The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING GERALD WESLEY DONOVAN
______
HON. STENY H. HOYER
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend and a great Marylander who passed away on July 31. Gerald Wesley Donovan was not just the former Mayor of Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland. He was the heart and soul of the town and the center of its community for decades. Gerald dedicated his life to preserving the memory of Chesapeake Beach as it had been generations prior and working to reinvigorate it with a new energy for the twenty-first century and as a place where future generations of Marylanders and visitors could enjoy all the best the town and it surroundings could offer.
Having grown up in the county and attended Calver High School, Gerald was raised with a love of service, a love of learning, and a love of country. In addition to attending Baltimore College of Commerce, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Maryland, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968 and served on active duty until 1971. After serving on the Chesapeake Beach Town Council for seven years, Gerald was appointed the town's mayor in 1983. The following year, his neighbors elected him to continue in that office and returned him again and again for a total of thirty-four years and six consecutive terms. During that time, he oversaw major projects that renewed Chesapeake Beach as a tourist destination, including its Water Park, Railway Trail, Veterans Memorial Park, Bayfront Park, and the annual fireworks show. Each winter, he expressed his joy for the holiday season by securing funding from the council to illuminate the town in festive lights.
Over those same years, Gerald developed a vision to revitalize the old Chesapeake Beach Resort built by Otto Mears in 1900. The rededication of that property in 2004 as the Rod 'N' Reel resort was the culmination of years of work for Gerald and his local business partners. It has become a major destination in Maryland's Fifth District, attracting vacationers from across the country and around the world and helping to grow tourism and support jobs for the local economy.
In addition to serving as Mayor, Gerald also gave back to his community and his country by helping to lead the fight against cancer. Over thirty years, the annual Celebration of Life gala dinner he hosted with his brother, Fred, in memory of their father Fred Donovan, Sr. raised more than $4 million for the American Cancer Society. Having attended these dinners year after year, I can attest that Gerald's passion for curing and treating cancer and helping those afflicted only grew over time.
Early on, Gerald also joined the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department and later was chosen as its lifetime president. He also served on the executive committee of the Maryland Tourism Board, as a member of the Maryland Restaurant Association's board, and as Chairman of the Calvert County Democratic Central Committee. Gerald was also a pioneer in the creation of the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum.
As he got older, Gerald recognized the importance of preparing the next generations to carry on the work of making Chesapeake Beach and Calvert County a wonderful place to live and work and preserving its heritage. He became a mentor to so many young people active in public service in the town and in the county, making time to help them find their own ways to give back to their community and run for local office. Gerald worked to pass on his unparalleled knowledge of the town and its history, and when he retired and left office in 2008, he passed the torch to a new generation now carrying on his work.
In retirement, Gerald loved to drive around Chesapeake Beach and revel in its splendor and success, proud of the work he and so many others had put in over the decades to breathe new life into the town. After he passed away earlier this summer, his friends and neighbors gathered on the sidewalks to pay a final tribute as Gerald's funeral procession made its way through those same streets, escorted by the Calvert County Sheriffs Department and North Beach Volunteer Fire Department vehicles.
Gerald will be missed by so many of us who were fortunate enough to call him a friend. I join in offering my condolences to his wonderful wife and partner Mary, to his children Wesley, Ryan, Roger, Mary, and Veronica and their families, including his thirteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. May Gerald's memory always be a blessing to them and to all the people of his beloved Chesapeake Beach and Calvert County.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 150
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up