BMORENews.com
Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards — WOODLAWN
(BALTIMORE – May 25, 2026) – Some people serve in uniform. Some serve from the sidelines. Some serve quietly, year after year, shaping young lives without asking for applause.
Fire Captain Gerald Quarles has done all three.
BMORENews.com and the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards are proud to honor Fire Captain Gerald Quarles of the Baltimore City Fire Department at Black Wall Street WOODLAWN, Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm at 6665 Security Boulevard.
RSVP to blackwallstreetwoodlawn.eventbrite.com.
I have known Gerald since the first grade. We grew up together. We both played James Mosher Baseball in elementary school. Even then, the foundation was being laid: discipline, teamwork, respect, and community.
Gerald was raised by an iconic father, and that legacy of strength, service, and responsibility is evident in the man he became. Today, he is a proud husband, father, fire captain, coach, mentor, and community servant.
At James Mosher Baseball, Gerald has gone from player to leader. Over the years, he has coached multiple championship teams, using baseball not just as a sport, but as a classroom. He understands that the diamond can teach young people patience, focus, accountability, confidence, and how to win with dignity. This includes girls.
That kind of coaching is too often underappreciated.
Volunteers like Gerald Quarles do more than run practices and games. They help raise children. They stand in the gap. They give structure. They model manhood. They show young people that somebody cares.
Gerald is also a proud member of the Matthew A. Henson Elementary School Alumni Association, continuing his commitment to education, learning, and community legacy.
As a fire captain, he protects lives. As a coach, he helps build them.
That is Black Wall Street.
That is service.
That is why we honor Fire Captain Gerald Quarles.
