Rodgers Forge

A volunteer firefighter suffered minor injuries in a two-alarm blaze Wednesday night in Rodgers Forge, Baltimore County fire officials said. Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the 6800 block of Blenheim Road about 11 p.m. A firefighter from Providence Volunteer Fire Department was injured during the blaze and was transported to an area hospital with undisclosed injuries, a spokeswoman for the county fire department said....

Good weather, good crowds and a host of attractions — from rides to a dunk tank, food to raffles — combined to make a successful 2012 edition of the St. Pius X Carnival, hosted this past weekend at the church and school on York Road in Towson. During the three-day event, from Friday to Sunday, carnival patrons enjoyed rides and games, appearances by sports mascots, raffles, a silent auction and food that included pit beef, crab cakes, baked goods, fudge and lemonade. The event also included sales of collectibles, used books and other items.

The turbo-charged guy with a head full of swirling salt-and-pepper hair sitting at the lower end of Grand Cru busily sketching most Saturday afternoons, dressed in faded blue jeans, bumpy tweed sport coat, Irish country farmers vest, shirt and tie, is the loquacious Kevin O'Malley. The Belvedere Square bar is O'Malley's home away from home, living room or branch office-studio. He comes here to think, draw, laugh, pick up a few ideas while quaffing a few cold ones with his usual cadre of boon companions.

He's been known to compete in a swim cap decorated with the Orioles logo and has become a familiar sight at M&T Bank Stadium when the Ravens are home. Michael Phelps may be a global icon as the most golden of Olympians, but Baltimore remains where he touches home plate both as an athlete and a fan. "I grew up watching Cal [Ripken] do his thing. Ray [Lewis] is a good friend of mine," Phelps said Thursday. "Baltimore is my hometown, and it's where I grew up. I'm always going to have a place there.

The thing the Prengers like best about their home is also the thing they like least.Work, school, relatives and recreation -- everything from soccer at school to symphony in the city -- couldn't be more convenient, Michael Prenger boasts before turning wistful: "The house is central to everywhere," he says, "everywhere but Williamsburg."But, by the look of things, Virginia's Colonial city has taken up residence at the Prengers' restored brick rowhouse on Murdock Road in the Rodgers Forge section of Baltimore County, from the American flag to the globed candles in the windows to the blue of the settee and china.

Services for Eleanor Summers, a former resident of Rodgers Forge, will be held at 1 p.m. today at St. John's Episcopal Church, 3738 Butler Road, Glyndon.Mrs. Summers, who was 87 and lived at Pickersgill for more than two years, died Saturday of congestive heart failure at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.She moved to Rodgers Forge from New Jersey in 1975, a year after the death of her husband, Russell Q. Summers. The former Eleanor Culbert was a native of Jersey City, N.J.She had been a member of a senior citizens group in Rodgers Forge.

Firefighters and police officers walked through the Rodgers Forge community in Baltimore County on Wednesday night, offering to check homes for safety issues and providing information on emergency preparedness. They will return Friday, Monday and Sept. 21 as part of a new Safe Neighborhoods program. "Our goal is face-to-face meetings to provide information and match the needs of this community," said Lt. Lynn Mullahey, the county Fire Department's public education officer. Prompted by two recent electrical fires, the Rodgers Forge Community Association, which represents about 1,200 homeowners, volunteered to serve as a pilot area for the safety initiative.

An 18-year-old Baltimore man pleaded guilty yesterday in Baltimore County Circuit Court to a sexual attack on a Rodgers Forge woman last May and agreed to testify against his co-defendant.In return, county and city prosecutors will drop robbery charges in six other cases against Derrick Adams, of the 2800 block of Oakford Road, said Assistant State's Attorney Robin S. Coffin.Ms. Coffin said that after Adams testifies against Horace L. Montague, 22, of the 2400 block of Coldspring Lane, she will ask that he be sentenced to life in prison with all but 50 years suspended.

Edna Marie Ballard, a retired secretary at the Yorkwood Elementary School, died of heart failure Wednesday at Good Samaritan Hospital.Services for the 84-year-old Rodgers Forge Road resident were conducted yesterday at the Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, 6500 York Road.The former Edna Marie Kirk retired about 20 years ago after working at Yorkwood and other city schools for 30 years. The Baltimore native was a Western High graduate.Her husband of 56 years, I. Edward Ballard, who retired as the News American's city editor, died in 1985.

Rodgers Forge residents have been asked to meet Monday t discuss hiring private security patrols in the wake of several robberies and sexual assaults in the neighborhood during the past six weeks.The management of the Rodgers Forge Apartments has already hired a private security firm to provide tenants with late-night escorts from their cars to their apartments.A flier distributed in the Baltimore County neighborhood this week says the area has seen "an explosion of criminal activity" and urges residents to attend a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Dumbarton Middle School.

Alice Pinkham Davies, who helped thousands of clients with their business careers as the co-owner of a resume writing service, died of Alzheimer's disease Thursday at Gilchrist Hospice Care. She was 85 and lived in Towson. Born Alice Arnold Pinkham in Washington, she was a descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, settlers of Massachusetts who arrived aboard the Mayflower. Her father was a Harvard-educated National Cash Register executive and her mother a homemaker. Raised in Milton, Mass., she was a 1944 graduate of Milton High School and spent a year at the Brimmer and May School in Boston.

Katharine S. Lenfestey, a homemaker and avid gardener, died Feb. 6 from complications of a stroke at Keswick Multi-Care Center. The former Cedarcroft resident was 96. The former Katharine Schlemm was born in Brookline, Mass., and after the death of her parents, was raised by relatives in Duxbury, Mass. After earning a bachelor's degree in 1936 from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., she studied in Germany. "She was an early feminist and adventurer. Her flying lessons were cut short by the onset of World War II," said her daughter, Marion W. Bernard, who lives in Waterville, Ohio.

Marjorie Catherine Ordun, a homemaker and volunteer, died of complications from dementia Jan. 27 at Kline Hospice House in Frederick. She was 89 and had lived in Severna Park and Towson. Marjorie Catherine Paulsen was born in Omaha, Neb. She attended a Philadelphia business school and worked as a secretary. In 1944, she married Donald W. Ordun, an engineer and a founder of Electronic Modules Corp. in Timonium. They moved to Baltimore in the mid-1950s and lived in Loch Raven Village.

Alice J. Gordon, a film abd television extra who was also a volunteer, died Friday of renal failure at her home in Morgantown, W. Va. The longtime Rodgers Forge resident was 80. The daughter of a movie theater owner and a homemaker, Alice Jean Kamber was born in Winthrop, Mass., and raised in Manchester Depot, Vt., where she attended public schools. In 1956, she married Raymond Jay Gordon, a salesman, and settled in a rowhouse on Old Trail Road in Rodgers Forge. Since 2009, she had lived in Morgantown.

Bernadette Feeley Rouse, a homemaker and hospital volunteer, died of cancer Thursday at her Timonium home. She was 88. Born Bernadette Feeley in Baltimore and raised on Guilford Avenue, she was the daughter of Theresa and Jerome Feeley. A 1942 graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame, she worked for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. as a young woman. In 1948, she married Charles R. Rouse, a Navy lieutenant commander and later a Social Security Administration policy specialist.

William Baynes MacLea, a retired industrial salesman whose career spanned three decades, died of heart failure Monday at his Towson home. He was 81. The son of a lumberyard owner and a homemaker, Mr. MacLea was born in Baltimore and raised in Roland Park. He attended the McDonogh School and graduated in 1949 from the Severn School. In his youth, he worked for the family business, MacLea Lumber Co., in Baltimore. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. After leaving the service, he attended the University of Virginia, where he studied history and played lacrosse.

A seemingly innocuous dental practice near Towson has become the focus of a protracted zoning battle -- pitting a community association against two longtime dentists.At issue is whether a dental office in a single-family home in Rodgers Forge should be allowed in a residential zone, since the owners -- husband-and-wife dentists Mark and Adrienne Jenkins -- only practice and no longer live there. They rent out its two-bedroom apartment.The Jenkinses contend that they have been at York and Chumleigh roads for 20 years without objections from residents and should be permitted to provide a needed service to the community.

Winifred S. Lange, a homemaker and 50-year Rodgers Forge resident, died of cardio-respiratory failure at Brighton Gardens Assisted-Living Community in Towson. She was 86. She was born Winifred Claire Schwarz in Baltimore and raised in Guilford. She was a 1934 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School and earned a certificate in painting and sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1937. She was married in 1938 to Norman J. Lange. Her husband, retired manager of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine bookstore, died in 2002.

Young or old, rabid or casual, Baltimore Orioles fans are a little poorer today with the announcement of the death of longtime Sun staffer James Bready ("James Hall Bready," Nov. 1). A true Renaissance man, Mr. Bready brought his remarkable talents to bear in the compilation of two indelible histories of the local nine, "The Home Team" and "Baseball in Baltimore. " Just as Brooks Robinson's artistry in the field and at bat inspired the remark that he must have been sent down from a higher league, Jim Bready's mix of wit, passion, drama and love for the game, as reflected in his singular prose, likewise proved he had no equal.

  Kristine and Dan Trader   Glen and Katherine Stone, of Parkville, announce the marriage of their daughter, Kristine Stone, to Dan Trader, son of Miriam and Hugh Trader III, of Baltimore. The bride earned a bachelor's degree in human services from Stevenson College. The groom earned a bachelor's degree in digital art and design fromTowson University. The ceremony was held at Turf Valley Country Club. The bride's uncle, Pastor Jeff Wilson, of Roanoke, Va., officiated.