[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 24, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E926-E927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING GERALD WESLEY DONOVAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 24, 2021

  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend and 
a great Marylander who passed away on July 31. Gerald Wesley Donovan 
was not just the former Mayor of Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, 
Maryland. He was the heart and soul of the town and the center of its 
community for decades. Gerald dedicated his life to preserving the 
memory of Chesapeake Beach as it had been generations prior and working 
to reinvigorate it with a new energy for the twenty-first century and 
as a place where future generations of Marylanders and visitors could 
enjoy all the best the town and it surroundings could offer.
  Having grown up in the county and attended Calver High School, Gerald 
was raised with a love of service, a love of learning, and a love of 
country. In addition to attending Baltimore College of Commerce, Prince 
George's Community College, and the University of Maryland, he enlisted 
in the U.S. Marine Corps in

[[Page E927]]

1968 and served on active duty until 1971. After serving on the 
Chesapeake Beach Town Council for seven years, Gerald was appointed the 
town's mayor in 1983. The following year, his neighbors elected him to 
continue in that office and returned him again and again for a total of 
thirty-four years and six consecutive terms. During that time, he 
oversaw major projects that renewed Chesapeake Beach as a tourist 
destination, including its Water Park, Railway Trail, Veterans Memorial 
Park, Bayfront Park, and the annual fireworks show. Each winter, he 
expressed his joy for the holiday season by securing funding from the 
council to illuminate the town in festive lights.
  Over those same years, Gerald developed a vision to revitalize the 
old Chesapeake Beach Resort built by Otto Mears in 1900. The 
rededication of that property in 2004 as the Rod 'N' Reel resort was 
the culmination of years of work for Gerald and his local business 
partners. It has become a major destination in Maryland's Fifth 
District, attracting vacationers from across the country and around the 
world and helping to grow tourism and support jobs for the local 
economy.
  In addition to serving as Mayor, Gerald also gave back to his 
community and his country by helping to lead the fight against cancer. 
Over thirty years, the annual Celebration of Life gala dinner he hosted 
with his brother, Fred, in memory of their father Fred Donovan, Sr. 
raised more than $4 million for the American Cancer Society. Having 
attended these dinners year after year, I can attest that Gerald's 
passion for curing and treating cancer and helping those afflicted only 
grew over time.
  Early on, Gerald also joined the North Beach Volunteer Fire 
Department and later was chosen as its lifetime president. He also 
served on the executive committee of the Maryland Tourism Board, as a 
member of the Maryland Restaurant Association's board, and as Chairman 
of the Calvert County Democratic Central Committee. Gerald was also a 
pioneer in the creation of the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum.
  As he got older, Gerald recognized the importance of preparing the 
next generations to carry on the work of making Chesapeake Beach and 
Calvert County a wonderful place to live and work and preserving its 
heritage. He became a mentor to so many young people active in public 
service in the town and in the county, making time to help them find 
their own ways to give back to their community and run for local 
office. Gerald worked to pass on his unparalleled knowledge of the town 
and its history, and when he retired and left office in 2008, he passed 
the torch to a new generation now carrying on his work.
  In retirement, Gerald loved to drive around Chesapeake Beach and 
revel in its splendor and success, proud of the work he and so many 
others had put in over the decades to breathe new life into the town. 
After he passed away earlier this summer, his friends and neighbors 
gathered on the sidewalks to pay a final tribute as Gerald's funeral 
procession made its way through those same streets, escorted by the 
Calvert County Sheriffs Department and North Beach Volunteer Fire 
Department vehicles.
  Gerald will be missed by so many of us who were fortunate enough to 
call him a friend. I join in offering my condolences to his wonderful 
wife and partner Mary, to his children Wesley, Ryan, Roger, Mary, and 
Veronica and their families, including his thirteen grandchildren and 
five great-grandchildren. May Gerald's memory always be a blessing to 
them and to all the people of his beloved Chesapeake Beach and Calvert 
County.

                          ____________________