In Memoriam
Very special people make the Victorian Chautauqua a memorable and treasured experience. Whether they volunteer, perform, or become valued patrons, each person is part of the Chautauqua legacy. This page pays tribute to those who gave their time and talent to the festival. They will be sorely missed but forever remembered as the gems of our time. Take a moment to learn of their impact.
Mary with her husband John and three boys, Rob, Michael, and Alex. (shown left to right)
Mary Sincell McEwen
March 12, 1963 - November 17, 2022
Mary was a gifted writer, proofreader, and editor. She served as the coordinator for the Arts & Entertainment Districts of Grantsville and Oakland, Maryland, and headed up the advisory committees of those two organizations. During her 27-year career as a co-owner, reporter, and journalist with The Republican, her family-owned newspaper in Garrett County, Maryland she covered the arts in Garrett County extensively, writing a wide range of reports and feature stories for nearly three decades.
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Mary maintained a blog, at marysmcewenwrites.com. In her tenure at the newspaper, she was the recipient of a Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Editorial Award for Excellence in Column Writing. The Garrett County Arts Council hired her as a presenter for a creative writing multi-week workshop in 2012. She was a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, where she studied chiefly with playwright Frank Gagliano. She continued her education with several English and writing courses at the University of North Carolina and studied for one summer with novelist Lewis Ord.
Civically, Mary served on the board of directors of the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival for many years, and more recently on the board of the Garrett County Arts Council. She was a member of the arts council for four years and served as president for the second two of the four. She has performed in several plays at Our Town Theatre.
Mary headed up a Victorian Chautauqua Writers’ Workshop titled, And That’s What Happened, in 2021. She also performed that year as her colorful great-grandmother “Tay“ who was an accomplished artist and long-time resident of Mountain Lake Park.
Betty (left) with her friend Mary Helen Spear at the 2021 Victorian Chautauqua fundraiser dinner.
Betty Ellington
August 29, 1935 - December 15, 2022
After a long civil service career, Betty retired from Voice of America in Washington DC in 1994. She became a resident of Garrett County and a member of the Civic Club after moving from Virginia in 2000. She was an active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and numerous community activities including the Civic Club of Oakland.
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From 2002 to 2006 she served as co-president of the civic club. As president, she spearheaded a Dimes Walk America event for club members. For many years she also co-chaired the Autumn Glory antique show, and took a major leadership role in the civics club’s charitable-giving program, Warm the Children. Betty was a member of the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, serving on both the HR and executive committees as well as the chair of the fundraising committee. She also served as president of the Garrett County Lighthouse Inc. Board of Directors. Betty was named to the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame by the Garrett County Commission for Women in 2011.
“Betty is known for her generous work throughout the community,” said her good friend, Mary Helen Spear, “but Betty was also active walking with her best friend Betty Rouse and skiing, yes skiing, with friends at Wisp Resort!”
Her last ski trip to Colorado with family and friends was just as COVID shut down the country. As if she didn’t have enough on her plate already, Betty joined the Victorian Chautauqua planning committee coordinating volunteers for 2020. Betty continued her position through 2022 with the assistance of Bill Ewing. She always brought a kind and gentle nature to each group she served. Her hard work and devotion to all of Garrett County will be greatly missed.
“We can all learn from Betty's commitment to the community, her continued physical activities, and her zest for life.” – Mary Helen
Jeff’s impressive collection on display at the 2022 Victorian Chautauqua.
Jeff Browning
April 12, 1965 — April 22, 2023
Jeff Browing set up an impressive display of antiques and collectibles for two years at the Victorian Chautauqua. Helping to launch the festival, his dream was to grow the antique show and sale over time by inviting additional dealers from the region. He was highly regarded as a dealer carrying the best antiques in Garrett County.
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Jeffrey Van Browning was born in Cumberland, Maryland. He was a graduate of Southern High School and owned and operated the Carriage House where he sold antiques. The Carriage House was a popular stop for locals and visitors to the area.
For many years, Jeff also helped organize and exhibit his collections through the Civic Club during Autumn Glory Weekend. The Armory building housed a huge ensemble of area antique dealers and Jeff would set up an annex tent to accommodate his impressive displays.
Lauded as one of Garrett County’s finest dealers, Jeff amassed a huge following and life-long clients.
He was also well known as a school bus driver for Garrett County.
Philip performing songs of the Civil War at the 2022 Victorian Chautauqua.
Philp Gerard
April 7, 1955 - November 7, 2022
Philip Gerard became a Victorian Chautauquan in 2022 after presenting the music of the Civil War. Through the following week, he taught an adult workshop for music writing, one of his passions. He was a fantastic addition to the program leaving an indelible mark on the event.
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Philip Gerard was a prolific author and one of the University of North Carolina Willmington department’s founders and leaders.
“Philip arrived at UNCW in 1989 and quickly turned a fledgling professional and creative writing curriculum into a well-organized, well-administered, and very popular concentration within the English major,” said Mark Cox, creative writing professor, and department chair. “As the track grew and other creative writing faculty were hired, he subsequently was the chief force behind the planning, establishment, and coordination of our MFA program in 1996. In 1999, he was instrumental in establishing creative writing as an independent department, and in the 2000s served for seven years as department chair. It is no exaggeration to say that Philip was at the core of creative writing’s evolution here from the very beginning.”
His wife, Jill Gerard, is an instructor in the UNCW creative writing department.
Professor Gerard published 16 books of fiction and creative nonfiction, including The Patron Saint of Dreams, Down the Wild Cape Fear, and the legendary historical novel, Cape Fear Rising, about the 1898 coup and massacre that took place in Wilmington. Two of his books are seminal textbooks used in universities across the nation.
“He published more than 200 stories and essays in distinguished venues, amassing a highly respected body of work that only a very driven and committed writer could manage,” Cox added. “But it is never just about the numbers. Philip’s work always took on ambitious topics – war, politics, racial injustice, history – contributing substantially to our literature nationally and in North Carolina.”
Gerard’s latest book, North Carolina in the 1940s: The Decade of Transformation, was released in August 2022. Readers will also remember him across North Carolina and beyond for his poignant series of Civil War columns for “Our State” magazine, among many other publications. In 2019, he was honored with a North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor in the state, for significant contributions to the field of literature. He earned an MFA from the University of Arizona and a B.A. from the University of Delaware.
Ron & Cherie go full tilt at the Victorian Chautauqua fundraiser dinner.
Ron Krug
January 20, 1958 - March 11, 2024
Ron Krug was an enthusiastic supporter of the Victorian Chautauqua and attended the Writers’ Workshop in 2021 under the direction of Diana Hume George. He became a familiar face during the weekend event and lent a hand in enthusiastically introducing speakers and performers. His kind and welcoming nature was a hallmark of the festival.
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Ron Krug was born on January 20, 1958, in Floral Park Queens, New York, to Vincent Krug and Carole (Breinlinger) Krug.
He graduated from Miller Place High School in Miller Place, NY, and received his BS in Management from the State University of New York at Old Westbury. He earned his M.B.A. from the University at Albany, SUNY, and his M.S. in Accounting at Binghamton University. He was a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland.
He spent most of his career teaching at the college level and was an assistant professor at SUNY Oneonta for 15 years. When he moved to Cumberland, MD, to be with his wife in 1998, he began teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, PA. In 2006, he joined Allegany College of Maryland, where he was an associate professor and co-chair of the Division of Business and Economics. He received the League Excellence Award at the College's Innovations Conference and was selected for this award by a committee of his peers.
Ron worked as a Department Manager for Macy's in New York early in his career. He proudly marched in the Macy's Day parade and his role with his colleagues was to help support Tom Turkey's very large wing. Their part was expertly executed as the turkey floated down the parade route.
Ron loved nature, and he and Cherie visited 18 National Parks. He also had a keen sense of curiosity and was a lifelong learner. He was very interested in history, and after his move to Maryland, he developed a strong interest in the history of the Civil War. He did a lot of reading on the subject, and he and Cherie visited many battlefields in the area.
Ron also loved sports, especially his NY Giants and Yankees, the outdoors, hiking, Martha's Vineyard, and Deep Creek Lake, but, most of all, his wife of 38 years, Cherie Krug, his "Lovely Duck." They were married on August 17, 1985, and remained true partners in life.