Racial Equality

Baltimore's history books are likely to note the events: the demonstrations that led to the desegregation of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, the 27-hour sit-in to improve Dunbar High School, the protests to force the Horizon House apartment building to integrate. The leaders will be mentioned, too: Parren J. Mitchell, Furman L. Templeton, the Rev. Vernon N. Dobson. But what about Bob Moore? A teen-ager in July 1963, he was the first person tossed into the police wagon at Gwynn Oak. Or Lloyd Taylor?

In January, representatives of the Guardian Knights, the Baltimore County affiliate of the International Association of Black Fire Fighters, wrote me to complain of "racism and discrimination" within the county fire department. But I found that the issue is more complex than that.The group said that blacks make up 12 percent of the county population but account for only 6 percent of the 1,092-member force. The Guardian Knights charged that black firefighters sometimes hear racial slurs from their colleagues and may be punished more harshly by their superiors for departmental infractions.

A leader of a new county group formed to promote racial equality and understanding plans to sponsor a "racial justice weekend," and asked Carroll's commissioners and mayors Thursday to publicly support the organization's mission."

HAGERSTOWN -- Here in its geographic heart, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland gathered yesterday to witness the ordination of the Rt. Rev. John Leslie Rabb as their bishop suffragan.With the field house of St. James School transformed into a cathedral and filled with hundreds of the faithful, Rabb received the symbols of his office of bishop: a Bible, a ring, a cross, the holy oil called chrism, the pointed cap known as a miter and the shepherd's staff.Rabb wore a cope, a ceremonial cape used by bishops, that he designed in hues of blue and green that recalled "The Canticle of the Sun," a poem by St. Francis of Assisi.

Honoring the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., veteran civil rights leader Julian Bond last night urged county residents to continue to fight racism."

There once was an enchanted forest along the Magothy River, where children rode a Ferris wheel and played arcade games, families picnicked by the water, the faithful were baptized in the river and James Brown performed for Saturday night revelers in the dance pavilion. Beechwood Park was a short-lived summer sanctuary in Pasadena that catered to black residents in the Baltimore area and beyond who wanted to spend a day by the water - a simple pleasure often denied them in a segregated society in which many local beaches served whites only.

Francis Nash "Ike" Iglehart Jr., an Army veteran and attorney who dedicated much of his life to racial equality and environmental preservation, died Friday at his home in Monkton of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 82. Mr. Iglehart graduated from St. Paul's School in New Hampshire in 1943. At age 18, he was drafted into the Army and was assigned to the now-defunct Army Specialized Training Program. In 1946, he was discharged from the military after being wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.

South Carroll religious leaders are working to pool resources and expand outreach ministries to teen-agers, prisoners, pregnant women and AIDS patients.But the most pressing task they see is combating racism.About 25 members of the new South Carroll Ministries met Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Community in Eldersburg to plan programs to address community needs.The evening began with a communal prayer, "We can all reach out to our seniors and brothers in need.""So much can happen, if we work together and share our resources," said Mary Pulick, pastoral associate for Christian service at St. Joseph.

Charles R. Thomas Sr., a retired Baltimore City firefighter who was a voice for civil rights and racial harmony within his department, died of heart disease Feb. 23 at his Govans home. He was 86. Fire officials held him in such high regard they named the West Baltimore firehouse where he served for nearly 23 years in his honor. Born in Baltimore and raised on Mount Street, he was a graduate of the old J.C. Briscoe General Vocational School. In an interview, he said that as a child, he dreamed of riding a fire engine and using what he called "cool equipment."