William George, S.J., chairman of the St. Mary’s City Commission places the Cross Bottany Award around the neck of Maryland Senator Mike Miller as St. Mary’s College of Maryland Tuajuanda C. Jordan, left, looks on.
St. Mary’s City, MD – Maryland Day, a celebration of the state’s history, is beginning to see a resurgence in popularity. In the 1980s, the event was a real happening, with thousands often gathering at the site of Maryland’s first capital. Now the crowds are slowly returning as more folks are yearning to learn more about this historic site.
Historic St. Mary’s City celebrated Maryland Day, Saturday, March 25, awarding Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller with the Cross Bottany Award.
The event has also become more inclusive. Piscataway-Canoy Tribal Chairman Francis Gray said that through recent efforts by St. Mary’s College Professor of Anthropology Dr. Julia A. King and her students, “our worlds have converged.
“My ancestors were the largest and most powerful tribe on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay,” Gray said. “Many of our people continue to make this area our home today. Yes, we are still here.”
Keynote Speaker and Maryland Senator Steve Waugh reminded the event’s visitors of the state’s immense contributions to the nation’s history. Waugh asserted that the state developed the first refrigerator, gas lighting, the Ouija board, the first bookmobile and the first cardiac surgery.
“Maryland has a lot we’ve brought to the table for our state and nation,” he said. “We have defining contributions.”
Miller was awarded the Cross Bottany Award for his efforts in the Maryland legislature on behalf of the historic site. Former Maryland Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein was the first to receive the distinguished award in 1988. The Senate president said that while the historic capital of Maryland has much to offer the residents, he encouraged everyone to visit the state house in Annapolis as well.
Maryland Secretary of Budget and Management David Brinkley said that on a recent trip to England to visit his daughter, he had a conversation with the Senate president. “Mike encouraged me to visit Kiplan Hall, the ancestral homeplace of the Calvert family in Yorkshire,” Brinkley said. “I’m so glad I did. It showed me that Mike Miller knows his Maryland history.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
