Vivienne Shub

 September 18, 2014|By Jacques Kelly | The Baltimore Sun Actress appeared in Center Stage’s first season and delighted Baltimore    audiences with her performances for decades Vivienne Shub (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore…)

Vivienne Shub, who played eccentric personalities as she delighted Baltimore theater audiences during a long and lauded run here, died of heart failure Thursday morning at the Edenwald retirement community in Towson. The former Liberty Heights resident was 95.

“Vivienne was one of the most talented actresses on the Baltimore scene,” said Rhea Feiken, the television personality who performed with her. “You learned a lesson every time you watched her. Her dedication to the theater was enormous. As a fellow actress, I knew how much she gave back. Vivienne was just an incredible human being.”

June Wing

  June Wing, a political, social and environmental activist who participated in the effort that stopped Interstate 95 from being built through several Southeast Baltimore communities, died of respiratory failure  at her Guilford home.

She was 98.

“She was a person who was always issue-oriented. She’d have both Republicans and Democrats over to her home, not just Democrats,” said Larry S. Kamanitz, a longtime friend since the 1960s and a political activist who is now a financial consultant. “She was an expert on so many things, like the environment and nuclear testing. We had lots of long talks.”

The daughter of John Stockfisch, a salesman, and Elsa Lohr Stockfisch, a concert vocalist, June Stockfisch was born and raised in Chicago, where she graduated in 1933 from Nicholas Senn High School.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Oberlin College in 1937, and a master’s degree in science technology and public policy from George Washington University in the early 1970s.

“She came of age in the Depression, and those hard times contributed to her evolution as a lifelong activist for peace, civil rights and liberties, for professional and experimental ethics,” said a son, Daniel C. Wing of Corinth, Vt.

“She was for gender and financial equality, nuclear disarmament, a national system for single-payer health care, and for increased caution in the uses of ionizing radiation,” her son said.

In 1940, she married Dr. Wilson M. Wing. In 1949, the couple moved into a home on Poplar Hill in North Baltimore when he joined the faculty of what is now the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Wing died in 1971.

Ms. Wing taught at the high school, college and post-graduate levels at what is now Loyola University Maryland, Goucher College, and what is now the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on issues of nuclear testing and proliferation, radiation hazards and environmental ethics.

Ms. Wing had been the president of the Baltimore chapter of the League of Women Voters and wrote a history of the organization on its 75th anniversary.

She had been president of the Maryland chapter of the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Citizen’s Advisory Board to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

A World Federalist, Ms. Wing was a member of the United Nations Association of Maryland and had chaired the Eugene McCarthy for President committee in Maryland.

In 1968, she attended the tumultuous Democratic Convention in Chicago, with two goals in mind, to recruit delegates for Senator McCarthy and to get the platform committee to adopt a peace plank offered by a minority coalition.

“As a nationally known figure in the Democratic Party, she tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade party leadership to help stop the violent police action against protesters,” her son said.

“Wednesday night was the worst rioting, and we walked the back alleys until we reached Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s hotel,” recalled Mr. Kamanitz, who also attended the convention.

“We took an elevator up to Humphrey’s apartment, and then in that great voice of hers she said, ‘I’m June Wing from Baltimore and I’m here to see Hubert.’ She was the type of person who commanded respect,” said Mr. Kamanitz. “She wanted to get him to help stop the rioting, but he was asleep at the time, so we never saw him.”

Ms. Wing was a co-founder of the Maryland Democratic Coalition, which acted as a sponsor of six new Democratic Clubs in Maryland congressional districts, which was based on the model of the New Democratic Club of the 2nd District.

In 1970, Ms. Wing ran unsuccessfully for a 5th District seat in the House of Delegates.

“When she saw something that needed doing, she joined with others to get it done, whether by educating and encouraging the electorate, or by direct action,” her son said.

In 1969, when Baltimore City announced plans to complete the East-West Expressway which would have created an eight-lane highway through Fells Point, Canton and Highlandtown, and would have joined Interstate 95 near Ponca Street, Ms. Wing threw herself into the effort that resulted in the building of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, which spared the targeted communities.

“I really loved her, and she was very bright and extremely knowledgeable on so many issues,” said Mr. Kamanitz, who lives in the city’s Tuscany-Canterbury neighborhood, near the 3900 N. Charles St. apartment house where Ms. Wing moved after leaving Poplar Hill.

“I was still visiting her in recent weeks, and it was always pleasant talking to her. She had such a good perspective and a wide background on things,” he said.

“Even after she moved to 3900, she continued organizing,” her son said.

For years, Ms. Wing enjoyed spending summers at a family-owned cabin on Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine.

Ms. Wing was a member for more than 50 years of the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Stony Run Friends Meeting House, 5116 N. Charles St.

In addition to her son, Ms. Wing is survived by another son, David L. Wing of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; a daughter, Deborah Korol of Wayne, Maine; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

fred.rasmussen@baltsun.com

Howard Ehrlich, presente!

Howard Ehrlich passed away on February 2. His friends are preparing a Celebration of His Life to be held on Saturday March 21 from 6:00PM – 9:30PM at the 2640 Place (2640 St. Paul St, Baltimore 21218). Howard J. Ehrlich, scholar and community activist, died February 2 due to complications from Parkinson’s and cardiac disease. He was 82.
  Ehrlich resigned from his position as professor of sociology at the University of Iowa in 1971 and moved to Baltimore to become a full-time political activist. “He had a lively, active mind and was always full of ideas, proposals and ways to improve social problems,” said longtime friend Natalie Sokoloff. 
  Ehrlich founded “The Great Atlantic Radio Conspiracy” in 1972, a half-hour radio program than ran on WBJC-FM for 20 years. He founded Research Group One, a small independent publisher of pamphlets and other materials. He founded the Baltimore School in the 1980s, intended as an alternative non-credit school where teachers held classes in their own homes and split the modest tuition with the school administrators. He also founded and edited Social Anarchism in 1980, a journal that pushed forward the boundaries of anarchist theory and political analysis. All of these activities were based in his Charles Village rowhouse in the 2700 block of Maryland Avenue.
  Ehrlich was the Research Director at the National Institute Against Prejudice and Violence, based in the University of Maryland School of Social Work, from 1986 – 1993. He coined the term ethnoviolence – physical or verbal violence motivated by prejudice – and studied its emotional and physical impact on the lives of victims. He conducted the first national survey of ethnoviolence, two studies of UMBC students and a study of intergroup relations in an Eastern corporation.    His ethnoviolence questionnaire was used for more than 25 college campus studies around the country. When the National Institute disbanded, Ehrlich continued his work by founding The Prejudice Institute which he directed until shortly before his death.
  He published 8 books, most recently Hate Crimes and Ethnoviolence (2009) and The Best of Social Anarchism, co-edited with A.H.S. Boy (2013). An avid bread baker, he wrote Fast Breads! (1986) under the pen name of Howard Early. As a wine connoisseur, he also held numerous public tastings over the years.
  In addition to his other activities, Ehrlich worked for the Maryland Committee on Occupational Safety and Health for a year and served three terms on the board of the Charles Village Benefits District. He was President of Research Associates Foundation, an organization that awards mini-grants to progressive Baltimore activists and organizations.
  He was known for his commitment to justice, keen interest in social issues, and dry wit. His pen names included George E. Catt and M. Lee Catt (his pet cats) and Rattan Davenport. They all still receive occasional mail at his home.
  According to Spud Henderson, his friend and colleague, “I read Social Anarchism in my college years. When I moved to Baltimore in the early 1990s, I realized I lived a mere 2 blocks from the Social Anarchism office, so I popped over to introduce myself. I soon found myself co-editor, and that began a relationship of camaraderie and weekly meetings that lasted two decades. I’ll miss his silly humor (he originally wanted to name the journal “Broccoli”, which always appealed to my Dada nature), and his relentless struggle against the implements of oppression, be they physical or psychological.”
  He is survived by his partner of many years, Dr. Patricia Webbink; his son, Andrew Webbink; and a loyal circle of friends.
  Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
  “The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose–especially their lives.” Eugene Victor Debs

POSTED BY MAX OBUSZEWSKI 

Katharine LeVeque

Katharine LeVeque, a Baltimore resident for more than 50 years and an anti-war activist, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 1. She was 82.

Noted for community and outreach work, Ms. LeVeque was born Katharine Tunstall Williams on May 17, 1932, in Asheville, N.C. Her family moved to Florida shortly thereafter, where Ms. LeVeque attended grade school.

Ms. LeVeque attended Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, Ill. There she met James R. LeVeque, who was a student at the University in Chicago. They were married when he completed seminary in 1955, and he went on to become an Episcopal priest and mathematics instructor. The couple were married for 57 years until his death in December 2012.

The couple moved to Baltimore in 1958, two children in tow, and had three more children after they arrived. Katharine went on to work for the Baltimore Department of Social Services. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1977 and also worked at a YWCA women’s shelter at the University of Maryland Medical Center maternity ward.

Ms. LeVeque was a member of Women in Black, an informal peace advocacy group that formed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Known for their black-clad attire, group members hold weekly vigils throughout Baltimore. In 2013, the group won a civil rights lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union against the Baltimore police. City officials approved a $98,000 payment to the ACLU to settle the case and agreed to loosen restrictions on when and where demonstrations can take place.

The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in 2003 at the start of the Iraq War; members of the Women in Black say that while protesting the war they were instructed by Baltimore police to move along. Some of them agreed to sign on to a federal lawsuit that the ACLU filed in their behalf.

As part of the settlement the city implemented new rules allowing groups of up to 30 people to protest or pass out fliers without obtaining a permit at all city parks and 10 designated locations, including downtown McKeldin Square.

Ms. LeVeque was also a member of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore and took part in a church event that memorialized city children killed in violence, lighting a candle for each child.

In a 2004 Baltimore Sun article, LeVeque was quoted on why the memorial included 18- and 19-year-olds.

“They seem like such kids,” Ms. LeVeque said. “They’re really not grown-ups, even if they are technically. They’re so young. It’s so sad. I think about my grandchildren, who are about those ages.”

“Katharine demonstrated for everything involving injustice,” said Anita Marshall of Baltimore, who said she worked with Ms. LeVeque in the Department of Social Services. “She was always in that space. The most impressive thing about Katharine was that she had absolutely no prejudice. She was always there for people. She never ignored people; they were not invisible to her.”

Ms. LeVeque’s daughter Mary Anne LeVeque of Takoma Park said that her mother received a distinguished alumna award from Dominican University in 1994, and in 1996 was appointed a member of the Baltimore Commission for Women. She said her mother worked with teenage mothers and provided such services as surgery preparation and smoking cessation therapy.

Ms. LeVeque lived in Charles Village from 1966 until two years ago. She died in hospice care at the Gilchrist Center in Towson, Mary Anne LeVeque said.

Ms. LeVeque is also survived by her sister, Elinor Price Smith, of Asheville, N.C.; daughters Mary Marthe LeVeque Worley of Marshall, N.C., Mary Elizabeth LeVeque of Baltimore, and sons Stephen Gregory Williams LeVeque of Baltimore and Joseph Paul Tunstall LeVeque of Parkville.Ms. LeVeque is also survived by nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

A service of burial will be held Feb. 7 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Asheville, N.C., where Ms. LeVeque was baptized.

joe.burris@baltsun.com

Longtime Greenbelt resident Bertram D. Donn died on December 28, 2012 at the age of 93.

Bert worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center from 1959 until retirement in 1989 and served as Head of the Astrochemistry Branch for part of the 1970’s. He was also known for his work for peace and social justice, helping to found five groups and serving for many years on the board of the Prince George’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

His marriage to Mary Creason ended in divorce.  In 1960 he married Marjory Maxwell. Survivors include his wife; sons Stephen and Arthur of Greenbelt; daughter Susan Owens (Albert) of Ventura, CA; son Jeffrey (Cindy) of Beltsville, MD, and son Allen (Jenni) of Woodstock, GA; grandchildren Sarah Owens Pinkstaff, Nathan Owens. Julie, Ian and Josiah Donn (GA), Erin, Lisa, and Kyle Donn (MD) and great-grandchild, Owen Pinkstaff.
Dr. Bertram “Bert” Donn, the first head of NASA Goddard’s astrochemistry group, passed away on Friday December 28, 2012 at age 93. A memorial service was held at Paint Branch Unitarian Church on Saturday January 5 at 2:00 PM.
Bert, a New Yorker by birth, attended Harvard University for his degrees, where he was taught by such legends as Fred Whipple, Cecilia Payne, and Bart Bok. A meeting with physical chemist Harold Urey in the 1950s turned Bert’s attention to problems of low-temperature reactions and their connections to interstellar chemistry. A research collaboration was arranged with Urey at the University of Chicago, and several joint, influential publications resulted. Laboratory experiments followed, but were interrupted by Bert’s move to NASA Goddard in 1959 to lead the newly-formed astrochemistry section. He remained at Goddard for over 30 years until retirement to his home in Old Greenbelt.
Bert’s research at Goddard spanned theory, observation, and experiment, with connections to NASA missions such as Skylab, Apollo, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer. Almost all of his research problems concerned cometary and interstellar matter in some way, and so perhaps it is not surprising that he began laboratory research in each area. Goddard’s Cosmic Ice Laboratory and the Nucleation & Dust Chemistry Laboratory were established by Bert during his supervision of the PhD researches of Marla Moore and Joe Nuth, respectively. Each facility is still doing high-level science, and now with larger staffs, more equipment, greater funding, and larger lab spaces. Bert also was an early NASA contributor to the astrobiological literature, and set in motion several astrobiology-related research projects.
Bert never was completely satisfied with either the theoretical work or laboratory experiments that he and others did. He knew the limitations of both observations and theory, and always was eager to make things better by doing more precise simulations, constructing better models, or pursuing more lab work. He would publish models that were “good enough” to advance the state of the art, even when the approximations involved bothered him. Two examples come to mind where he was the first to publish and also the harshest critic: nucleation theory used to calculate the rate of grain formation in circumstellar outflows and the possible presence of PAH molecules in the interstellar medium. He considered both to be good approximations – but really only the starting point in understanding the physics and chemistry of the process or environment.
Bert was a pioneer in astrochemistry and NASA research. His contributions and many contacts did much to establish NASA’s strong scientific reputation among astronomers and planetary scientists around the world.
Aside from his Goddard work, Bert was a well-known and honored advocate of non-violence and peaceful conflict resolution, and was instrumental in the racial integration of Greenbelt, where he and his family lived for 50 years.