Fairwell sweet Prince...
We lost a great one here in Baltimore tonight. Former Mayor, former Governor, former Comptroller and all around really special person, William Donald Schaefer. I count myself really lucky to have had as much interaction with him as I did.
At the age of 20 I worked for a stock broker who had founded a charity campaign that became one of Schaefer's pet causes. I spoke with him almost every day and could never get enough. At that time he was teaching law at the University of Maryland after having left being Governor. Wow, was he ever just full of knowledge and lore and love for Maryland, especially Baltimore. This was a guy I had always wished I could have as a grandfather, and I told him so. I grew up in Baltimore while he was Mayor and he was just amazing. He downright put Baltimore back on the map. I told him once that I would always think of him as Mayor Schaefer, because the city he had recreated had given me such wonderful memories and his response to me was that from anyone else it would be an insult, but he was happy to have me call him that. I also told him that if he EVER ran for public office again I would be there voting for him, now that I was old enough to do it!
A few years later I got that chance. He became Comptroller. And a number of years after that, when I was first self-employed I realized I was going to be a few days late on my state quarterly estimated tax deposit. Frantic (because that stuff creeps me out), I called the Comptroller's office and spoke with an assistant there. It came up in conversation that I had used to do work with Mr. Schaefer and she put me on hold, went and told him I was on the phone, and though he was too busy to pick up the phone and talk to me, she came back with a message from him for me, that he was glad to hear that while I wasn't still working for my old boss (whose name I won't mention here), he had kept tabs on me because I had later done work with a woman he was very close with and she had mentioned me to him. He was glad I was doing well.
Finally he left public office. And eventually moved into a retirement home not too far away. I called to ask if I could come and visit him, it broke my heart to think that he may be lonely, or not happy where he was. I should've known better, that man didn't stop! But I went and visited him, for what was supposed to be a short visit, maybe an hour. About 4 hours later I left. I thnk we talked about everything under the sun. And I'll be damned, that man NEVER forgot a name or a story. He remembered some of the conversations we had when I was 20. We talked about current politics and local politics, and why he got into public service. He answered every question I ever had for him. And the stories he told!
I'm saddened that I didn't get a chance to go back and visit him again. Watching the tributes to him tonite on the local news made me cry at times. But they also made me smile. I know that a lot of people didn't like him. And I know that a lot of people reading this will have no clue who I am speaking of, but dammit Don, I'm going to miss you!
William Donald Schaefer 1921-2011.
At the age of 20 I worked for a stock broker who had founded a charity campaign that became one of Schaefer's pet causes. I spoke with him almost every day and could never get enough. At that time he was teaching law at the University of Maryland after having left being Governor. Wow, was he ever just full of knowledge and lore and love for Maryland, especially Baltimore. This was a guy I had always wished I could have as a grandfather, and I told him so. I grew up in Baltimore while he was Mayor and he was just amazing. He downright put Baltimore back on the map. I told him once that I would always think of him as Mayor Schaefer, because the city he had recreated had given me such wonderful memories and his response to me was that from anyone else it would be an insult, but he was happy to have me call him that. I also told him that if he EVER ran for public office again I would be there voting for him, now that I was old enough to do it!
A few years later I got that chance. He became Comptroller. And a number of years after that, when I was first self-employed I realized I was going to be a few days late on my state quarterly estimated tax deposit. Frantic (because that stuff creeps me out), I called the Comptroller's office and spoke with an assistant there. It came up in conversation that I had used to do work with Mr. Schaefer and she put me on hold, went and told him I was on the phone, and though he was too busy to pick up the phone and talk to me, she came back with a message from him for me, that he was glad to hear that while I wasn't still working for my old boss (whose name I won't mention here), he had kept tabs on me because I had later done work with a woman he was very close with and she had mentioned me to him. He was glad I was doing well.
Finally he left public office. And eventually moved into a retirement home not too far away. I called to ask if I could come and visit him, it broke my heart to think that he may be lonely, or not happy where he was. I should've known better, that man didn't stop! But I went and visited him, for what was supposed to be a short visit, maybe an hour. About 4 hours later I left. I thnk we talked about everything under the sun. And I'll be damned, that man NEVER forgot a name or a story. He remembered some of the conversations we had when I was 20. We talked about current politics and local politics, and why he got into public service. He answered every question I ever had for him. And the stories he told!
I'm saddened that I didn't get a chance to go back and visit him again. Watching the tributes to him tonite on the local news made me cry at times. But they also made me smile. I know that a lot of people didn't like him. And I know that a lot of people reading this will have no clue who I am speaking of, but dammit Don, I'm going to miss you!
William Donald Schaefer 1921-2011.
((HUG))
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