Paul S. Bridge, 1939 - 2018
Today, the B&O Railroad Museum received word about the passing of beloved volunteer Paul Bridge. Paul suffered a stroke on July 25 and passed shortly thereafter. He was 79.
Paul came from a well-known Baltimore family. He attended
Johns Hopkins University and Catholic University before working at Fort Meade
and in England for the National Security Agency. Paul began volunteering at the
B&O in May of 1994. He also began volunteering for the Ellicott City
Station at the same time, working there until 2001. Paul was a wealth of
knowledge on the early B&O, 19th century railroading, and
English railroad history. He went above and beyond with his own tours, lending
his expertise to staff, other volunteers, and rail heritage organizations.
He was involved with many organizations, including: Maryland National
Railroad Association, Preservation Howard County, Ellicott City Restoration
Foundation, Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Society of the Iron Horse, B&O
Volunteer Advisory Board, B&O Railroad Museum, B&O Railroad Museum: Ellicott City Station, and much more.
His museum personnel file is very thick and full of thank you
letters from school children, Smithsonian staff, and past museum employees.
There are copies of editorials he wrote for the Baltimore Sun, promoting the museum and
advocating for Railroad preservation. From 2011-2015, Paul was instrumental in
assisting with “The War Came By Train," which included a permanent exhibition and public events commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. We owe him a
lot for his work on that exhibit and in the public tours that will continue in the years to come.
Paul was always high spirited,
passionate, and simply a joy to be around. In his later years, Paul worked on Wednesdays in the archives on personal research and projects for the museum. Paul could often be found at the information desk in the Roundhouse on the weekends, ready to tell visitors about the Tom Thumb, the B&O in the Civil War, and anything else they would ever want to know. If you have visited the museum at any point in the last 24 years, there is chance you probably engaged with him. He was among the most popular
volunteers here and will be missed by all that knew him.
--
by Harrison Van Waes
Director of Volunteers
B&O Railroad Museum
2 comments:
When I first started volunteering at the museum in 2009, Paul was my mentor. He taught me many things, including how to slant a presentation to the age group or interest the audience had. He could talk on almost any subject to any type of audience he had. Over the years he became a good friend and will be missed very much.
Jack Walsh
Farewell "The Bridge." Thank you for being a teacher and friend to so many- including me. I will never forget you.
Post a Comment