06-09-2024 HOF - Flipbook - Page 4
4
Baltimore Sun Media | Sunday, June 9, 2024
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2024 HALL OF FAME CLASS
T
his marks the ninth year for The Baltimore Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame, which highlights individuals across our region who have
helped to make Baltimore and Maryland better over long careers. The 11 leaders inducted this year join a group of 98 others who have been
recognized for their accomplishments in business, public service, philanthropy, education and more.
The Sun’s history in this community dates back to 1837, and we have long held public officials, area leaders and powerful institutions
accountable. We know that readers trust us to be a watchdog, and it is a responsibility we take seriously. And we believe doing so helps us to
identify solutions to the region’s challenges.
We also realize we have a role in showcasing the achievements of outstanding individuals in our communities and highlighting their stories.
This Hall of Fame is one of the many ways that we acknowledge the community’s successes; our other special sections throughout the year include Baltimore’s Best
(July), Women to Watch (October), Top Workplaces (December) and Black Marylanders to Watch (February).
Members of our first eight Hall of Fame classes
include former U.S. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley
(2016); developer and H&S Bakery founder John
Paterakis Sr. (’16); philanthropists
Eddie and Sylvia Brown (’16); former
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (’17);
Harbor Bank of Maryland co-founder
Joseph HaskinsJr. (’18); former Baltimore Mayor and current University of
Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke
(’19); former UMBC President Dr.
Freeman A. Hrabowski III (’20);
the Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway Sr.
(’21); former journalist and museum
director Wanda Q. Draper (’22); and
Sherrilyn Ifill, president emerita
and director counsel emerita of the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund (’23).
This year’s class is made up of:
James Britton, founder of Class Act
Catering, one of Baltimore’s largest minority-owned
employers; Patricia M.C. Brown, health lawyer and
former United Way chair developing a next-generation model of care for Kennedy Krieger; Dr. John B.
Chessare, Greater Baltimore Medical Center’s CEO;
Amy Elias and Richard Pearlstone, philanthropists
supporting the arts in Baltimore, along with Jewish
charities and cultural activities; Donald Manekin,
former city schools COO and developer who focuses
on communities; William H. Murphy Jr., a former
judge and a civil rights lawyer who fights for the
underprivileged; Alethia B. Starke, Carter School
of Music dean who secured scholarships for 1,200 Baltimore students;
Paul A. Tiburzi, DLA Piper managing partner and former chair of the
Greater Baltimore Committee; the
Rev. William J. Watters, a Jesuit
priest who founded three Baltimore
schools educating thousands at little
or no cost; and Arnold Williams,
founder of an accounting firm focused
on uplifting Black businesses and the
local economy.
As in past years, our selection
process for the class of 2024 included
asking the community for nominations. We again assembled a diverse
selection committee composed of past
Hall of Fame inductees, who helped to identify potential candidates. Our editorial board and members
of the selection committee studied the nominees’
accomplishments, including their efforts to improve
Baltimore and Maryland through their leadership,
career success and contributions in strengthening
organizations and their communities. Final decisions
were made by members of the editorial board, which
I oversee.
As has been the practice in the past, a portion of
the proceeds from this Hall of Fame publication will
be donated to charity; this year’s partnership is with
the Ulman Foundation, the Baltimore-based group
that focuses on changing lives by creating support
for young adults and their loved ones impacted by
cancer. We thank our sponsors, whose advertising
can be found throughout this publication and at baltimoresun.com.
We also would like to thank each of the 2024 Hall
of Fame inductees, whose profiles appear throughout the pages of this section, for their leadership and
commitment to Baltimore and Maryland. We hope
that their stories will serve as an example and inspiration to others. Their names will join the others in
our permanent Hall of Fame display at the Center
Club in downtown Baltimore, which we hope you
get a chance to visit someday.
Baltimore Sun Media has long dedicated itself to
leadership in journalism, business and debate. The
Sun’s Hall of Fame recognizes Maryland’s modernday leaders who have helped to set a standard for
future generations and chronicles the lives of these
extraordinary women and men whose achievements
define our city and region.
Congratulations to the class of 2024.
Trif Alatzas
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
INSIDE THIS SECTION
Page 6
Advisory committee
Page 20 Amy Elias and Richard Pearlstone
Page 36 Paul A. Tiburzi
Page 8
James Britton
Page 24 Donald Manekin
Page 40 William Joseph Watters
Page 12 Patricia M.C. Brown
Page 30 William H. Murphy Jr.
Page 44 Arnold Williams
Page 16 John B. Chessare
Page 34 Alethia B. Starke
Page 46 Prior inductees
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY TRACIE RAWSON, PHOTOS BY LLOYD FOX AND KIM HAIRSTON