William Paca

On November 28, 2003, WILLIAM PACA BEATSON, SR., beloved husband of the late Mary Colt Wilcox, devoted father of William Paca Beatson, Jr., and the late John Herbert Beatson; and loving grandfather of John Herbert Beatson, Jr., Philip Whittington Beatson, and William Paca Beatson III. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, November 30, at 1 P.M. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 1401 Carrollton Ave. in Ruxton. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Gilchrist Center, 6601 N. Charles St., 21204 or to Broadmead, 13801 York Road, Cockeysville, 21030.

Lauren Hunter, a fifth grade reading specialist at William Paca/Old Post Elementary School in Abingdon, is the latest Harford County educator to receive a prestigious National Milken Award. Hunter did not know she had won the $25,000 cash award from the Milken Family Foundation until she attended a surprise assembly at the school early Wednesday morning. Before students, fellow faculty members, staff and elected officials, she accepted the award from Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools.

William Paca Beatson Sr., a retired insurance executive, died Friday of complications from a stroke at the Broadmead retirement community in Hunt Valley. He was 91. A direct descendant of William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the third governor of Maryland, Mr. Beatson was an avid student of American history. A gifted raconteur, he often delighted his three grandchildren with stories about their ancestors, whom he had traced back several generations. "He loved life and loved sharing it with other people," said attorney and sports agent Ron Shapiro, a close family friend.

Editor: The Youth's Benefit Elementary School PTA would like to address the recent June 17 Aegis article "New Youth's Benefit Delayed. The PTA has significant concerns about the proposed plan of capital facilities funding prioritization that was presented at the Harford County Board of Education meetings on June 13 and again on June 27. Historically, the board has provided the state and county with a list of priorities so that when funding from the state and or county becomes available, the projects can proceed.

William Paca House, 186 Prince George St., will be open until 8 p.m. each Saturday this month.The extended hours will offer visitors the opportunity to take a guided tour of the new exhibit, "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In," and browse in the museum shop. Visitors will be taken through the restored 18th century mansion by volunteers to experience the variety of goods imported by the bustling port of Annapolis during the 1760s and 1770s.Imported items included spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, mace, sugar candy, teas, mustard, salad oils and lemons.

What it felt like at day's end to be William Paca - the wealthy lawyer who was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence, an early governor and a slave owner - is on display in his recently restored bedroom overlooking Prince George Street in Annapolis. In a window corner of the "best bedroom," there's a late light supper on a table set for one. A silk banyon - a kind of leisure suit for gentlemen back then - is draped on a chair for "Master Paca" to relax in after a daylong horseback ride home from a Baltimore court date.

On May 26, 1763, William Paca, the Harford native who would become governor of Maryland and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, ensured his social and economic position by his marriage to Mary Chew, the daughter of a wealthy and prominent Maryland family. Four days after the wedding, Paca purchased two lots in Annapolis and soon began building the five-part mansion and extensive pleasure garden that remains an important historical landmark and tourist destination today.

Assistant Principal David Lewis has worked at William Paca Elementary School for seven years. Not one of those years has passed without a student being hit by a car. Lewis joined police officers, city officials and 250 elementary school students yesterday to help promote pedestrian safety as part of Baltimore's 10th annual Walk to School Day. The event marked International Walk to School Month, a global program from the National Center for Safe Routes...

Lauren Hunter, a fifth grade reading specialist at William Paca/Old Post Elementary School in Abingdon, is the latest Harford County educator to receive a prestigious National Milken Award. Hunter did not know she had won the $25,000 cash award from the Milken Family Foundation until she attended a surprise assembly at the school early Wednesday morning. Before students, fellow faculty members, staff and elected officials, she accepted the award from Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools.

Mary Minter, a longtime Baltimore principal who oversaw an academic turnaround at William Paca Elementary, was named chief academic officer of the city school system last night. The announcement came as the school board approved the creation of three new charter schools and made two other high-level administrative appointments: Linda Eberhart, an award-winning math teacher at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle who campaigned for Gov. Martin O'Malley, will become director of mathematics. And Roger Shaw, principal of Paul Laurence Dunbar High, is the new executive director of secondary schools.

More than 600 students left William Paca Elementary on the city's east side Thursday and marched to Patterson Park for a field day. While they played, about 300 volunteers descended on their school to paint, carpet, tile and landscape. Those not assigned a renovation task organized kids' activities in the park. The student lounge underwent a makeover that turned its dark walls pale blue. Volunteers cleaned the library shelves and recataloged the books. They refurbished the stage in the assembly room, replaced ceiling tiles, repaired the scoreboard in the gym and planted flowers in the outdoor gardens.

There was a time in his life — it turns out, most of his life — when Marco Alva felt like a man without a country. He had become separated by time and distance from Mexico and the culture of his native country, and, while he had married an American and started a family here, he was not yet a citizen of the United States. Sunday morning in Annapolis, the feeling of being adrift went away. On the Fourth of July, Marco Alva became an American. He and 36 other men and women took the oath of citizenship at the annual naturalization ceremony at the William Paca House, home of one of Maryland's signers of the Declaration of Independence.

At a time when video gamers can simulate a tennis swing by waving a remote control, it might be hard to appreciate the attraction of the "perspective glass" on display at the William Paca House in Annapolis. The zograscope was a luxury that only the wealthy could afford to have at home in the late 1770s. For fun, colonists could place an engraved picture upside down on a table, then look at its reflected image in a mirror suspended over it on a wooden stand. Through the zograscope, the image appeared right side up and three-dimensional -- an optical illusion that proved to be a nifty parlor trick.

Mary Minter, a longtime Baltimore principal who oversaw an academic turnaround at William Paca Elementary, was named chief academic officer of the city school system last night. The announcement came as the school board approved the creation of three new charter schools and made two other high-level administrative appointments: Linda Eberhart, an award-winning math teacher at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle who campaigned for Gov. Martin O'Malley, will become director of mathematics. And Roger Shaw, principal of Paul Laurence Dunbar High, is the new executive director of secondary schools.

Scotti Preston was a woman on a mission. Her job - to prepare a feast fit for royalty. She prepared bass, candied ginger, mincemeat pies, a boar's head, oysters, pheasant, fresh churned butter and bread. "This is the type of meal that the wealthy people who lived during the 18th and 19th centuries would have eaten," Preston said as she chipped chunks off of what looked like a mound of sugar. Although the food she prepared was artificial, Preston plans to use the dishes as props to portray a character named Cook.

Assistant Principal David Lewis has worked at William Paca Elementary School for seven years. Not one of those years has passed without a student being hit by a car. Lewis joined police officers, city officials and 250 elementary school students yesterday to help promote pedestrian safety as part of Baltimore's 10th annual Walk to School Day. The event marked International Walk to School Month, a global program from the National Center for Safe Routes...

If you crave a little gardening restorative after this horrendous summer, don't miss the historic William Paca Garden's annual fall plant sale in Annapolis next Saturday and Sunday.Created by the William Paca Garden horticulturist, Karen Long, the event is a way to clear out surplus plant stock, share rare and antique species with the public and raise cash to benefit the garden. Prices run mostly $5 and under for 3-inch to 6-inch pots. There are also numerous 2- and 3-gallon shrubs and roses that are priced higher.

.. In seven years, seven children have been injured while walking to class at William Paca Elementary-Middle School in East Baltimore. One died of his injuries. But now the daily commute will be safer for children at William Paca and six city school campuses, as well as other schools statewide. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Mayor Sheila Dixon and other state officials met at William Paca yesterday afternoon to announce $3.67 million in federal grants for the Maryland Safe Routes to School program.

Annapolis was bursting with centennial celebrations as it hosted a 100-year birthday party for the nation, The Sun reported on July 5, 1876. The pomp and circumstance began at midnight on the Fourth of July with "the booming of cannon and the spat of small arms," which lasted until sunrise, and ended with a gun salute at the Naval Academy and chimes from church bells throughout the city. At 10 p.m. a procession of former soldiers firing horse pistols marched to the State House, where they gathered for a meeting that included speeches, prayers and a recitation of John Greenleaf Whittier's centennial hymn.