From History to Headlines
- Richard Friend
- Jul 22
- 7 min read
Laurel History Boys reflect on milestone anniversaries for organization and Voices of Laurel
While it seems like only yesterday that we started, Voices of Laurel recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. More incredibly, The Laurel History Boys have now been an organization for more than a decade. Time really does fly when you’re having fun!
These milestones had me thinking—reflecting on the stories we’ve covered and the things we’ve accomplished over this past decade—and I thought it would be a great opportunity to ask my fellow co-founders and core contributors what they’re most proud of. But first, a quick recap of just how we got here might be in order.
Back in 2015, Kevin Leonard and I were serving together on the board of directors of the Laurel Historical Society. Kevin also wrote the “History Matters” column for the Laurel Leader, and one week he turned his attention to a small but devoted group of local history enthusiasts: the people who collect pieces of Laurel’s past.
By then, I’d been hunting down old postcards, photographs, signs, and other memorabilia since launching my Lost Laurel blog in 2011. But compared with Pete Lewnes, I was still a newcomer. Pete had spent decades assembling what has become the largest private collection of Laurel artifacts outside of the Laurel Museum itself—a remarkable archive that reflects both the city’s history and one collector’s lifelong dedication to preserving it.
As we talked, Kevin and I realized we shared a vision for telling Laurel’s history in a way that would resonate with a broader audience. Pete’s extraordinary collection of artifacts gave us an endless supply of stories waiting to be told, but we wanted to present them in a style that felt informal, approachable, and relatable. Rather than creating another traditional historical organization, we envisioned something different: a grassroots project that would meet people where they were.
We agreed that our presentations would always be free, there would be no memberships to join, and we wouldn’t shy away from any part of Laurel’s story. Alongside the proud moments, we’d also explore the controversies, colorful characters, and forgotten chapters that make local history so fascinating. Above all, we wanted people to feel welcome—whether they were lifelong history buffs or simply curious about the place they call home.
With that, The Laurel History Boys were born.
Diner Days
In those early days, the Tastee Diner became our unofficial headquarters. Nearly every Saturday morning, we’d gather over breakfast to brainstorm ideas for our website and Facebook page, then dive into stacks of old Laurel Leader newspapers, cataloging stories and identifying leads for future research. We also spent countless hours meeting with longtime residents who generously shared their memories, photographs, and treasured artifacts. Those conversations—and the pieces of Laurel’s past they entrusted to us—became the foundation for many of the stories we would later share with the community.
Ironically, the Tastee Diner became part of our own story in 2018. That year, it was announced that the property was under contract to be sold to a company planning to convert the site into a marijuana dispensary, a proposal that called for gutting much of the historic building.
We were surprised that the administration of then-Mayor Craig Moe showed little interest in pursuing options to preserve the diner. At the same time, I don’t think anyone anticipated the level of public support that would emerge for saving it. We helped organize and champion a community campaign that rallied residents who saw the diner as more than just a restaurant—it was a local landmark and gathering place. That fall, the City of Laurel Planning Commission unanimously voted to deny the proposal, and the prospective buyer graciously chose not to appeal the decision.
The effort put us at odds with both the former city administration and the diner’s owner, but we’re proud of the role we played in helping preserve one of Laurel’s most recognizable landmarks while protecting the livelihoods of the employees who had worked there for so many years. The diner’s long-term future remains uncertain, as it has for much of its history, but we’re grateful that its doors have remained open ever since—continuing to serve customers and create memories for another generation of Laurel residents.
The History Books
By 2019, we had built a loyal online following and were ready to take on our biggest project yet: Laurel at 150, our first collaborative book. The book tells the story of the city’s first 150 years through a decade-by-decade journey, highlighting the people, places, and events that shaped Laurel’s history. Around the same time, I also published Postmark Laurel, a collection of historic picture postcards spanning the early 1900s through the 1990s.
Producing Laurel at 150 was an ambitious undertaking. We had to research and write the book, design its layout, and raise the money to print it—all in time for Laurel’s sesquicentennial in 2020. We met that goal, but the celebration itself unfolded very differently than anyone expected. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of many of the city’s planned 150th-anniversary events, our book became one of the few lasting tributes to the milestone, giving Laurel residents and anyone who loves the city’s history something meaningful to commemorate the occasion.
Voices of Laurel
By 2020, it had become clear that the Laurel Leader—which had served the community since 1897—was nearing the end of its run. After being absorbed by the Baltimore Sun, the once-vibrant hometown newspaper had steadily lost its local focus, and stories about Laurel had become increasingly rare.
Kevin and I saw an opportunity to help fill that gap. We envisioned a free, quarterly publication that would blend community news with local history, celebrating Laurel’s past while covering its present. Just as important, we wanted it to reflect more than our own perspectives by inviting local writers, photographers, historians, and community members to contribute. That vision became a reality in January 2021 with the debut of the first issue of Voices of Laurel.
Honoring Joe
Following the death of former Mayor Joseph R. Robison in November 2020, we launched a campaign urging the city to honor his legacy by naming the Laurel Municipal Center in his memory. The tribute was especially fitting because it was under Mayor Robison’s leadership that the city purchased and renovated the building, transforming it into the modern municipal center that replaced the cramped and outdated City Hall facilities where city government had long operated. The effort was successful, and nearly two years later, in October 2022, the city officially dedicated the building as the Joseph R. Robison Municipal Center, unveiling his name in a public ceremony attended by family, friends, city officials, and members of the community.
Day(s) at the Races
Laurel Park has long fascinated us. Since opening in 1911, the historic racetrack has played an important role in Laurel’s identity, yet much of its rich history remains untold. Over the years, we explored that history in both our books and the pages of Voices of Laurel.
By 2024, however, Laurel Park’s own future had become uncertain. With plans in place for the track to eventually end live racing and transition into a training center following the completion of renovations at Pimlico, we wanted to give the community an opportunity to experience the venue while it was still an active racetrack.
That October, we hosted the inaugural Voices of Laurel Day at the Races, inviting readers and residents to discover the sport of thoroughbred racing firsthand. The event introduced newcomers to the track, showed them how to place a bet, and offered a chance to watch live racing from trackside. It also served as a reminder that, as Laurel Park enters its next chapter, opportunities to experience live racing there may soon become part of history themselves.
Personal Reflections
Convening at Oliver’s Old Towne Tavern one Saturday as we prepared this issue of Voices of Laurel, I asked Kevin Leonard, Pete Lewnes, Diane Mezzanotte, and Angie Kozlowski to reflect on the journey we’ve shared over the past five and/or ten years. What moments stood out to them? What are they most proud of?
For Kevin, the answer came easily: his work unraveling the 1963 cold-case murder of Carol Replane, featured in our Summer 2021 issue. “Having the chance to really dig into that story with the FBI files... things that hadn’t seen the light of day in 60 years. It took a lot of research and a lot of time to put it all together.” He’s also proud that we have shared quite a lot of local Black history.
Pete said his most rewarding moments have been when we’ve been able to “bring something back home for somebody”—returning a long-lost photograph or family artifact, or identifying an unfamiliar face in a vintage image for descendants who had never known who they were looking at. “Those are the really special moments.”
For Diane, one of the defining experiences has been her extensive coverage of Laurel’s rent stabilization debate. “Over a series of many months, I was going to all these meetings... you kind of felt like you were part of this movement. More and more people were showing up, sharing stories about their rent doubling with little or no notice. I didn’t enjoy the subject matter, because it was a bad thing happening; but I felt covering it was really important. We covered it more thoroughly than anyone else I saw, and that’s been very satisfying. It’s also gratifying to have people from those early meetings still reaching out and saying, ‘Diane, maybe you should cover this...’ It feels good to have developed sources I can rely on.”
Angie reflected on the excitement of seeing her first Voices of Laurel article in print, also in the Summer 2021 issue. Her story explored the early growth of girls’ soccer in Columbia, Maryland, and how the passage of Title IX in 1972 opened new athletic opportunities for young women. More recently, she said, receiving media credentials to cover the Preakness at Laurel Park was another unforgettable milestone.
For me, one of the things I’m most proud of is knowing that our books have found a permanent home in public libraries throughout the region, including the Library of Congress. It’s especially meaningful to me that, thanks to the initiative of Councilmember Kyla Clark, our books are also available at the Laurel Branch Library, making them accessible to the community whose history they tell.
That recognition has been particularly gratifying because it reflects how far our work has come. There was a time when some in city leadership viewed us as outspoken critics rather than as partners in preserving and celebrating Laurel’s history. Today, seeing our work embraced by the community and its institutions is a reminder that our commitment has always been to Laurel itself.
Richard Friend is a founding member of The Laurel History Boys, and creator of LostLaurel.com.
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