Memories

I had always wished that my great-grandmother, who lived in Maryland during the Civil War, had written some personal notes as to what it was like for her at the time. They would be especially interesting for us now. With that thought in mind, I wrote some of my memories of World War II for my grandchildren. I attach the article for your review since Dec 7 is today, it puts a human touch on the anniversary date. Some things you never forget, and those of us living with memories of WWII recall with great sadness a quiet Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941.

On Memorial Day weekends, Kim Yates and Albert Kullman measure success by speed. Yates steers her bright yellow tow truck toward trouble, with the goal of getting disabled vehicles out of the roadway or back in business before traffic has time to clog. From his toll booth at the Bay Bridge, Kullman can make change for a $10 or $20 in under 12 seconds. "We want you on your way," Yates said. "Safely. " The summer season kicks off this weekend when 718,200 Marylanders are expected to leave town for the beach or mountains, 1.2 percent fewer than a year ago, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Do you have a favorite or unusual memory of spending vacation in Ocean City? If so, we'd like to hear about it - in writing (no more than 175 words, please). We'll publish some of the memories in the Home & Family section. Please mail your stories to Harry Merritt, Features, Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21278 or e-mail to sun.fea tures@baltsun.com, with the subject field labeled Ocean City. Make sure to include a daytime phone number. If possible, include a photo from the O.C. vacation you're describing.

New Era has revealed the design for this year's special Memorial Day caps, which the Orioles will wear May 27 against the Nationals in Washington. Since 2008, Major League Baseball has honored the holiday by wearing special commemorative caps. Typically, the caps have featured red, white and blue regardless of the teams' usual colors. This year, the emphasis is on camouflage. The caps will be available at neweracap.com, MLB.com and at clubhouse stores with proceeds going to the Welcome Back Veterans Fund.

Today in New York, I am wearing an autographed "Baltimore is Best" necktie in memory of former Governor and Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, which signed necktie was sent me by this amazing advocate for Baltimore. While I am profoundly sad to have heard of Don's passing, I am simultaneously profoundly proud of the "Maryland memories" which his unique style and effervescent personality allowed my wife and me to share. Edward B (Woody) Ryder IV, Greenlawn, N.Y.

I received a piece of clarification on one of the photos used with yesterday's retrospective of the Ash Wednesday Storm that I found interesting. As one reader remembers it, the "motel" shown above was perhaps a forebear of the condominium towers that arose from the beaches of Ocean City in the 1970s. As the article pointed out, the storm helped clear the way (literally) for towering development over the following decades. Writes Neal Haynie of Reisterstown: Just wanted to thank you for the article in today's SUN - and to identify the photo on page 8. The "motel" was actually the Ocean Side Apartments.  It was built by Alger "Tiny" Abbott and wife Ann, local well-known denizens of O.C.  The two cottages behind the right side of the destroyed complex were their first two ventures (on 36th St.)

Women of my generation could do worse than to have Nora Ephron doing the voice-over narration of our lives. Our Sarah Jessica Parker, but in slimming black and sensible flats. Our "Sex and the City," but with coffee instead of Cosmopolitans. She has been there for us since our twenty-somethings, when Harry met Sally and we learned that friendship can morph into comfortable love, even for those, like us, who once blithely dismissed commitment. I was feeling bad about my neck, but it was Nora Ephron who said it out loud in a book by the same name.

It's easy to get all romantic about the great Orioles teams of the past, especially when the alternative is a current version of the team that is so far under water that it's almost eligible for a federal bailout. Who wouldn't wax nostalgic about the guys who represent everything that was ever good and true about the franchise — who were the cornerstones of a team that would run off 18 straight winning seasons — when they are placed in juxtaposition with the guys who are well on their way to a losing record for the 13th straight year?

W hen Hutzler's left Baltimore it was like losing my mother," Shirley Cooper said in a phone call the other day. "I spent 99 percent of my shopping dollars at Hutzler's and when I gave a gift, folks always knew where it came from," said the longtime Pikesville resident. Evidently, a lot of readers had memories of the fabled and now vanished Howard Street merchant. Since writing a column several weeks ago about Michael J. Lisicky's valentine to the great department store, "Hutzler's: Where Baltimore Shops," I've been flooded with letters, phone calls and e-mails from readers.

The Naval Academy will host its first-ever bowl game this year, as organizers announced Monday the move of the 2013 Military Bowl from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis in December. “This move puts our game into a facility that honors the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces,” said Steve Beck, DC Bowl Committee president and executive director. “The big benefit for other schools coming in, if you talk to college players, playing at a military academy is unique and special.

The nation's debt to men and women who serve in uniform can never be fully repaid. But Jane Kramer believes every little bit helps. She said that's why the Howard County Garden Club undertook the project to install a Blue Star Memorial marker, honoring present and former armed forces members, in the heart of Ellicott City. At the Howard County Welcome Center at 8267 Main St. in Ellicott City, a formal dedication was held Friday at 10 a.m., with live music, military ceremonies, presentations and comments from local elected officials.

Sunrise Senior Living asked interior designer Emily Henderson to redo the apartment of resident who uses a wheelchair resident at its Washington facility. From that experience, Henderson created tips and advice for other seniors who are downsizing. "The biggest issues are storage and organization," she said. "But the important thing is that your home should look like you at any age, and you should have your favorite things around. " Henderson was given free rein by the resident, Fran Ferguson.

They filed in the lobby of Martin's Valley Mansion in Cockeysville, some ramrod straight, others on canes and bent over walkers. They came poised to crack open fragrant memories of their days at School No. 59, more intimately known as Louisa May Alcott Elementary on Keyworth Avenue in the Park Heights section of Northwest Baltimore. The gathering on May 5 was No. 59's fifth all-school reunion since 1979 and, according to one exhausted planner, maybe the last. While high school and college reunions may be the norm, Irv Hamet said this grammar school get-together is part and parcel of the culture in the close-knit neighborhood of his childhood.

No. 11 Washington College's 10-7 victory over Colorado College in the first round of the NCAA tournament Wednesday propelled the team to a second-round matchup with No. 4 Stevenson Saturday night. The outcome also gave the program its first win in the postseason since 2008. “It's big,” coach Jeff Shirk said Friday morning. “I think it helped the guys gain some confidence. Last year, we experienced the tournament, but this year, we experienced a win. I think it's a pretty big steppingstone in trying to get where we're headed.” Last season, the Shoremen dropped a 5-4 decision to Goucher in the NCAA tournament first round.

The solitary orange banner waved over the left field wall at old Memorial Stadium for years. “HERE” is all it said in blocky black lettering. No other words were necessary. Everyone knew what it meant: here's where Frank hit it out. Wednesday marks the 47th anniversary of that historic home run, when Orioles outfielder and future Hall of Famer Frank Robinson became the only player to hit a baseball completely out of the old ballpark on 33rd Street during a game. It happened on May 8, 1966, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians, when Robinson hit a mammoth two-run shot off Indians starter Luis Tiant in the first inning.

Now that Salisbury secured one of the few coveted at-large berths in the NCAA tournament, Jim Berkman feels secure enough to stand on a limb and proclaim that the team can win the national championship for the third consecutive year and the 11th time in the program's history. Sounds crazy? Maybe, but aside from SUNY-Cortland, the top seed in the North region, and Dickinson, the top seed in the South, no other team in the field has less than two losses. “The crazy thing about this is, I really believe that we can still win the whole tournament,” the Sea Gulls coach said Monday morning.

Friday's editions included a Q&A with Johns Hopkins sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick. Due to space constraints, here are some more answers from the Baltimore native and Boys' Latin graduate that did not make the cut. How does it feel to be the quarterback of the offense from behind the net? It's definitely something that I've always wanted to do. It's just kind of the position that I play. You always want to control the game from there, and I'm trying to get better at it. I'm probably not exactly there yet, and I'm working on it and trying to be more of a leader on the offensive end as the year goes on and into next year.