What’s New With The Laurel History Boys

Our book, Capital Centre: A Retrospective, was recently added to the catalog of the U.S. Library of Congress. Former Capital Centre president Jerry Sachs (third from left) poses with authors Jeff Krulik, Kevin Leonard, and Richard Friend. Jerry provided invaluable assistance in the research and production of the book, which is also in the collections of local county libraries including Prince George’s and Fairfax.

Grants and Donations

Thank you to Kathie Peterson, Garrett Fitzgerald, and James Bowman for their monetary donations to Voices of Laurel. We are grateful.

We also received some interesting items from readers:

• Laurie Blitz has been working with our Pete Lewnes on a future story about her parents’ historic NAPA Laurel Automotive business, which will include some amazing photos of Main Street and other locations from the 1950s.

• Cherri Payne Graham sent us some scans from her school days at Laurel Elementary and Laurel High School from the 1950s and 1960s. She sent us these scans not only from her collection but others, most notably Tony West’s website about Laurel High School (www.lhs65plus50.org).

• Jean Malivat donated a vintage ashtray from Laurel Park featuring the Laurel International race logo.

• Charlie Nickell shared photos and ephemera from his family’s time managing the legendary Big T/Tastee-Freez, as well as Laurel’s softball leagues of the 1980s, and Charlie’s popular local band, The Whitewalls.

The items from Cherri and Jean were featured on our Saturday photo of the week on our Facebook page. Charlie’s extensive cache of photos was compiled on a History Contributor page on our website (laurelhistory.com/big-t), and we couldn’t resist making it the cover story for this issue.

While we are thanking our supporters, we want to give a big shoutout to our Voices of Laurel readers who take it upon themselves to see that our newspaper distribution boxes stay supplied. We have recently become aware of several readers who will redistribute papers from boxes to keep the supply steady around town. We are truly thankful for the dedication of our readers, and look forward to increasing circulation in the coming year—which will include additional distribution boxes.

Our Books are Available in Libraries

Publicity from our book tour (see below) has resulted in numerous libraries adding some or all of our books (Capital Centre: A Retrospective, Laurel at 150, Lost Laurel, and Postmark Laurel) to their collections. Our books can now be found in the U.S. Library of Congress, the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore, and the libraries of Frederick County, Laurel, Hyattsville, Greenbelt, South Bowie, and Fairfax. Our books can also be purchased with free shipping from our online shop, and make terrific holiday gifts.

And, as we reported in our last issue, copies of Voices of Laurel are now part of the permanent collections in the Laurel Historical Society, Howard County Historical Society, and the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore.

(Photo: Jeff Krulik)

Capital Centre Book Tour

Our summer book tour for Capital Centre: A Retrospective featured appearances at the Kensington Day of the Book Fair; the Laurel Main Street Festival; the Fairfax, Hyattsville, Wheaton, and Bowie Libraries; Art Sound Language Record & Bookstore in Chevy Chase; and wrapped up at our own Book Fair (see below). We gave presentations at most of the appearances and also offered a variety of special guests, including legendary WHFS DJs Cerphe Colwell and Weasel, Washington Rock Concert magazine photographer David Werth, guerilla concert photographer Rudy Childs, ticket concert broker pioneer Glen Melcher, sportscaster and Capital Centre wrestling ring announcer Harvey Smilovitz, Capital Centre President Jerry Sachs, and others. It was a fantastic experience but now we’re back to working on our next book: Merriweather Post Pavilion: The First 50 Years. If you missed any of the tour stops, video of the presentations will soon be available on our website (laurelhistory.com/video).

Laurel History Boys Book Fair

Our second annual book fair at Oliver’s Old Towne Tavern was a resounding success. The invited authors or vendors who participated included Cerphe and Susan Colwell, Forbes magazine writer (and Voices of Laurel contributor) Jim Clash, local authors Michelle Paris and Murray Siegel, and both the Laurel Historical Society and Prince George’s County Historical Society. Jennifer DeLuca also offered an impressive array of children’s books. Another popular former WHFS DJ, Weasel, was also on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. We are already making a list of authors to invite next year.

Don’t Miss the Christmas Bazaar

The Annual St. Francis of Assisi Christmas Bazaar in Fulton will be held Friday, November 7, (5 pm–9 pm) and Saturday, November 8 (9 am–3 pm). Once again, The Laurel History Boys will be there selling our books. The bazaar features dozens of vendors, crafts, and food, and provides a great opportunity for Christmas shopping.

Our Commitment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. — First Amendment to the United States Constitution

The staff of Voices of Laurel takes very seriously the responsibilities that come with being part of a free press. We also uphold and promote the ideals of free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

As historians and journalists, we are committed to preserving the history of Laurel by telling its story through the voices of its people; telling that story honestly, both the good and the bad; giving a voice to the history of minorities and women; and reporting in a non-partisan fashion.

Voices of Laurel is staffed by an incredibly talented and dedicated group of volunteers who make this commitment to our equally dedicated readers. We owe our readers—and ourselves—nothing less.