Page 26 - November 2023 Issue.indd

G. W. Goldsborough: of educator Wilbur Hoopengardner,
the military career of James Fretterd,
Hometown Hero the feats of recordbreaking hang-glider
Chad Elchin, and those are just the ones

by Chad Dean I can recall off the top of my head.
In that vein, this month I want to call
I am perpetually thankful, not just during the your attention to a local doctor. No, not
month of Thanksgiving, to be afforded the 20th Century notable Charles Stonesi-
opportunity on the venerated pages of the Caro- fer, who by the time the latest Caroline
line Review to spotlight notable members of our Review hits newsstands will have post-
community who have been previously over- humously enjoyed a very fi tting celebra-
looked by some of the more traditional if not tion in his honor by the fine people of

anachronistic keepers of local history. While Greensboro. I am instead focusing on a
I can hope that in the future there will be a man from one town north and a century
comprehensive new bricks and mortar museum, prior.
active growth-oriented organizations, branded
multi-media marketing campaigns, accurate Griffi n Washington Goldsborough was

highway markers, regularly-scheduled tours, school field trips, annual celebrations, born in November of 1816 according to
and solemn memorials dedicated to the memory of these unsung individuals, for census records; other albeit less offi cial
now I am pleasantly satisfied to extol the virtues of those impactful county residents sources say 1820. While some partic-

in print. ulars are subject to debate, ("history
is contested ground" remains one of
To refresh the memory of readers, I have written about the usual headliners both my favorite lines), at least one thing is
famous and infamous before. People on both ends of the county continue to comment certain. Several Caroline County towns
on original research I have published about the Andrew Jackson-Charles Dickinson claim him as a favorite son.
saga, the Patty Cannon Gang, the Sallie Dean murder, the polarizing campaign stop
Griffin was born in or near the village of

made here by Franklin Roosevelt, philanthropic wordsmith Sophie Kerr, and the
Old Town (or Oldtown), which you now
improbable appearance made by Nobel Prize recipient and Pulitzer-winning author
know as Goldsboro. More on that later.
Pearl S. Buck at Colonel Richardson High School. But I have also highlighted some
In the meantime, let's focus on the fact

of the more bizarre incidents or obscure figures such as patriot Matthew Driver, the
that his initial call to public service was

elusive gravesite of Congressman Thomas Culbreth, the James Gordon Bennett duel,
as a physician. Goldsborough graduated
actress Madeline Hurlock, hiker Lloyd Carleton Gooden, sailor Monk Farnham, and
from the University of Maryland, then
countless others.
subsequently moved west to Louisville,
Still more columns fall under the heading of hometown heroes. Just last month I Kentucky, and later St. Louis, Missouri,

offered a tribute to incomparable civic icon Max Chambers in the Caroline Review. to practice medicine. He would eventu-
I have explained the legacy of E.E. Goslin in Federalsburg, the pharmaceutical break- ally return to Delmarva, first to Seaford

throughs of Henry Dunning, the ubiquitous presence of Jack LeGates, the impact and then Old Town, Greensboro, and
Denton, in that order. He was also a
member of the Episcopal church in Hill-
sboro.
Paint Party Pretty standard hometown hero stuff ,
Paint Party
right? Well, events took a curious turn
in the 1850s. Goldsborough was elected
to the Maryland General Assembly in
1859. To be sure, such leadership posi-
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 • 6 PM tions are a noble calling for some and a
EMBER 3
V
•
PM
6
N
O
person must be respected in the commu-
nity to receive enough votes to win a seat
Marydel Fire Station
in the legislature or anywhere else.
All materials and instruction included.
NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Clearly, GWG had earned the respect of
$40 per his constituents. But what he next did
Food available for purchase
from the Ladies Aux. person with his prominence was unpredicted
if not questionable. In the chaotic era
ALL ARE INVITED –– Children Pre-registration required. of the coming of the War Between the
must be at least 8 yrs of age. Call Sonya Haley at 302-264-1367 States, the War of Northern Aggression,
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