 1941, in Charles Town, WV. Her father raised Hereford beef cattle on their farm near Uvilla, WV, four miles from Shepherdstown). She has one sister. Mary Lou “never missed a single day of school,” and was active in cheerleading, band (French horn and bells), and “just about everything.” She graduated from Shepherdstown High School in 1959 and went right to work as a clerk for GAC Finance. The following year, she moved to Harper’s Ferry, then three years later to Maugansville, MD, and then to Rosemont.

While working at the concession stand of the Shenandoah Downs Race Track, Mary Lou was introduced to Gene. After a year of courtship, Gene and Mary Lou got married. They would have two children, Jeanne and Bryan, in addition to Mary Lou’s two daughters from a previous marriage, Mary Beth and Pam.

Gene continued working for the railroad in the car shop for a total of 45 years. For 21 of those years, he was Chairman of Local 125, Brotherhood of Railroad Carmen, and concurrently served for 22 years on the Executive Board of the regional union organization. He knew the rule book in and out, and he helped many railroaders and their families to obtain benefits that they weren’t even aware of. His meticulous records are still in the possession of his daughter.

Gene also became deeply involved in baseball, sometimes coaching and/or managing Little League and Babe Ruth teams simultaneously. A ball player in his youth, he was manager, coach, and umpire as an adult. Just as he knew the rules of his railroad union, he knew the rules of baseball. Anyone who tried to argue with him came out as the loser.

He was loved by his teams, though. On one occasion, his peers dismissed him because he took a pitcher out of the game who refused to be disciplined after “flinging his batting hat on the ground.” But the ballplayers supported their manager’s decision and said they would refuse to continue playing unless Gene was reinstated. They prevailed.

Gene’s teams did well, too. He was manager of the Little League Allstar team that took the District 2 championship in 1961. He was also manager of the Babe Ruth Marva All Stars when they took the state title in 1967 and 1968, and coach when they took the state title in 1975. In addition to coaching and managing Little League and Babe Ruth teams, Gene also coached the American Legion Post 96 baseball team and umpired for the Maryland State League.

Gene did not manage or coach after his son Bryan began playing in 1977, but that did not stop him from supporting local baseball. In 1983, he and Mary Lou stepped up to sponsor the 13-year-old MARVA team when the original sponsor backed out. They even ran the concession stand and all the proceeds made that year were donated to Wendy Conner, who was battling cancer at the time.

Gene also served one term on the Rosemont Board of Commissioners.

Mary Lou was as active in the community as her husband. When Gene was furloughed, as often happened with railroaders, she became a “Ding Dong” lady, selling Avon products to help the family income. From 1976-1979, she was employed by the Commission on Aging, providing daily meals to senior citizens at the elementary school under the Food and Friends program. From 1980 to 1987, she was the coordinator of Brunswick’s Senior Citizen Center, organizing bus trips and a successful monthly dinner-dance event.

In 1987, Mary Lou went to work for the Circuit Court of Frederick County and was appointed Jury Clerk in 1999, serving in that position until she retired in 2010. From 2002 to 2023, she was on the County Board of Elections, for 12 of those years as president of the board (and vice president the other years).

In addition to supporting her husband in his baseball endeavors, Mary Lou was extremely involved with the Brunswick Midget Football League, serving as a member of the Board of Directors and working the concession stand at home games (her son Bryan played football in addition to baseball). She also coached the cheerleaders (daughter Jeanne was a cheerleader) and was a BHS Band Booster member.

Mary Lou was also an active Frederick Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Member for 25 years, volunteering in various areas at FMH.

Mary Lou and Gene spent many years at The Great Frederick Fair working in Guest Relations, which Mary Lou continues to do each September, helping visitors who needed direction or had questions. Both also helped in the Republican tent at the fair. The Greens were members of the Petersville Luther Chapel, where Mary Lou served on the Church Council and sang in the choir.

Gene suffered a massive stroke in 2016. While convalescing, he fell and broke his hip. He spent the next six years in Citizens Nursing Home where Mary Lou visited him every day. He died in 2022, and Mary Lou moved to Williamsport to be near her family there.

Gene will be remembered for his vegetable garden. Every summer, he had a large display of vegetables on a stand at the corner of the Greens’ property at Rosemont Drive and Petersville Road. The stand was unattended because customers were trusted with the honor system. That is the kind of man that Gene Green was.

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor Mary Lou and Gene Green as Distinguished Citizens of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=Mary_Lou_%26_Eugene_%22Gene%22_Green

Distinguished Citizen biography for:Bob Dozierb. 1947Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026Robert Whittaker (Bob) Do...
08/26/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
Bob Dozier
b. 1947

Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026

Robert Whittaker (Bob) Dozier was born in 1947. He attended Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools, graduating in 1965.

In 1967, Bob entered the U.S. Army. He served 11 months as an infantryman in Vietnam where he was wounded three times, received three Purple Hearts, and recovered in five different hospitals on his way to returning home.

In 1969, following his military service, Bob worked at three jobs daily in order to take his mind away from his war experience. Eventually, he went back to school, and in 1975 Bob graduated with an education degree from Jamestown College in North Dakota. He taught math and physical education there before returning East five years later.

Bob moved to Brunswick in 1985 and did not take long to begin contributing to the community. In particular, he has a gift for bringing out the generosity in others by inspiring them to donate to worthy local and national causes. Over the years since Bob arrived in town, his list of community fundraising accomplishments has seemed to go on endlessly: He has raised money for the Brunswick Ecumenical Committee on Needs (BEACON), Park Heights Cemetery, Wounded Warriors, Potomac Valley Youth Association (PVYA), the God Bless America Motorcycle Tour, and many more.

Much of Bob’s prolific fundraising has occurred through the popular weekly bingo events at American Legion Post 96, which he runs. If you come to a bingo event sometime, you will hear Bob's booming voice calling out the numbers—a familiar and welcome sound to the many community members who attend.

Never forgetting his own experience at war, Bob is particularly devoted to aiding fellow veterans. He volunteers his time at the Lovettsville, Virginia, horse farm Veterans Equine Therapy program. He also transports veterans to their much needed medical appointments and volunteers as a driver and greeter with Honor Flights held on the Washington, D.C National Mall. Bob spends countless hours visiting hospitalized veterans across the region as well.

Bob is also a member of American Legion Post 96 and served as Chaplain there from 2010 until 2026. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Vietnam Veterans of America.

In addition to assisting veterans, Bob also dedicates extra time to helping young people find their calling and stay out of trouble. For 30 years, he coached youth basketball and baseball with the PVYA. Bob also speaks at schools to youth groups about character building. As an old soldier, he knows to lead by example, and any young person looking to build high character would do well to model himself or herself on Bob.

Bob and his wife Brenda have four children and seven grandchildren.

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor Bob Dozier as a Distinguished Citizen of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=Robert_Whittaker_%22Bob%22_Dozier

Distinguished Citizen biography for:Angela Diane “Angie” Weddle Armstrongb. 1967Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 20...
08/22/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
Angela Diane “Angie” Weddle Armstrong
b. 1967

Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026

Angela Diane “Angie” Weddle Armstrong has dedicated her life to serving others and strengthening the Brunswick community. A lifelong Brunswick resident, Angie’s commitment to volunteerism, leadership, and community service reflects the values instilled in her from a young age. Raised in a close-knit family deeply rooted in Brunswick, she was taught by her mother the importance of giving selflessly and living for others, a lesson that has guided her throughout her life.

Angie’s connection to service began early. At just nine years old, she could be found helping in the kitchen and assisting with activities alongside members of the Brunswick Eagles Auxiliary, long before she was eligible for official membership. What began as a childhood introduction developed into a lifelong commitment. In August 1988, she officially joined the Brunswick Eagles Auxiliary #1136 and has remained an active and dedicated member ever since.

Throughout her years with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Angie has taken on numerous leadership roles at the local, state, and regional levels. She has served multiple terms as Madam President of the Brunswick Auxiliary, as well as Vice President, Conductor, and Trustee. At the state level, she rose through the ranks to become Maryland State President at the age of 29, later continuing to mentor and support future leaders across the state. Her leadership has extended nationally through roles supporting charitable initiatives focused on cancer research, heart health, and diabetes awareness.

One of Angie’s most significant contributions came during a critical time for the Brunswick Eagles. In 2017, when the organization faced the loss of its non-profit status and liquor license, Angie worked tirelessly with federal and county agencies to navigate the complex process required to restore both. Her efforts were instrumental not only in saving the organization, but in preserving one of the community’s most important engines for charitable giving and local support.

That same commitment is evident in her long-standing leadership of Wednesday night bingo. For over 15 years, Angie has led and sustained this effort, transforming it into far more than a weekly gathering. Along with other events at the Eagles, bingo serves as a vital and consistent source of funding that helps provide resources to charities, families, and individuals in need throughout the Brunswick community. These efforts operate as a backbone of local support, quietly generating the funds that allow the Eagles and its Auxiliary to give back in meaningful and lasting ways.

Angie’s service extends far beyond titles. She is a constant presence at dinners, fundraisers, and community events, always willing to step in wherever help is needed. Her volunteer work also includes the American Legion Auxiliary and other local organizations, reflecting her belief that it truly takes a village to support individuals and sustain a strong community. She cares deeply about the people of Brunswick and works every day to ensure that support is there for those who need it.

Professionally, Angie spent more than three decades in federal service before she retired in July of 2023 as a Supervisory Human Resources Specialist for the Department of the Army at Fort Detrick. As a certified mediator, Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor, and Employee Assistance Professional, her career reflects the same dedication to helping others that defines her community work.

At the heart of Angie’s story is family. She is the youngest of four children, all of whom share her deep connection to service and community through the Eagles. Her parents played a defining role in shaping her values, and she often credits them—and the broader Brunswick community she was raised in—for teaching her to give selflessly and live for others. Surrounded by family and neighbors who believed in helping one another, Angie developed a true hometown sense of responsibility and care that continues to guide her today.

Angie’s life reflects a simple but powerful belief: that strong communities are built when people show up for one another. Through her leadership, her volunteerism, and the countless quiet ways she supports others, she has helped ensure that Brunswick remains a place where that spirit continues to thrive.

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor Angie Armstrong as a Distinguished Citizen of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=Angela_%E2%80%9CAngie%E2%80%9D_Weddle_Armstrong

Distinguished Citizen biography for:Doris Kelley Barkerb. 1929Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.A devoted worki...
08/19/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
Doris Kelley Barker
b. 1929

Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.

A devoted working mother, accomplished professional, church musician, and community volunteer, Doris Kelley Barker reflects the spirit of pioneering Brunswick women. She is well-known on Facebook as one of the last vivid storytellers of Brunswick’s B&O Railroad boomtown era.

Doris was born on December 18, 1929, to Clara and Vernon Frank Kelley at the Rosemont home of her Uncle Harry and Aunt Cora Anderson. Her delivery required three doctors, including legendary Brunswick physician Dr. J.G.F. Smith.

Because her December birthday made her too young to enter first grade with her peers, Doris attended the one-room Catholic School on West B Street, where seven grades learned together. Tuition was $7 a month—no small amount during the Great Depression. “I learned a lot because we listened to the other grades being taught,” she recalled. Though her parents were warned she might have to repeat first grade in public school, Doris advanced to second grade at West Brunswick Elementary.

Music was an early gift. Her father bought her first piano for $50, and she studied with Mary Payne, a Peabody Institute graduate, who taught her the importance of following the singer. That experience shaped her years as pianist at Brunswick’s First Baptist and later Knoxville’s Faith Baptist Church, where she became known for her beautiful preludes.

At school during World War II, Doris was proud to chip in for $25 War Bonds. On Monday nights, she and her girlfriends helped make bandages for wounded soldiers at American Legion Post 96. At Brunswick High School, she participated in plays and minstrel shows, experience which later helped her secure a key role in the 1965 Diamond Jubilee pageant marking Brunswick’s 75th anniversary.

Doris first met Charles Wayne Barker at an annual May Day celebration that brought the East and West Brunswick schools together. She remembered him as “the cutest blond, blue-eyed guy” on the playground. Years later, after graduating from Strayer College in Washington, D.C., with training in accounting and secretarial work, she saw him again on the Saturday train home. Wayne, then working at the Washington B&O terminal, offered Doris a ride to her North Delaware Avenue home, and asked her out to the Jefferson Carnival that night.

Doris and Wayne were married on November 23, 1950, in an ecumenical wedding at First Methodist Church, with her Baptist pastor, Reverend Leonard Carmack, presiding and Wayne’s Methodist pastor, Reverend George Bennett, assisting. Mary Payne played the organ, and Phyllis Roby Morsberger sang. As she walked down the aisle, Dr. Smith stepped forward and said, in effect, that since he had brought her into the world, he would be the first to kiss her as Mrs. Barker. “He kissed me on the cheek,” Doris recalled, “and everybody roared.”

Doris described herself as “a dedicated employee who showed up for work every day.” At 18, after graduating from Strayer, she began working for noted Washington attorney Joseph M. Creed, the general counsel for the American Bakers Association, who often testified before Congress. She assisted him off and on for 13 years. When Wayne served in the Navy during the Korean War, the Barkers moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Doris chose work over leisure and assisted a prominent boatbuilder as secretary.

After returning to Brunswick, Doris resumed work with Mr. Creed and balanced commuting with motherhood. Following the birth of the Barkers’ only son Kevin in 1957, she hired Dot Crum as housekeeper and caregiver. Dot arrived every day at 5 a.m. to make breakfast before Doris’s train left for Washington. Through her connections, Doris later helped Dot and her husband Willie secure Social Security benefits.

As Kevin grew older, Doris sought work closer to home. In 1968, she joined the fledgling Eastalco Aluminum Company near Buckeystown and worked for its first president, Charles Schroer. She helped name the company and remained there through its acquisition by Alcoa, retiring in 1986.

Among her contributions to Brunswick, Doris served as secretary of the first library board in the 1960s, and as PTA president in the 1970s, advocating for students’ rights. She was on the building committee that helped establish Faith Baptist Church in 1980, supporting the vision of Reverend J. Boyd Frank, the father of her future daughter-in-law, Debbie. She has belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star since age 18. In 2023, to honor her 75 years of membership, the Eastern Star of Maryland sent a donation to Doris’s church in Myrtle Beach, where she has lived since 2010.

The Barkers previously resided in Daytona Beach, Florida, having moved there after Wayne suffered debilitating strokes in 1983. Thanks to Doris’s loving care, Wayne lived until age 91, passing away in 2021. Doris and Wayne built a family that includes Kevin and Debbie, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Reflecting on her long life, Doris said, “I really love my hometown.” She credited her parents for sending her to Strayer, Mary Payne for opening doors through music, and her faith for sustaining a full life. “Wayne and I lived a wonderful life,” she said, “in the spirit of our fervent belief in Jesus Christ.”

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor Doris Barker as a Distinguished Citizen of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=Doris_Kelley_Barker

Distinguished Citizen biography for: Daniel Mark Roe b. 1951Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.Dan Roe was born ...
08/14/2026

Distinguished Citizen biography for:
Daniel Mark Roe
b. 1951

Honored as a Distinguished Citizen in 2026.

Dan Roe was born in New Jersey and spent his early childhood in West Virginia, but, as he says it, his “heart lies in Colorado,” his home during his formative years. Yet he still has a lot of heart left for Brunswick, where he settled in 2013 after a career spent cris-crossing the country. In his retirement, he stepped up to fill arguably the community’s toughest volunteer role—the chairmanship of the Planning Commission—among other valuable contributions to Brunswick’s civic life. In taking on those responsibilities with grace and good humor, Dan serves as a role model for other citizen volunteers.

In Golden, Colorado, where Dan attended high school, he walked eight miles uphill in the snow—literally. Golden lies west of Denver, and Dan’s home was in the foothills of the Front Range, while the school was down in the plain. One day a snowstorm came in, and Dan missed the announcement that the buses were leaving early to take home the kids who lived in the hills. Once he realized his mistake, it was too late: he had to hike home through a foot of snow. And if Colorado built his character in the old-school way, it also gave Dan an appreciation for nature that would later lead him to the Blue Ridge and Brunswick in his retirement. He remembers going on hikes in the mountains together with his dad, who, in Dan’s words, “gave me a love for it.”

But before life would bring him here, Dan had a full career and some personal trials ahead of him. He spent 30 years working in marketing, sales, and business development for General Electric and a few different software companies. In 2000, his first wife tragically passed away from cancer. He remarried in 2002 to his wife Rosanne, whom he met while both were participating in a support group for people who had lost their spouses to cancer.

In 2012, in his own words, Dan “decided that I’d had enough with sales quotas” and determined to retire. By then, he had been living in Maryland for twenty-five years. By his own admission, he “scarcely knew of Brunswick,” but was looking for a home near the mountains and saw that there was a new development being built called Brunswick Crossing. He and Rosanne moved there, and before long he happened to meet then-Mayor Karin Tome, who encouraged him to get involved in some green initiatives that were then taking place in town.

The early initiatives that Dan volunteered on did not amount to much, in his telling, but that soon changed. In 2014, he noticed that Kim Weddle Park next to the library appeared abandoned and unmaintained. Dan soon organized a group of Brunswick Crossing residents to “adopt” the park and garden, landscape, and maintain it until, by 2017, it became the park we know and enjoy today.

Restoring Kim Weddle Park was not Dan’s only call to service, however. Mayor Tome appointed him to the Planning Commission in 2015, and when the then-chairman of the commission passed away in 2022, Mayor Brown asked Dan if he could step up to lead it. Dan accepted, and in so doing took on perhaps the most thankless volunteer job in town. But he finds the work fulfilling. Dan says that Planning Commission decisions unfold over the long term and are very consequential, so he believes he is doing a good service to the community. The role sometimes requires him to give people answers they don’t want to hear, but he strives to treat everyone with courtesy. It may take patience, but, he says, “I don’t want to be disrespectful to my fellow citizens.”

A more consistently enjoyable community pastime for Dan was Brunswick’s chapter of Great Decisions, a discussion group about foreign policy, which he started participating in in 2015 and chaired from 2020 to 2024. He found the group to be an opportunity to get more insight into world affairs than he could be just watching the news. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic forced the group’s meeting online for two years during his chairmanship.

Dan’s real passion during his retirement, though, is volunteering at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, which he and Rosanne do together. He studied geology and meteorology at Montgomery College in 2012-2014, which gave him some background on the museum’s subject matter. “Going down there [to DC] and basically educating people on evolution, geology, how the oceans work… it’s the most gratifying thing,” he says. His favorite thing is when “people’s eyes light up and they start asking questions.” Dan can also claim some credit for prodding the museum into rebuilding its volunteer program after the pandemic, when it had withered.

In his remaining free time, Dan likes to go for walks around Brunswick Crossing and on the C&O Canal towpath, and he hikes on the Appalachian Trail nearby. He has four daughters, nine grandkids, and one great-grandkid who live all around the country, from Lovettsville to Durham, Houston, and Denver.

Dan, for his part, is content with the town he chose to retire to. “I wasn’t sure about Brunswick when I came,” he said. “It’s grown on me. It’s such an attractive place to live. I’ve come to love Brunswick. When people ask me where I’m from, I say it proudly.”

The Mayor and Council and the Brunswick History Commission are proud to honor Dan Roe as a Distinguished Citizen of Brunswick, Maryland.

https://www.brunswickmdhistory.com/index.php?title=Dan_Roe

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1 West Potomac Street
Brunswick, MD
21716

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