By Donna Belt
Chair, Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor
November 24, 2021
The Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor Committee selected five inductees for 2020: Dr. Dennis Gerard Younger, Frederick J. Martin, Dr. Irwin C. Jacobs, Ronald E. Smith, Sr., and Charles Jackson Britt.
The Alumni Wall of Honor induction ceremony in the Media Building at Glen Burnie High School was scheduled for September 30, 2021, but was postponed due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic resurgence. Additionally, we needed to wait for the school to reopen before selecting a new date for the event, which will be selected soon.
The Wall Committee felt the current inductees deserved the same level of induction ceremony as past recipients: catered reception, meet and greet, chorus entertainment, and some student participation and attendance. If the event had been on September 30th, the induction ceremony would have been a less celebratory occasion than we hoped to provide the inductees.
The ceremony will now be held in October 2022.
The Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor Committee is pleased to announce the next Alumni Wall of Honor legends who have achieved success and given back to inspire current students.
Dr. Dennis Gerard Younger
Dr. Dennis Gerard Younger graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1952. He attended Strayer College, earned a degree in Education from Towson State Teachers College, and was awarded Master's and Doctorate degrees from the University of Maryland College Park.
Dr. Younger was employed at the Headquarters Second Army Engineers, Fort Meade. In 1957, he was drafted into the Army and was assigned to the Chief of Staff's Office in Heidelberg Germany. Following active service, he continued in the Army Reserves.
After active service he began as a teacher at Corkran Junior High School. In 1966, he joined the Anne Arundel Public Schools Central Office as Supervisor of Federal Projects, and soon advanced to Supervisor of Curriculum. He was appointed Executive Director of Curriculum for grades K through 12 before retiring in 1996.
After retirement, he served as an adjunct professor at Towson University and Johns Hopkins University and became an educational consultant for Goucher College and many State Boards of Education.
Dr. Younger was actively involved in civic service and in many education and art organizations. As one of the founders of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, he is the first recipient of the Annie Awards for Patron of the Arts.
He married MaryAnn Alberico, class of 1965, and has been a resident of Severna Park since 1970. They have a son, Matthew Benjamin Younger, who lives in Annapolis.
Frederick J. Martin
Frederick J. Martin graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1960. He attended the University of Maryland at College Park and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Public Administration.
From 1958 to 1970, he was a member of the Glen Burnie Volunteer Fire Department and served in the Maryland Air National Guard for 6 years on the Fire Protection team.
Mr. Martin worked at The National Security Agency (NSA), retiring after 32 years of service. He received the NSA Outstanding Citizenship Award for community service.
He’s been a member of St. Bernadette Roman Catholic Church in Severn, MD for 45 years where he serves as an usher and participates in numerous fundraisers and parish outreach programs.
He's lived in the Elvaton Acres community for 53 years and part of the Elvaton Recreation Association for 45 years. He ran the community sports program for children ages 4 to 16 (baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, and girls’ lacrosse). He held every position in the organization including registering players, scheduling games and practices, recruiting coaches, ordering equipment and uniforms, conducting fundraising, and coordinating with Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks and other Youth Sports Organizations. His volunteer service is well over 50,000 hours.
He has been married to Diane, class of 1962, for 54 years with whom he has a son, Freddy, and a daughter, Julie; he has three grandchildren - Mitchell Buchler, Brooke Martin, and Ethan Buchler.
Dr. Irwin C. Jacobs
Dr. Irwin C. Jacobs graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1965 before earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Drexel University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. After post-doctoral studies at Ohio State School of Pharmacy, he joined the chemistry faculty at Rockhurst University and was recognized as a Danforth teacher/scholar. He later joined the research faculty at Washington University in St. Louis and directed research in microencapsulation and drug delivery.
Dr. Jacobs held many research positions including, vice president for several pharmaceutical companies before retiring and beginning a consulting firm. Over his career, he’s presented many papers, authored four chapters in technical books, and is listed as inventor on 14 patents.
During his career, he was responsible for the development of commercial products in the fields of veterinary, human pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries. He continues to consult in drug delivery and has two products in advanced animal testing to treat and prevent prostate cancer and Covid-19.
Dr. Jacobs is active in his church band and formerly taught adult Bible classes. In his community he headed the school parent/teacher board. He currently plays violin in the St. Louis Civic Orchestra where he is a past president of its board of directors.
Ronald E. Smith
Ronald E. Smith, Sr. graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1977. Mr. Smith was a three-sport athlete at Glen Burnie High School from 1974 to 1977, playing basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. He became the 1976 soccer team captain and 1977 lacrosse team captain. In 1974 and 1976, GBHS won County-Regional-District championships and was selected for All-County in soccer.
Mr. Smith volunteered for the Harundale Youth Sports League serving in numerous capacities, from coach to commissioner. He coached boys’ soccer teams for many organizations: Soccer Club of Baltimore, Pasadena, and Greater Severna Park Athletic Association. His teams won many prestigious tournaments.
From 1997 until 2001, he was the GBHS boys’ assistant coach to John Camm and before becoming head coach through2005. In 2006 he was assistant soccer coach of the GBHS girls’ soccer team.
His teams won County Championships in 2000 and 2003 and, in 2003 he was voted Anne Arundel County Coach of the Year.
After coaching for GBHS, Mr. Smith was the men’s soccer head coach at Catonsville Community College, from 2007 to 2009. In 2009 he was voted Junior College Coach of the Year in Division I, Region 20.
Mr. Smith is retired from UPS. He serves his community helping neighbors and checking on elder residents regularly. He is a long-time volunteer of his church, Messiah United Methodist Church and Preschool.
Charles Jackson Britt
Charles Jackson Britt graduated from Glen Burnie High School Class in 1962. He then enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed in Germany after basic training. After active duty, he briefly returned to his family in Ferndale, MD before traveling to Ft. Lewis, WA to re-enlist as an infantryman in 1965, committing to a military career in the United States Army.
At a young age, he earned the rank of Sergeant First Class in the Army Infantry. Sergeant Britt became an Army Ranger and served two tours of duty in Vietnam. On his first combat tour, he volunteered for a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit that became K Company of the 75th Ranger Regiment. He immediately became the most respected and reliable team leader. His fellow soldiers called him Britt when he was around and “The Legend” when he wasn’t. His leadership skills brought many American soldiers safely back to their families as his unit never lost a man. His commanding officer described him as a remarkable soldier who was organized, fearless, calm, and skilled. On his second tour of combat duty, he was a military advisor to the South Vietnamese Army.
On March 30th 1972 at the age of 28, Charles Jackson Britt was killed in action during an ambush attack while defending his comrades on a mission to rescue a downed helicopter crew. For that deed he was awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action. The Silver Star Medal is the United States' third highest award exclusively for combat valor in all branches of service. Sergeant Britt’s additional military decorations included the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal and three additional medals for service in the Vietnam War. Sergeant First Class Britt’s name is included on the Vietnam Wall.
ADVERTISMENT
The Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor exists to inspire students by showing the paths former students took, illustrating the possibilities of academic, professional, social choices, and hard work.
The continued efforts of the committee have been made possible by sustaining donors such as Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services P.A., Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home PA, and Mrs. Kathleen Collins Browning and Mrs. Dolores Call private donors.
The Wall Committee accepts qualified nominees’ nomination packages at any time during the school year but must be received by April 15th to be considered for that year See the Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor website for additional details and the Nomination Form.
For more information or to nominante an alumnis, visit https://gbhswoh.wixsite.com/website
Glen Burnie High School Alumni Wall of Honor Committee:
Donna Belt, Class of 1972 (Chair) | Albert Whitlock, 1989 (Vice Chair) |
Barbara Moeller, 1961 | Jon Plummer, 1991 |
Mary Huey, 1963 | Mark Chang, 1994 |
Melvin Novak, 1970 | William Shorter, Jr., 2015 |
Alysha Smith | Shirley Wais (GBHS Liaison) |