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1. John began his "career" with the St. Mary's County Fair when he was appointed chairman of
the 4-H livestock division in 1972 after several years of showing sheep in open class. In 1974 John
was elected to the Board of Directors of the St. Mary's County Fair Association. From 1978 to
1983, he served as Secretary, and in 1984, he was elected President. He has held the
position of President since then
.
He served as a director of the Maryland Association of Agricultural Fairs and Shows
for one term and served 10 years on the Maryland Agricultural Fair Board.

John has attended and taught judging school classes at various locations in Maryland (and one in
Penn). In addition, he participates as Judge for baked goods, photography and crafts at numerous
fairs throughout the State of Maryland.

The fairground is John's second home. You will find John scheduling and
monitoring the many events hosted at the Fairgrounds. John's latest project is the construction of
the administration building and the farm and garden building. In order to
complete these projects, John spends numerous hours overseeing the county
public school students from masonry, electrical, sheet metal and welding classes
at our local vo-tech school. John also coordinates with the horticultural students
determining the best landscaping needs of the grounds. When maintenance on
grounds and building repairs are being completed, he is always there with a
helpful hand.
As fair time approaches, the community can see John's handiwork of cutting,
painting and distributing throughout the county the many wooden fair signs
advertising the St. Mary's County Fair. He coordinates and attends various
meetings with County Government Officials to obtain permits and approvals.
Since John retired from the federal government three years ago, his volunteer hours
at the fairgrounds have expanded.

2. Each Monday morning, John can be found food shopping for the St.
Paul's Soup Kitchen. On the first thursday of the month, he and wife Ann are cooking and serving
this food to the local needy in our community at St. Paul's Church in Leonardtown.
John and Ann also volunteer with the Cancer Fund Daffodil Days, the Hospice Fun Run, the
Progressive Farmer Farm Safety Day for Kids , and the Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair
committees.

3. John has served his community as a 4-H Leader for over 35 years, including leading the Tutor
Hall 4-H club for 10 years. In recognition of his hard work and support of St. Mary's County 4-H, he
has achieved the position of All-Star.
He was also the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Good Neighbor Award.