Last Friday brought the sad news that Judge John C. North had passed away at the ripe age of 94

Just a few months ago, I had interviewed the judge to help spread the word about the Bugatti exhibition at the Academy Art Museum. We talked at length that day about the show and his contributions of both cars and knowledge to what has been the AAM’s most successful exhibit to date, which celebrated the famed automobile designer family. But before we began that conversation, the judge was in a reflective mood, and we spent nearly as much time talking about his own life and his love for log canoes.

It was a rare moment with this native son of the Eastern Shore. The only child of a Talbot County lawyer, he earned his law degree at Harvard before returning home to practice and eventually joining the Maryland bench. With his rich vocabulary and formal manners, he carried one back to another era in his telling of his upbringing and love of boats.

That unplanned digression, before the “real” interview, lasted nearly 20 minutes. At the time, I told him I would someday produce another video that included this material, and he was delighted by the idea. That “someday” came sooner than expected. For a man known for his love of precision in language, it feels fitting that he told his story in his own words.

This video is approximately 18 minutes in length.

Rabbi Jordan Goldson traces his faith journey back to Long Island, where his family built a suburban Jewish life after the war. Friday nights meant synagogue, community, and late dinners with friends at the local diners that shaped a sense of belonging.  And when he was at Tulane University, far from home, he found himself drawn into the student organization Hillel, organizing Shabbat dinners, building a campus community, and unexpectedly found himself being nudged toward the rabbinate.

What began as curiosity about Jewish texts turned into rabbinical studies, first in Israel and then in Los Angeles and New York, culminating in his ordination in 1987. From his first pulpit in Calgary, through congregations in Arizona, Baton Rouge, New Jersey, and now Easton, his career has been marked by growth, resilience, and a deep commitment to community. Along the way he’s taught, counseled, and led through times of promise and times of struggle, always returning to the heart of what drew him in as a young man: the joy of creating and sustaining Jewish life.

Rabbi Goldson stopped by the Spy Studio a few weeks ago to chat about the challenge and opportunities in attracting younger people to Temple B’nai in an era of remarkable technology and the temple’s celebration of 75 years of service to the Mid-Shore. The Rabbi also talks about how a community processes the current tragedy in Gaza and growing anti-semitism. His answer begins with a 3,000 year old history of resilience and hope.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Temple B’nai Israel please go here. 

On June 28, 2018, Jarrod Ramos attacked the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis. Armed with a shotgun and explosives, he opened fire, killing five members of the Capital’s editorial staff. It remains the deadliest workplace shooting in Maryland history.

Thomas Marquardt, the then-publisher and editor of the newspaper, remains severely traumatized to this day by this senseless act of violence. Still, unlike countless others who survive such an event, Tom’s career as a journalist provided him with unique skills and motivation to dig deeper, find better answers for this unforgivable act of terror. Years of research have finally resulted in the publication of Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers’ Worst Mass Murder.

Beyond the sometimes cathartic effects of writing the book to address his own lingering trauma from that tragic day,  Tom is also on a mission to use the book to put a spotlight on workplace violence and what businesses and their owners can do to help protect their employees.

The Spy spoke with Tom last week about this book in advance of his conversation with Spy publisher Dave Wheelan and For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman on August 6th, as part of the Leadership Maryland Alumni gathering at the Waterfowl Building.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. To purchase Pressed to Kill please go here. 

Leadership Maryland Alumni Engagement Speaker Forum
August 6 at 6:30 p.m
Waterfowl Festival Building (40 S. Harrison St., Easton) 

In Conversation with author Tom Marquardt with Beth Anne Dorman, President & CEO of For All Seasons

Free and open to the public.
Register at leadershipmd.org.

Café-style seating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages provided by Saucy Salamander Catering.
Venue sponsored by Deena Kilmon, Executive Director, Waterfowl Festival.

A name change for any organization, whether for-profit or nonprofit, is a significant undertaking. Beyond the costs of design and marketing, which would give any board of directors pause, it is a substantial cultural shift that leaders must navigate. Nonetheless, the payoff can be transformational.

And that’s why Jonathon Rondeau and his board made the bold decision to rename their organization from the Arc to Fello, after years of being seen, incorrectly, as simply a subsidiary of the nationwide organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While the two are connected in mission and support, the Arc Central Chesapeake Region has always had its own 501 (c) (3) and independent board of directors. And over time, that confusion was starting to become a problem.

In our spy interview with Jonathon, he talks about the name change process and the deeper reflection he and his colleagues went through on the organization’s identity, values, and commitment to inclusiveness.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Fello, please go here.