Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Guy Babylon, from New Windsor, long-term keyboardist for Elton John has passed away

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Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/geb34

UPDATE: Be sure to read Jennifer Jiggetts’ Carroll County Times story. She did a great job: “Elton John's keyboardist, New Windsor native dead” at 52 By Jennifer Jiggetts, Times Staff Writer Friday, September 04, 2009

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/09/04/news/local_news/newsstory3_keyboardist_new_windsor.txt

When he was in seventh grade, Guy Babylon and several of his New Windsor friends formed a band.

They performed at the New Windsor carnival, gave small concerts by Babylon’s pool and won many talent shows in Carroll County. The band rehearsed wherever it could.

Those practices would set the foundation years later for a more famous gig for Babylon: backing up Elton John.

Babylon, John’s lead keyboardist, died Wednesday night in California. He was 52.

Read more: Elton John's keyboardist, New Windsor native dead”

______

Guy Babylon, from New Windsor, long-term keyboardist for Elton John has passed away

September 3, 2009

By Kevin Dayhoff

Guy Babylon, 52, died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, California, according to family sources and Elton John’s official website.

He was born on December 20, 1956, in New Windsor, the son of Graham and Mary Babylon, owners of the Babylon Vault Company, a Carroll County business that has manufactured burial vaults since 1930.

After he attended Francis Scott Key High School he earned his BFA in music composition from the University of South Florida. In 1980, six months after graduation he moved to California, where he quickly established himself as an accomplished keyboardist and composer and respected session musician.

Babylon, as a young man, was known to be a national level swimmer and a family member noted with pride that he once beat Mark Spitz, of Olympic swimming fame. Babylon died of an apparent heart attack while swimming.

Elton John, who according to his official web site, is on holiday in Nice, France, said: “I am devastated and heartbroken at the death of Guy Babylon. Guy played over 1000 shows with me, and we worked together on The Road To El Dorado, Aida, Billy Elliot, Lestat and Gnomeo and Juliet, as well as on countless albums.

“He was one of the most brilliant musicians I ever knew, a true genius, a gentle angel - and I loved him so much. David and I send our deep condolences to Kathy, Max, Ben and Jessica, to Guy's parents, to Kathy's parents and to all his immediate loved ones.’

The web site reports, “Guy's first performance with Elton was for a benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles in July 1988, and his first world tour as part of the Elton John Band began two months later in Miami, Florida.

“Guy became lead keyboardist on May 26, 1992, and has been the only synth man on stage since the Walden Woods Benefit Concert in the fall of 1993.”

Check back with http://www.explorecarroll.com/ later for the full story.

20090903 d1 WE brief Guy Babylon dies
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On Holliday n Baltimore

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On Holliday n Baltimore

Click here for a larger image: http://tinyurl.com/lccvxf

View from my seat while eating lunch in downtown Baltimore at the corner of Holliday and Baltimore Streets, at the Big Apple Tree Café on Tuesday, September 1, 2009

20090901 Holliday Baltimore
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-holliday-n-baltimore.html http://tinyurl.com/lccvxf

Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
http://twitpic.com/gc7jl Holliday n Baltimore Streets in downtown Baltimore 9/1/2009 http://tinyurl.com/lccvxf
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Sunday, August 30, 2009

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Westminster

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St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Westminster

Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/fxjsn

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ at the corner of Bond and Green Streets in Westminster, MD; as photographed at night from the back parking lot of Harry’s Main Street at 7:57 in the evening Saturday, August 29, 2009.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Dayhoff Daily Photograph

20090829 UCC 3
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McDaniel celebration of Dr Zepp program

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The program for the August 29, 2009 “Celebration of the life of Dr. Ira G. Zepp, Jr.,” at Big Baker Memorial Chapel on the college campus of McDaniel College:

Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/fw1il

Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes trough the tireless efforts of men and women willing to be co-workers with God.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Letter from the Birmingham Jail

PRELUDE

"Sheep May Safely Graze" Johann Sebastian Bach Arranged by Virgil Fox
Donald C. Horneff

WELCOME
Reverend Carroll Yingling

* "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above" Bohemian Brethren's Gesangbuch, Johann J. Schutz
Congregation

Matthew 25:31-40 Melvin D. Palmer

REMARKS Reverend Harry Kiely

"How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place" Johannes Brahms, Adapted from Johann M. Haydn

McDaniel College Choir with Alumni and Community
Margie Boudreaux, Director

Psalm 116
Eugene Peterson’s The Message Charles E. Moore, Jr.

REMARKS Joan Develin Coley

Pastoral Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
Reverend Yingling and Congregation

"Dona Nobis Pacem" Wolfgang Amadous Mozart
McDaniel College Choir with Alumni and Community
Dr. Boudreaux, Director

Qur'an Sura 2:177 Mohamed Esa

REMARKS Jody Zepp

“There is a Balm in Gilead” African American Spiritual
Sangmele: Lea Cilmore, Walt Michael, Henry Reiff

REMARKS William Tribby

Matthew 5:35-48
Eugene Peterson's The Message Pamela Zappardino and Charles Collyer

* "Love Divine All Loves Excelling" Charles Wesley
Congregation

REMARKS David Carrasco

"Precious Lord" Thomas A. Dorsey
Sangmele

Muscogee [Creek] Blessing and Benediction Rosemary Maxey

"The Lord Bless Thee and Keep Thee" Peter Lutkin
McDaniel College Choir with Alumni and Community
Dr. Boudreaux, Director

POSTLUDE

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" Martin Luther
Arranged by Thomas Chesterton

Recessional on "Nun Dankert" Johann Cruder
Arranged by Don Hustad
Mr. Horneff

* Please stand if you are able.

Interpreter for today’s service is Pam Kraemer.

Ushers: Dot and Bill Achor, Gladys and Roy Johnson, Doris Ann and Sam Pierce

Please join the family for a reception in McDaniel Lounge following the service.

Related:

Dr. Ira Zepp, 79, McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, dies Published August 4, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
The Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp Jr., professor emeritus of the religious studies department at McDaniel College, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 1. He was 79. In a memorial tribute by McDaniel College president Joan Develin Coley, she recalled that Dr. ... ...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R.I.P. – Dr. Ira Zepp
Kevin E. DayhoffLast Saturday word spread quickly throughout the greater Carroll County community that Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp, Jr., professor emeritus of the Religious Studies department at McDaniel College, had died peacefully at his home. He was 79 years old.

Drs. J. W. Hering and Ira Zepp, Sacred Places and Westminster City Hall
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/drs-j-w-hering-and-ira-zepp-sacred.html
http://tinyurl.com/nfe522
Pictured is Westminster City Hall MD around 1953. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/ddez2
The death of Dr. Ira G. Zepp has reminded me of one of my columns which was published in http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on July 25, 2008. Find it here: http://tinyurl.com/6yb23j or find the full story on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ here: http://tinyurl.com/krebky

The Rev. Ira Zepp: Legacy of lessons
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/rev-ira-zepp-legacy-of-lessons.html

Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on 7/25/08 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2008/07/westminster-sacred-places-are-shrines.html

20090829 sdsom Mem service to celebrate professors life Aug 29 2009

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/People%20Zepp-Dr%20Ira%20Zepp

Memorial service McDaniel College Westminster MD to celebrate Dr Ira Zepp’s life Aug 29 2009 http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/memorial-service-to-celebrate-dr-ira.html http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

A Tribute to Dr. Zepp
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/tribute-to-dr-zepp.html
Colleges McDaniel, Dayhoff writing essays, People Tributes, People Zepp-Dr Ira Zepp A Tribute to the life of Dr. Ira G. Zepp, McDaniel College Westminster MD http://tinyurl.com/l7gpdp


For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e

20090829 McDaniel celebration of Dr Zepp program
,
http://twitpic.com/fw1il McDaniel College celebration of Dr Ira Zepp program http://tinyurl.com/kupayl
*****

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A Tribute to Dr. Zepp

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A Tribute to Dr. Zepp

August 29, 2009 by Kevin Dayhoff

Hundreds packed a “Celebration of the life of Dr. Ira G. Zepp, Jr., Saturday afternoon at Big Baker Memorial Chapel on the college campus of McDaniel College.

The celebration was led by Rev. Carroll Yingling. Folks from all over the country came early and stayed late at a reception at McDaniel Lounge after the ceremony.

Dr. Zepp graduated from McDaniel College in 1952 and later returned to serve for decades as a professor of Religious Studies at the four-year liberal arts college, founded in 1867 and situated on shining hill overlooking Westminster, Maryland.

He passed on to his next great adventure on August 1, 2009 after inspiring generations of students and community leaders to lead their lives committed to service, activism and peace.

Dr. Zepp truly touched many lives, including mine. He was many different things for many people. In addition to his many professional accomplishments, if you were fortunate enough to have crossed his path, he was a trusted friend and advisor, a college professor, a stalwart foot soldier in the civil rights movement, an author of twelve books, and certainly the conscience and soul of McDaniel College and Westminster.

He was a teacher like no other. In one of his most recent books, Dr. Zepp wrote:

“A teacher is someone who is willing and humble enough to drink from the instructional wells of those who have preceded us and continue to be nourished by them: the Hindu sages, the prophets' call for justice, the discipline of the shamans, the wisdom teachers of all traditions, the gifts and graces of the saints, plus every teacher we've ever had.

“A teacher is someone who is devoted to students and is willing to endure the vertigo of vulnerability which inevitably accompanies the intimacy of human relationships and unanswered questions. This is the pedagogy of the heart.”

Pasted below is the long version of a tribute I wrote shortly after Dr. Zepp died. A shorter version may be found in Explore Carroll.com here: http://explorecarroll.com/ Dr. Ira Zepp, 79, McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, dies http://tinyurl.com/mpoyfm
http://explorecarroll.com/news/3252/zeppobit/ http://tinyurl.com/mpoyfm

A second tribute to Dr. Zepp, written by me, was publiched in The Tentacle. It may be found here: R.I.P. – Dr. Ira Zepp Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Kevin E. Dayhoff http://www.thetentacle.com/ Rev. Dr. Ira Zepp prof emeritus at McDaniel has died http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=3296

For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e

Zepp, a McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, has died

By Kevin Dayhoff, August 4, 2009

Westminster, MD - On Saturday, August 1, Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp Jr., Professor Emeritus of the Religious Studies department at McDaniel College, died peacefully at his home. He was 79 years old.

In a memorial tribute by McDaniel College president Joan Develin Coley; she recalled that Dr. Zepp “joined the faculty in 1963, first as Dean of the Chapel, then as full-time Professor of Religious Studies, and taught full time until his retirement in 1994.

“His electrifying courses on taboo topics like human sexuality, death and racism, and his serious scholarship on a wide range of subjects, from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X to the culture and religion of Islam, earned him much popularity and esteem.”

After his retirement, he taught an occasional “honors” classes at McDaniel and he continued to teach at Carroll Community College until 2008.

Zepp was born November 15, 1929 in Madonna, MD; he was the son of the late Ira G. and Nellie Katheryn (Foard) Zepp, Sr.

He was the husband of 57 years to Mary Elizabeth (Dodd) Zepp. Surviving in addition to his wife are children, Alan P. Zepp and wife Noelle DeMars of Westminster, Karen P. Zepp of Columbia, MD, Paul H. Zepp and partner Vincent Sargent of Van Nuys, CA, and Jody K. Zepp of Owings Mills; a granddaughter, Rachael E. Carter; siblings, Murray Zepp of Rising Sun, MD, Patricia Mikkonan of Bel Air, MD, and Dale Zepp of Montana. He was predeceased by a sister, Elsie Hutchison.

Dr. Zepp graduated from McDaniel College, then-Western Maryland College, in 1952. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from Drew Theological Seminary; after which he served a number of churches in Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey before joining the faculty at McDaniel. He earned a Ph.D. in 1971 from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.

Zepp truly touched many lives. He was a profound man of enormous charisma, wisdom, and compassion. He returned to Westminster and McDaniel College, then-Western Maryland in the turbulent 1960s after the community and the college had begun wrestling, in the mid 1950s, with race relations and the civil rights movement.

The college has always been known as the first co-education college below the Mason-Dixon Line and according to 2001 interview with Dr. Jim Lightner, there has always been a strong heritage of foreign students at Western Maryland College. In his book on the history of the college, “Fearless and Bold,” Lightner refers to a Japanese student in the late 1880s, “in the person of Misao Tsune Hirata, the first foreign-born student at Western Maryland College.”

Lightner also shared in the interview that just after World War II, Western Maryland College pushed society's social envelope by welcoming a Jewish student named Alleck Resnick, who graduated around 1947.

However, integrating the college was a different story altogether. It was a struggle.

In an article by Dr. William David, entitled, “When the Wall Cracked,” published in “The Hill’” in February 1990; Dr. David writes, “The first and most courageous act leading to the integration of WMC was a statement by Dr. Charles Crain, professor of religion, in a faculty meeting in 1955… (He) wanted it known that he considered it his Christian duty to do what he could to bring about the admission to the college of black students.”

The Baltimore Colts began their summer practice at Western Maryland College in the late 1950s. Many local historians accept that it was the dynamic of having African-American athletes on the Baltimore Colts that provided a major impetus in the desegregation of Westminster – and the college.

From 1955 until the mid 1960s there were a series of false starts and trials and tribulations integrating both McDaniel College and Westminster. In a February 3, 2001 correspondence with Zepp, he reported that the “first African-Americans to graduate were Charles Victor McTeer … and Charles Smothers. They graduated in 1969.”

Dr. Charles Collyer remarked in a phone interview that he first met Dr. Zepp about twelve years ago. Collyer said that Dr. Zepp “participated in, and freed others to participate in, the American civil rights movement.”

Coley’s tribute noted that Zepp “participated in non-violent activism and marched in Selma, Alabama, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Collyer reiterated that Dr. Zepp “was one of the members of the clergy who went to Selma, Alabama, in 1965… These efforts resulted in the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 which made barriers to voter registration and voting illegal and Dr. Zepp was a part of that.”

It was not easy. In Coley’s tribute to Zepp, she wrote: “Daughter Jody Zepp said her parents’ advocacy of civil rights was unpopular in their Westminster neighborhood of the mid-1960s. The family received hate mail and dirty looks from neighbors who didn’t like the sight of black guests at their house.”

“‘By virtue of taking stands you will have some people who are on the other side. I’ve made enemies, but I never think of them as enemies,’ Ira said. ‘I will love the hell out of them, or better yet, heaven into them.’”

Dr. Pam Zappardino, who along with Dr. Collyer, were inspired and encouraged by Dr. Zepp to be co-founders of the Ira & Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education, remembers:

"I was a student at McDaniel (then Western Maryland) College in the late sixties, when change was all around us. Ira freed us as students to stand up for what we believed and to stand strong in the face of criticism.

“He also taught us how to question and how to enter into real dialogue with folks with whom we disagreed. I learned from Ira, mostly by example, how to confront issues nonviolently. I came to understand by watching him that nonviolence is more than just a tactic, it is a way of life.”

Collyer and Zappardino recall that Zepp always stressed the need for students to get involved. He inspired generations of students to lead lives committed to service, activism, and peace.

The author of a dozen books, Zepp viewed language as a powerful tool for both shaping and expressing his ideas. In 1981, he wrote “Sacred Spaces of Westminster.” In part of his introduction, he wrote, “This study is an attempt to suggest the religious significance of the large number of ‘natural’ and ‘secular’ symbols and areas of Westminster and in so doing to observe how the city reflects archetypical … human consciousness.”

Zepp was many different things for many people. In addition to his many professional accomplishments; if you were fortunate enough to have crossed his path, he was a trusted friend and advisor, a college professor, a stalwart foot soldier in the civil rights movement, an author of twelve books, and certainly the conscience and soul of McDaniel College and Westminster.

Although, Westminster and McDaniel College are quick to claim Dr. Zepp, he was foremost, a true citizen of the world. In the biographical notes from the book, “Sacred Places,” it says that Dr. Zepp “also studied at the University of Edinburgh, Gottingen, Harvard, and at the Center for Intercultural Documentation in Cuernavaca, Mexico, as well as in India and Eastern Europe.”

In a tribute written by Collyer, he observed that Zepp, “carried out scholarly research on Martin Luther King, Jr., producing books such as ‘The Social Gospel of Martin Luther King, Jr.,’ ‘Search for the Beloved Community,’ with Kenneth L. Smith; and ‘Nonviolence: Origins and Outcomes’,” which Zepp wrote with Collyer.

Collyer further elaborates that Zepp’s “most recent book, on teaching, is ‘Pedagogy of the Heart,’” in which he explored diverse definitions of the art of teaching and examines the intimacy of human relationships in the pursuit of wisdom.

“He was a strong and rigorous defender of Dr. King against his critics,” said Collyer.

Since his death, many have observed that Zepp leaves a legacy with which it is our responsibility to continue to build upon. Fortunately, he laid a substantial foundation upon which we can work.

Zappardino notes that Zepp “was a critical partner with Walt Michael in the founding of Common Ground on the Hill, an organization in which the traditional music and art of many cultures brings people together in community.”

Collyer wrote that the Ira and Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education, of which he and Zappardino are co-founders, is another legacy of Zepp. The Zepp Center “is a program of Common Ground that carries on Ira’s legacy by promoting greater knowledge of the civil rights movement and of the worldwide family of nonviolence traditions to which that movement belongs.”

Zappardino said that “Ira taught me that questions are much more important than answers. ‘Questions Unite. Answers Divide,’ he always said."

Many agree with Zappardino’s observation: “Ira was an optimist. In a very real way, I am who I am because I knew Ira...and we often laughed about some of the trouble that's gotten me into. I expect I'll get into more trouble as I go along. And that Ira will still be cheering me on.”

A memorial service celebrating Zepp’s life will be held at 2 o’clock on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at Big Baker Chapel on the campus of McDaniel College with Rev. Carroll Yingling officiating.

Arrangements are by the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home in Westminster, MD. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at McDaniel Lounge on campus.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the “Ira & Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education,” P.O. Box 552, Westminster, MD 21158.

-30-

Related:

Dr. Ira Zepp, 79, McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, dies Published August 4, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
The Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp Jr., professor emeritus of the religious studies department at McDaniel College, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 1. He was 79. In a memorial tribute by McDaniel College president Joan Develin Coley, she recalled that Dr. ... ...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R.I.P. – Dr. Ira Zepp
Kevin E. DayhoffLast Saturday word spread quickly throughout the greater Carroll County community that Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp, Jr., professor emeritus of the Religious Studies department at McDaniel College, had died peacefully at his home. He was 79 years old.

Drs. J. W. Hering and Ira Zepp, Sacred Places and Westminster City Hall
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/drs-j-w-hering-and-ira-zepp-sacred.html
http://tinyurl.com/nfe522
Pictured is Westminster City Hall MD around 1953. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/ddez2
The death of Dr. Ira G. Zepp has reminded me of one of my columns which was published in http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on July 25, 2008. Find it here: http://tinyurl.com/6yb23j or find the full story on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ here: http://tinyurl.com/krebky

The Rev. Ira Zepp: Legacy of lessons
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/rev-ira-zepp-legacy-of-lessons.html

Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on 7/25/08 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2008/07/westminster-sacred-places-are-shrines.html

20090829 sdsom Mem service to celebrate professors life Aug 29 2009

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/People%20Zepp-Dr%20Ira%20Zepp

Memorial service McDaniel College Westminster MD to celebrate Dr Ira Zepp’s life Aug 29 2009 http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/memorial-service-to-celebrate-dr-ira.html http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e

20090829 sdosmKED Zepp celebration w tribute

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life

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Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life

August 29, 2009 by Kevin Dayhoff

Memorial service McDaniel College Westminster MD to celebrate Dr Ira Zepp’s life Aug 29 2009 http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/memorial-service-to-celebrate-dr-ira.html http://tinyurl.com/mrsl8y

For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e

_______


The death of Dr. Ira G. Zepp has reminded me of one of my columns that was published in Explore Carroll on July 25, 2008. The column was titled, “Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life,” http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/359/westminsters-sacred-places-are-shrines-community-life/, and it was about a 1981 book by Dr. Ira Zepp and Marty Lanham, "Sacred Spaces of Westminster."

That column, published in July, 2008, was edited a great deal in order for it meet my word limit requirements for the paper. What follows is the long unedited version:

“Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life” an unedited version of the column originally printed in my
“EAGLE ARCHIVE”column 7/25/08

Since this is a Sunday column, I do hope it's fitting to talk about sacred places.

Not necessarily houses of worship, mind you, though those are most often considered sacred places.

I'm thinking of the sacred public places as described in a 1981 book by Dr. Ira Zepp and Marty Lanham, "Sacred Spaces of Westminster."

I thought of the book as I sat in the council meeting and looked around the room and imagined all the history that room and the building we now know as Westminster City Hall -- a building that many consider one of the true sacred places in Carroll County - -has seen since it was built in 1842 by Colonel John K. Longwell.

Westminster Common Council President Roy Chiavacci always begins each council meeting by reminding us some of the history of Westminster City Hall.

Westminster purchased it from the estate of George W. Albaugh in September of 1939 for $11,000. After extensive renovations and improvements, without impairing the original features of the structure, the City offices were moved there from the old Westminster Fire Department building at 63 West Main Street, during the administration of Mayor Frank A. Myers.

I wonder what it was like to have lived there right after it was built by Colonel John K. Longwell in 1842. Or what it would have been like to have been there in August 1863? That was when, as Frederic Shriver Klein writes in “Just South of Gettysburg” that over forty prominent Westminster citizens were arrested by Union soldiers on the charge of “general disloyalty.”

Those arrested included Dr. Mathias, Dr. Trumbo, Dr. J. W. Hering, Colonel and Mrs. Longwell - and their wives.

According to “Recollections” by Dr. Hering, at Mrs. Longwell’s “trial” on August 27th, 1863, in Westminster, she was told that “among other things, you are charged with feeding the rebel soldiers…”

“Well,” she replied, “I did, I would feed a hungry dog who came to my house. I would even feed you, if you came to my house hungry.” At that, it is reported that Mrs. Longwell’s husband, Colonel Longwell, “nearly collapsed.” Reportedly, Mrs. Longwell subsequently took the oath of allegiance. Others, however, did not and were imprisoned at Ft. McHenry.

However, getting back to a discussion of “Sacred Places in Westminster” …

Although it can be argued that Westminster is no longer a sleepy southern town; when I attend council meetings and witness all the “Peyton Place” – “Harper Valley PTA” operatic dramas take place I often think of the existential "Southern Gothic" genre of storytelling – and all the accompanying “Sacred Places in Westminster” not to be confused with the “sacred cows of Westminster;” however that is the stuff of another future essay, or not…

The month of July is recreation and parks month. At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Tom Ferguson read a proclamation recognizing July as Recreation and Parks Month, and paid tribute to the city's recreation and parks director Ron Schroers, as well as other employees who work tirelessly for our benefit.

The mayor’s proclamation recognized the importance of recreation in our community; and paid tribute to the large number of volunteers in the community that make it happen.

Family and recreation has always been important in Carroll County and as a result we celebrate recreation and parks month twelve months out of the year.

Nevertheless, we are particular fortunate to have many talented, community oriented citizens who devote a great deal of time to the various recreation councils and committees throughout the county; and it is only fitting that we collectively take a moment to recognize their efforts.

Not to be overlooked is the fact that we are equally privileged to have a county and eight municipal governments which also recognize the importance of family and recreational opportunities.

Dr. Zepp and Ms. Lanham are examples of the enormous talent that we often take for granted in Carroll County.

Dr. Zepp is now retired, but when the book was written, Dr. Zepp was a professor of religious studies at McDaniel College and taught several courses which reflected the “comparative, phenomenological and historical methods used in (the) book.”

Ms. Lanham, in 1981, was the public relations coordinator and photographer for Westminster. Among her many journalism credentials, she had been the editor of the “Diamondback,” at the University of Maryland for two years, where she got her degree in journalism.

It is in this context that took me back to the sacred public places as was described so well in a 1981 book by Dr. Zepp and Ms. Lanham - “Sacred Spaces of Westminster.”

One of the many recreational facilities that Mr. Schroers oversees is the very popular Westminster playground in the heart of the city. One the very first pictures in the book is a picture, taken by Ms. Lanham, of the Westminster Playground.

Moreover, towards the end of the book, the authors discuss one of the overlooked sacred landmarks in Westminster: the Memorial Gateway to the Westminster playground off of Center Street.

Zepp and Lanham explain that the "gateway was given to the city by H. Peyton Gorsuch in 1937. Its primary purpose was to acknowledge the community's debt to Carroll Countians who had served in the nation's wars."

Next chance you get, stop, and read the memorial plaque affixed to the Memorial Gateway.

The book goes on to portray and discuss public places such as Belle Grove Square and various other parks, gardens, memorials and monuments.

Included are discussions about the Mather Gardens behind City Hall, dedicated on Oct. 13, 1963; the War Memorial at the forks of Pennsylvania Avenue and West Main Streets; Ward Memorial Arch at McDaniel College; and the Westminster Community Pond, dedicated by Governor Theodore R. McKeldin on September 10, 1954…

I am reminded of a great tradition in Westminster, which has long since gone by the wayside, of erecting huge archways in town at special occasions.

Fortunately pictures still exist of huge archways over Liberty Street, Main Street in the vicinity of the old fire hall or at the forks of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue – back in the days when it was still part of Westminster’s business…

When the book came out, I had been practicing landscape designer and a keen observer of Westminster’s historic places for many years, and yet, Dr. Zepp and Ms. Lanham’s work caused me to look at Westminster’s history and public design in a much different light.

In a classic example of not seeing the forest for the trees, I began to look at our many squares, circles, fountains, monuments in a very different perspective.

As an aside, who can recall that when the park area, in the center of Westminster, at Locust Lane was first developed, it had a fountain in the center of the plaza.

When the book came out I had been a practicing landscape designer and a keen observer of Westminster's historic places for years, and yet, Zepp and Lanham caused me to look at Westminster's history and design in a much different light.

To the best of my knowledge, the book has been out of print for many years. Perhaps with the permission of the authors, an initiative could be undertaken to reprint this valuable resource and have it available at the Historical Society of Carroll County.


#####



A memorial service celebrating Ira Zepp’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Aug. 29 on campus at Big Baker Chapel with the Rev. Carroll Yingling officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at McDaniel Lounge.

Zepp, a 1952 alumnus and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at McDaniel College who inspired generations of students to lead lives committed to service, activism and peace, died Aug. 1. He was 79.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ira & Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education, P.O. Box 552, Westminster, MD 21158. Arrangements are by the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home in Westminster. Online condolences may be made to the family at http://www.myersdurborawfh.com/.

Related:

Dr. Ira Zepp, 79, McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, dies Published August 4, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
The Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp Jr., professor emeritus of the religious studies department at McDaniel College, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 1. He was 79. In a memorial tribute by McDaniel College president Joan Develin Coley, she recalled that Dr. ... ...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R.I.P. – Dr. Ira Zepp
Kevin E. DayhoffLast Saturday word spread quickly throughout the greater Carroll County community that Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp, Jr., professor emeritus of the Religious Studies department at McDaniel College, had died peacefully at his home. He was 79 years old.

Drs. J. W. Hering and Ira Zepp, Sacred Places and Westminster City Hall
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/drs-j-w-hering-and-ira-zepp-sacred.html
http://tinyurl.com/nfe522
Pictured is Westminster City Hall MD around 1953. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/ddez2
The death of Dr. Ira G. Zepp has reminded me of one of my columns which was published in http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on July 25, 2008. Find it here: http://tinyurl.com/6yb23j or find the full story on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ here: http://tinyurl.com/krebky

The Rev. Ira Zepp: Legacy of lessons
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/rev-ira-zepp-legacy-of-lessons.html

Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on 7/25/08 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2008/07/westminster-sacred-places-are-shrines.html

20090829 sdsom Mem service to celebrate professors life Aug 29 2009

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/People%20Zepp-Dr%20Ira%20Zepp


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Memorial service to celebrate Dr Ira Zepp’s life August 29 2009

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Memorial service to celebrate Dr Ira Zepp’s life August 29 2009

http://www.mcdaniel.edu/10305.htm

For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e

A memorial service celebrating Ira Zepp’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Aug. 29 on campus at Big Baker Chapel (on the campus of McDaniel College, Westminster, MD) with the Rev. Carroll Yingling officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at McDaniel Lounge.

Zepp, a 1952 alumnus and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at McDaniel College who inspired generations of students to lead lives committed to service, activism and peace, died Aug. 1. He was 79.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ira & Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education, P.O. Box 552, Westminster, MD 21158. Arrangements are by the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home in Westminster. Online condolences may be made to the family at http://www.myersdurborawfh.com/.

Related:

Dr. Ira Zepp, 79, McDaniel College and Westminster civil rights leader, dies Published August 4, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
The Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp Jr., professor emeritus of the religious studies department at McDaniel College, died peacefully at his home on Aug. 1. He was 79. In a memorial tribute by McDaniel College president Joan Develin Coley, she recalled that Dr. ... ...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
R.I.P. – Dr. Ira Zepp
Kevin E. DayhoffLast Saturday word spread quickly throughout the greater Carroll County community that Rev. Dr. Ira Gilbert Zepp, Jr., professor emeritus of the Religious Studies department at McDaniel College, had died peacefully at his home. He was 79 years old.

Drs. J. W. Hering and Ira Zepp, Sacred Places and Westminster City Hall
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/drs-j-w-hering-and-ira-zepp-sacred.html
http://tinyurl.com/nfe522
Pictured is Westminster City Hall MD around 1953. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/ddez2
The death of Dr. Ira G. Zepp has reminded me of one of my columns which was published in http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on July 25, 2008. Find it here: http://tinyurl.com/6yb23j or find the full story on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ here: http://tinyurl.com/krebky

The Rev. Ira Zepp: Legacy of lessons
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/rev-ira-zepp-legacy-of-lessons.html

Westminster's sacred places are shrines of community life EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ on 7/25/08 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2008/07/westminster-sacred-places-are-shrines.html

20090829 sdsom Mem service to celebrate professors life Aug 29 2009

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/People%20Zepp-Dr%20Ira%20Zepp

For more articles on Dr Zepp click here: http://tinyurl.com/n3u32e
*****


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Carroll County Arts Council e-marquee August 24, 2009

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Carroll County Arts Council
e-marquee August 24, 2009

Night Marquee Header
Carroll County Arts Councile-marquee August 24, 2009

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Stone Hill All-StarsStone Hill All stars and
Bucky's Brother

Saturday, August 29 - 7pm
$25 Adults/$15 Kids

Bucky's BrotherA delightful evening of acoustic string band music to benefit The Epilepsy Foundation Chesapeake Region.


Buy tickets on-line

This event is not presented by the Carroll County Arts Council.


FLICC presents The Visitor "The Visitor"
2008; Rated PG-13; 108 mins

Friday, September 11 - 8pm
$6 Adults/$5 CCAC Members, Seniors & Students

A recently widowed college professor finds a Syrian man and his Senegalese girlfriend living in his NY apartment after returning from a conference. In return for letting them stay, they teach him African drumming and the exuberant rhythms rekindle his passion for life. Stick around after the show to participate in a live drum circle!
Buy tickets on-line.




FootworksFootworks Percussive Dance Ensemble


Saturday, September 12 - 7pm
$15 Adults/$12 CCAC Members, Seniors & Students

They've been called "The Bolshoi of Barn Dancing" and have thrilled audiences at Kennedy Center, Lincoln center, Wolf Trap and as guest artists with "Riverdance" in London. Accompanied by a live string band, they seamlessly blend elements of clog, step and tap dance into an exuberant performance.
Sponsored by a Capital Region performing Arts touring grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
Buy tickets on-line.

volunteer logo



MORE ARTS CENTER NEWS

Sign Up Today! Life Drawing "Open Studio with Live Model"


10 Thursdays beginning September 3
7 - 10 pm
$110/$100 members
$20 drop-in fee per class
This popular offering gives artists a chance to capture the human form through quick sketches as well as completed works of art in their choice of mediums. A relaxed and supportive atmosphere for artists of all experience levels. No instructor provided.
Visit our website for registration information.




Romeo & Harriet
Auditions for
"Romeo & Harriet "
Sunday, August 31, 4 - 7 pm
For Middle School Aged Actors, Singers & Dancers Visit our website for more information about this November production.

High school theatre internships also available for those students that want to assist with the production and earn community service hours




7th Annual
"Members Exhibit"
On view through September 25


A showcase of fine art featuring works by more than 120 of our talented members. A wide variety of styles and mediums are represented in this annual display. Invest in art by a local artist!


Sponsored by:
Ruth Gray & Lloyd Helt and the Carroll County Artists Guild.




ARTS IN CARROLL COUNTY

September Song
Presents
The Sound of Music
September 4, 5, 11 and 12 at 8 pm
September 6 at 2:30 pm
Century High School
Purchase tickets in advance at the Carroll Arts Center or on-line at
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102676872187&s=390&e=001o5PlVeNwwip3Klos5MYdZGCnl3KW9ykGk_Rmup9gyW8rGzgvO5E22clPgS4nchd_25GS_DE3dzvUsOIpM95CvN0pZQUkR6ADtrPPH2qwRsPTHa1Jl7S4eyksQdDhuT-p


These activities are presented by our Arts Alliance affiliate members and are not sponsored by the Carroll County Arts Council. Please contact these organizations directly for information.


Purchase Tickets On-Line
Pre-payment is required to reserve tickets for CCAC shows and films.
You can now purchase tickets on line 24/7at www.carrollcountyartscouncil.org

A small convenience fee will be applied to all phone and internet credit card orders. No fees apply for tickets purchased in person at the box office.
.
Our Website Coming Attractions Exhibits Classes

Contact Information phone: 410-848-7272 fax: 410-848-8962
20090824 Carroll County Arts Council emarquee August 24 2009

Upcoming events at the Carroll County Arts Council Westminster MD http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2009/08/carroll-county-arts-council-e-marquee.html http://tinyurl.com/mzqo6b

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2009/08/carroll-county-arts-council-e-marquee.html http://tinyurl.com/mzqo6b

Upcoming events at the Carroll County Arts Council Westminster MD http://tinyurl.com/mzqo6b

*****
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