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 Archives' Bulldog

Newsletter of
The Maryland State Archives
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Vol. 20 No. 3
 mdsa.net
 March 15, 2006
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Archives to Acquire Washington's Resignation Speech for State House
by Mimi Calver

Ed Papenfuse and David Troy, president of Friends of the Archives, examining the documents upon arrivalOn February 20 at the Maryland Senate's annual ceremony in honor of George Washington's birthday, Ed Papenfuse announced that the Archives had raised the necessary private funding needed to acquire George Washington's personal copy of the speech he gave in the Old Senate Chamber on December 23, 1783 resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

Dr. Papenfuse said that this speech, which established the principle of the United States military being subservient to the civilian authority, is one of the most important documents in U.S. history still in private hands. It is the copy that Washington carried in his pocket and from which he read as he made his brief but very moving resignation speech. As he left the Chamber to ride home to Mt. Vernon in time for Christmas, he handed the speech to a member of the committee that had planned the ceremony and it has remained in private hands ever since. Along with the speech, the Archives will also acquire a letter that James McHenry wrote to his future wife, Peggy Caldwell, describing the occasion.

The two documents were appraised last summer for $1.25 million. Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. put $600,000 towards their acquisition in his fiscal year 2007 operating budget and the Archives was able to raise another $625,000 to match the state's contribution. Two very generous donors have each pledged $200,000 towards the purchase, and Dr. Papenfuse thanked them during the Senate ceremony. They are Willard Hackerman and Henry A. Rosenberg, both Baltimore businessmen and philanthropists. The remaining $225,000 is a donation from the owner of the documents, who wishes to remain anonymous. The funds are being raised by the Friends of the Maryland State Archives which will purchase the two documents and then turn them over to the Archives.

The speech will go on exhibition next February and the Archives will continue to raise funds to support the interpretative exhibits and other materials to make its display meaningful for visitors and students.
Ed Papenfuse Presents First Citizen Awards
by Mimi Calver

Every year the Senate honors worthy Marylanders with its First Citizen Awards and the presentations are made by Ed Papenfuse during a session of the Senate. This year, the presentations were made on February 24, and the three honorees were all former members of the Senate who have gone on to work to improve Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay environment: C. Bernard Fowler, Martin G. Madden, and J. Frank Raley, Jr.

The First Citizen Award was created for the Senate in 1992 by the Archives. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carollton who used the name "First Citizen" while debating Daniel Dulany in 1773 in the Maryland Gazette. This exchange became known as the Antilon/First Citizen debate and in it Carroll argued for an independent legislature to protect the rights and liberties of citizens.
2006 Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
by Jen Hafner

On March 9, 2006, the Maryland Commission for Women, in conjunction with the Women Legislators of Maryland, held the annual induction ceremony for the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Building, and a reception followed at Government House. This year's ceremony highlighted the careers and accomplishments of six women:
  • Susan P. Baker, M.P.H., associate chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins;
  • Liebe Sokol Diamond, M.D., a surgeon who overcame her own physical limitations to become a specialist in the correction of severe hand and limb deformities in children;
  • Bea Gaddy, a community activist who worked to help the poor and homeless in Baltimore City;
  • Marilyn Hughes Gaston, M.D., an internationally recognized scholar in the battle against sickle cell disease;
  • Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, the founder and director of the American Visionary Museum which showcases "outsider art"; and
  • Grace Snively, who has spent much of her 92 years serving as both a neighborhood medical educator and civil rights leader.
The ceremony was a touching event, with many of the inductees humbly accepting their awards while focusing attention on the individuals who helped them along the way. Also present at the ceremony was a delegation of female political and social leaders from Iraq. These women serve help serve as a reminder of the struggles still faced by women throughout the world.

The Maryland Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1985 by the Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legislators of Maryland, it seeks to honor Maryland women who have made unique and lasting contributions to the economic, political, cultural, and social life of the state and to provide visible models of achievement for tomorrow's female leaders. A plaque listing the names of the inductees is on display at the Maryland State Law Library in Annapolis. If you are interested in nominating a woman, either historical or contemporary, for inclusion in the Hall, please visit the Maryland Commission for Women's homepage for more information, http://www.marylandwomen.org. The call for nominations is usually issued in the fall.

To learn more about the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, and view biographies of the honorees, please visit http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/whfhome.html.
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THE ARCHIVISTS' BULLDOG
Founded 1987
Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist
Patricia V. Melville, Editor
Mimi Calver, Assistant Editor
Lynne MacAdam, Web Editor

The Maryland State Archives is an independent agency in the Office of the Governor and is advised by the Hall of Records Commission. The Chairman of the Hall of Records Commission is the Honorable Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals.

The Archivists' Bulldog is issued monthly to publicize records collections, finding aids, and other activities of the Archives and its staff.

The Editor welcomes editorial comments and contributions from the public.

The Archives maintains a web site on the Internet at http://mdsa.net


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