While some might cite the famous guests who stayed at a legendary hotel as a measure of its historic stature, the first criterion really should be the countless memories created over a long period of time.

That would be the case of the Tidewater Inn in Easton. It does indeed have an impressive list of famous visitors since it opened its doors in 1947, but those living on the Mid-Shore will more than likely remember memorable anniversaries, weddings, first dates, or the chef preparing one’s goose shot earlier that morning.

It seems that thousands from Chestertown to Cambridge have made a special trip for a special occasion at the Gold Room, Hunter’s Tavern, or walking down the grand staircase in the lobby,

That was one of the many takeaways from the Spy’s interview with two long-tenured Tidewater employees, Lauren Catterton, director of marketing, and Don Reedy, the hotel’s director of operations, last week. Lauren and Don talk about those special moments, the hotel’s remarkable arc over 75 years, and what the future holds.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the Tidewater Inn please go here.  With special thanks to the Talbot Historical Society for their help with images. 

 

Raising $500 million for a new hospital would make any large urban institution think twice before launching a fundraising campaign so one can only imagine the long debates that UM Shore Regional Health’s CEO and his trustees and staff had as they stared at the most expensive capital project the region has even seen.

Building a new modern health center in 2024 dollars is an extraordinary effort, not only in assembling of funding and the state and federal level, but asking dozens of Mid-Shore residents for multi-million dollar commitments to cover the balance needed of approximately $50 million.

But that is exactly what UM Shore Regional Health is in the process of doing. And with the same careful design planning that was so critical in winning over Annapolis decisionmakers earlier this year in approving the project.

This is the second of a two-part series on the new hospital.  Last month, Ken discussed how he and his team finally won state approval after 15 years of advocacy. It can be viewed here.

This video is approximately four minutes in length. For information about UM Regional Shore Health, please go here.

For more than a decade, the Spy has invited the president of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy to provide an annual analysis of conservation efforts on the Mid-Shore. And once again, Steve Kline kindly agreed to swing by our studio for an in-depth conversation about the state of land protection in the region.

In our chat, Steve discusses ESLC’s successes and frustrations with lawmakers in Annapolis, the threats to Eastern Shore farmland from solar farm expansion, and his organization’s priorities as our communities face the daunting challenges of rising sea levels in the decades ahead.

This video is approximately ten minutes in length.

 

Giving credit where credit is due, it was John Lewis, the Head of School at The Gunston School, who gave the Spy the first idea that Artificial intelligence was a real thing almost two years ago. Joined by graduating senior Damian Rene in early 2023, John outlined how AI was starting to appear in the classroom. Unlike many educators then, he noted how he and his fellow teachers at a private day school in Centreville embraced its use.

With all that in mind, the Spy thought it would be interesting to receive an update from Lewis on how Gunston has adopted its use on our annual check-in with the headmaster.  In addition, the Spy also talks to John about the school’s relationship with Centreville and how far Gunston can grow as the population of the Mid-Shore continues to increase.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about the Gunston School please go here. 

If anyone knows anything about special callings, it would be Herb Cain, the new executive director of Upper Shore Aging; the Mid-Shore’s leading senior support agency in Caroline, Kent, and Talbot counties. Before he took on this critically important mission, which supports over 30,000 elders in the region, Herb had been a highly regarded Methodist minister for much of his adult life. The Rock Hall native uses the special calling term to describe his motivation for his first career as a preacher but also notes in his first Spy interview that there was a similar calling when he was recruited to head up Upper Shore Aging.

That is just one of several remarkable background notes one learns about Herb as he talks about growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, working as a waterman with his father, and the special circumstances that led him to Upper Shore Aging rather than a simpler life as a retired preacher he had initially planned on a few months ago.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. For more information about Upper Shore Aging please use this link.

 

While the news that UM Shore Regional Health had won approval for state funding a few months ago was greeted as the first step in building a new hospital for the Mid-Shore, for CEO Ken Kozel, it was more like the end of the beginning.

That’s because Kozel, his board, and staff have spent the last 15 years convincing the University of Maryland Medical System (  UMMS) and state leaders that the Eastern Shore deserved a $500 million plus medical center with its unique rural nature. That’s a tough ask compared to city and suburban facilities with three or four times denser populations on the Western Shore, particularly with limited capital funds at the state level.

But through perseverance, the timely appointment of Dr. Mohan Suntha as the new head of UMMS and a remarkable paradigm shift in how lawmakers saw the state’s rural health infrastructure needs, Ken and his colleagues finally succeeded in securing the support of Annapolis lawmakers.

As Ken has consistently done during his career, he immediately deflected any personal congratulations when the Spy caught up with him a few weeks ago to discuss this success story. Instead, Kozel gave a unique perspective on how the funding challenge was met.

This is the first of a two-part series. Next month, Ken will discuss the design and fundraising goals for the new hospital.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For information about UM Regional Shore Health, please go here.