James Lee

For the collector who already has everything, Philip S. Dubey offered a truly rare specimen of Baltimoreana at the 37th annual Historic Annapolis Antiques Show yesterday. Dubey carefully opened the lid of what appeared to be an elegant mahogany cabinet with satin-wood inlay, to reveal a wooden bench with cutout hole. "This is as high a style of toilet as you're going to see," said the Howard Street antiques dealer, who was asking $8,400 for the bedroom commode, circa 1790, likely manufactured in or near Baltimore.

James Lee Fisher, former Towson University president, has no spring break. This week he was in the Charlotte, N.C., airport on yet another consulting job. He was heading to a college whose administration is paying for his advice and recommendations. Fisher is now 76 and says he feels like 56. He still plays basketball with his grandson. From 1969 to 1978, he was the president of Towson University and saw its enrollment nearly double. "Towson was the best decade of my life. We did a lot of things and I didn't know any better," he said.

Washington -- James Lee Burke is speaking about gratitude (( and appreciation of good fortune now that, at age 55, his books are finally being read and appreciated. His voice drops to a near-whisper as he talks with slight disbelief about Joyce Carol Oates' rave review of his most recent crime novel, or when he marvels at the splendid mountain setting of his home near Missoula, Mont.And there's something else to be thankful for: He still knows pain, but he is grateful every day not to be drinking himself to death.

On February 15, 2009; CALVIN LEE JAMES; beloved husband of Monica James. On Friday friends may call at the VAUGHN C. GREENE FUNERAL SERVICES, 5151 Balto. Nat'l Pike from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. On Saturday, Mr. James will lie instate at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3200 Walbrook Avenue, where the family will receive friends from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. with services to follow. Inquiries to 410-233-2400.

James Lee Adams, a retired bank branch manager who trained pilots to fly P-47 Thunderbolts during World War II, died of cancer Thursday at Ellicott City Health and Rehabilitation Center. He was 89 and lived in Columbia. Born in Baltimore, Mr. Adams graduated from Franklin High School in 1934 and joined the Army Air Forces in 1941. He was stationed in Georgia and Alabama during the war and trained fighter pilots on the P-47, flown extensively in Europe and the Pacific. Mr. Adams was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of major, and two years later, began a career in banking that spanned 33 years.

James Thomas Lee Stubbs, a retired hospital laundry manager and World War II veteran, died Sunday of complications from dementia at St. Joseph Medical Center. The Perry Hall resident was 95. The son of a factory worker and Montgomery Ward cafeteria worker, he was born in Baltimore and raised in Pigtown. After his father, who worked at the Cat's Paw factory in South Baltimore, lost his job during the Depression, Mr. Stubbs dropped out of Southern High School in 1936 to help support his family.

In addition to such things as new recording contracts and a nationally recognized education program, Marin Alsop's influence as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra can be seen in the programming each season. She typically weaves connective threads through concert repertoire. For 2011-2012, that thread involves commemorating extraordinary women, including Joan of Arc in November. This weekend, Harriet Tubman is the focus, via the premiere of a work by James Lee III, a Morgan State University professor whose finely crafted music has been gaining increased exposure nationally.

James L. "Lee" Drinks Jr., a repair foreman and a labor relations manager for the former C&P Telephone Co., died Tuesday of lung disease at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Towson. He was 79 and had lived at Oak Crest Village in Parkville since 1997. Born in Baltimore, Mr. Drinks attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic Elementary School in Brooklyn, and Mount St. Joseph High School, where he graduated in 1941. He also attended University of Baltimore. He began working for Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. of Maryland in 1941, but left to serve in the Army during World War II. He was a sergeant and served in Italy, Corsica and Okinawa before he was honorably discharged in 1945.

Washington -- James Lee Burke is speaking about gratitud (( and appreciation of good fortune now that, at age 55, his books are finally being read and appreciated. His voice drops to a near-whisper as he talks with slight disbelief about Joyce Carol Oates' rave review of his most recent crime novel, or when he marvels at the splendid mountain setting of his home near Missoula, Mont.And there's something else to be thankful for: He still knows pain, but he is grateful every day not to be drinking himself to death.

Harford County sheriff's deputies and Maryland State Police report: Aberdeen Brian Michael Mayo, 35, of the 400 block of Oak Street, was arrested Monday on a bench warrant in a case in which he was charged with driving without required license and authorization. Djbril Ramatoulay, 19, of the 700 block of West Bel Air Avenue, was arrested Monday on a bench warrant in a case in which he was charged with possession of marijuana and failure to obey a lawful police order.