2021 Investitures of Certified SOBs
Here are the 2021 investitures, in the order they were earned:
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"Baltimore Clipper"
JoAnn Alberstat – January 16, 2021
A Baltimore Clipper generally refers to a fast, two-masted schooner built on the mid-Atlantic
seaboard. Many were outfitted as privateers during the War of 1812, and so infuriated the
British Royal Navy that they targeted Baltimore’s “den of pirates” for invasion immediately
following their attack on Washington, DC in 1814. JoAnn has a keen interest in maritime
history.
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"Major-General Robert Ross"
Dr. Mark Jones – January 16, 2021
Joining the British Army in 1789, Ross served in the Napoleonic Wars and saw frequent
promotions. After being wounded in early 1814, he was later promoted to Major General and
sent to North America to command all British forces on the east coast. Shortly after arriving, he
commanded the Burning of Washington and then led the planned invasion of Baltimore a few
weeks later. It was during that invasion of Baltimore when Ross was killed by sniper’s fire and
the invasion was turned back. Mark appreciates British history
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"Enoch Pratt Free Library"
John C. Sherwood – January 16, 2021
Opened in 1886 as a result of a donation by merchant Enoch Pratt, his free library would later
welcome a young Christopher Morley who would check out the latest Sherlock Holmes stories
and have them read by the time he returned home. For over 40 years, the Central Library has
hosted its annual Saturday with Sherlock Holmes program, which John has fond memories of
participating in.
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"Random House"
Steven Doyle – February 13, 2021
Random House was founded as a book publisher in 1927 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer.
In the 1960s, they built their largest distribution center in nearby Westminster, MD. Steve hopes
that one day, his Wessex Press will challenge Random House for market share.
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"St. Louis Browns"
Robert Nunn – February 13, 2021
Originally founded as the Milwaukee Brewers as charter members of the American League in
1901, they relocated to St. Louis and over the next 52 seasons amassed a winning percentage
of .428. The Browns lost more than 100 games eight times and finished dead last in the
American League 10 times. The Browns only appeared in one World Series – the 1944 contest
lost to the crosstown rivals, the Cardinals. In late 1953, owner Bill Veeck sold the team to
lawyer Clarence Miles who moved the team to Baltimore and they became known as the Orioles.
Rob roots for that other St. Louis team.
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"Elijah Jefferson Bond"
Christopher Zordan – February 13, 2021
Bond was born in nearby Bel Air in 1847 and would serve in the Confederate States army during
the Civil War. A lawyer by trade, Bond applied for a patent for the Ouija board on May 28, 1890
and would later produce a knock-off version called “Nirvana.” Buried in Greenmount Cemetary,
his grave features a ouija board on its marker.
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"Maryland State Board of Censors"
Monica M. Schmidt – March 20, 2021
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From 1916 to 1981, no film could be released in Maryland without approval from this three-
member agency, granting licenses to films that were “moral and proper.” Monica is also a film
critic and has been known to enjoy a film that was not “moral and proper.”
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"Baker, Watts & Company"
Joe Eckrich – March 20, 2021
With a BSI Investiture of “The Stockbroker’s Clerk,” it makes sense that Joe would choose this
investiture with us. Founded in 1900, Baker,Watts survived the Great Baltimore Fire to become a
leading stock brokerage and investment banking firm in the area. Merging with Ferris & Co. of
Washington in 1987, the surviving firm would not survive the 2008 banking crisis and was
acquired by RBC Wealth Management.
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"Baltimore Clippers"
Mark Alberstat – April 17, 2021
From 1962-1975, the Clippers represented Baltimore in the American Hockey League. Failing to
become a member of the National Hockey League in its 1967 expansion, the team fell on hard
times and folded during the 1974-75 AHL season to allow the Michigan Stags of the World
Hockey Association to relocate to Baltimore. The Stags rebranded as the Blades but didn’t make
it to a second season. Mark is a noted authority on Arthur Conan Doyle and sports, plus as a
Canadian is legally required to choose an investiture related to hockey.​
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"F. Scott Fitzgerald"
Scott Monty – May 15, 2021​
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A distant cousin of Francis Scott Key, the author of the “Great American Novel,” The Great
Gatsby, would move to Maryland while his wife, Zelda, was being treated at Johns Hopkins in
1932. After succumbing to his third heart attack in 1940, Fitzgerald was buried in his family’s
plot at the Old St. Mary’s Church in Rockville. Fitzgerald has come to represent the flamboyance
and excess of the Jazz Age. Monty and Fitzgerald share a common name of Scott.​
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