Earlier this year, Shawn Ward, vice-president of our foundation and the superintendent of Green Mount Cemetery, wanted to honor a man he had befriended years ago and thought a memorial bench and plaque in the cemetery that Wayne had conducted tours in for over 30 years would be the perfect tribute. Wayne Schaumburg was a man that taught him and so many others about the history of not only those interred in the cemetery, but much of the history of Baltimore itself.
Johns Hopkins, the Executive Director of Baltimore Heritage and a friend of many years to Wayne summed up his incalculable gift to Baltimore in just a few words when he stated, “He helped more people fall in love with Baltimore and all of our wonderful quirky historic places and history than anybody I know.”
It was from this tribute that I created our memorial to Wayne that we hope will leave a lasting memory to all those who knew and treasured him as family, friend, educator, co-worker, tour-guide, and simply as someone who simply loved history and loved to share it with anyone and everyone who would enjoy it as much as he did.
We would like to thank everyone that contributed to this project and helped us to make it a reality and to those brave souls that weathered the hot sun today for the unveiling. And a very special thanks to Wayne’s daughter Jennifer, sister Linda, and partner Debora for joining us today, and to Johns Hopkins for his wonderful “5-Minute History Video” tribute to his longtime friend.
The response from the community with respect to donations was overwhelming and as a result, we far exceeded our funding goal. As a result, we will be announcing a new initiative in the coming weeks that we hope will create a legacy for Wayne that will last for years to come. Stay tuned!
Thanks to everyone and to Wayne, thank you for sharing so much of your time and knowledge for so many years, we are all just that much more aware of our history because of you…
Lyle Garitty, President
Northern Chesapeake Heritage Foundation