2020 Investitures of Certified SOBs 

Here are the 2020 investitures, in the order they were earned:
___

"Ogden Nash"
Robert J. Stek – March 21, 2020

Known for his pun-like rhymes, Ogden Nash won acclaim as America’s best-known humorous poet. Though he began his career in New York, in 1934 Nash moved to Baltimore, which became his home until his death in 1971. After a brief move back to New York City during this period, Nash famously wrote, “I could have loved New York, had I not loved Balti-more." This investiture is particularly apt, as on more than one occasion Robert Stek has been known to tell a pun at a Sherlockian event.
___

"Cal Ripken, Jr."
Bradley Harper – May 9, 2020

On May 30, 1982, during his rookie season, Cal Ripken, Jr. began a streak of appearances for his hometown Baltimore Orioles that would extend to 2,632 consecutive games, finally ending in 1998. Ripken retired at the conclusion of the 2001 season and went on to become a first-ballot inductee to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Bradley Harper, an author and former U.S. Army pathologist, credits the “Iron Man” for rekindling his interest in baseball.
___

"The Duke and Duchess of Windsor"
Terry and Linda Hunt – August 22, 2020

(Descriptions to come!)
___

"London Fog"
Steve Mason – August 22, 2020

(Description to come!)
___

"Frank Zappa"
Dana Richards – August 22, 2020

Musical iconoclast Frank Zappa was born in Baltimore in 1940. Multiple stints as leader of the experimental rock band The Mothers of Invention formed only part of a resumé that also included projects as diverse as symphony orchestra collaborations, albums featuring lengthy jazz-rock fusion guitar solos, and even alternative film-making. His later career was devoted largely to avant-garde classical compositions and electronic music. All that said, Zappa may be best known to general audiences for the novelty songs "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" and "Valley Girl" (his sole Top 40 hit). Two years after his 1993 death from prostate cancer, he was inducted into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame. 
___

"The Horse You Came in On Saloon"
Charles Prepolec – November 21, 2020

In Fell's Point, Baltimore, a bar still stands where legend says that Edgar Allan Poe was last seen drinking before his death. The establishment is now known as The Horse You Came in On Saloon, and local lore insists that a ghost whom they call "Edgar" haunts the rooms above. Occupying a site that has housed taverns since 1775, "The Horse"is also connected to the world of mystery via Martha Grimes, one of whose Richard Jury novels is set in Baltimore and named after the pub.
___

"Al Kaline"
Rich Krisciunas – November 21, 2020

Baltimore native Al Kaline signed with MLB's Detroit Tigers in 1953 -- right out of high school -- and was a vital member of that club for the next 22 seasons. A ten-time Golden Glove- winning right fielder, he was also an AL batting champion who became the 12th player ever to reach the 3000-hit milestone. The 18-time All Star was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Kaline continued his connection with the Tigers following his Major League career, first as a broadcaster and then in the front office. He still held the latter position at the time of his death in April of 2020 at age 85.
___

"Memorial Stadium"
Warren Nast – November 21, 2020

"The Old Gray Lady of 33rd Street," Memorial Stadium, stood on the site of the former Venable Park in the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore, MD, from 1950 to 2001. It was the second stadium built on that property. Designed for both football and baseball, the facility was expanded in 1954 to include an upper deck, at which time it was also re-christened to honor the thousands of Baltimoreans who had died in the recently concluded World War II. Memorial Stadium was home to the Baltimore Orioles, the Baltimore Colts, the Baltimore Ravens, and other professional sports franchises; in addition, for over four decades it hosted the Thanksgiving Day high school football contests "City vs. Poly" and "Calvert Hall vs. Loyola."
___

"Fort McHenry"
Roger Johnson – December 19, 2020

First built in 1798, Fort McHenry is best known for its role in the War of 1812, during which it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy from the Chesapeake Bay on September 13-14, 1814. The sight of the large American garrison flag flying there on the morning of Sept. 14 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry," which eventually became the national anthem of the United States. The fort was used by the U.S. armed forces through World War I, then designated a national park in 1925 and redesignated a "National Monument and Historic Shrine" in 1939.