Baltimore Weekend Recap: Royalty, Legacy, and Love from All Corners of the City

(BALTIMORE – July 7, 2025) – There’s simply no other way to explain this. As a Westsider with Eastside roots, I can say with all my heart and soul – I love all of Baltimore. This weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Baltimore royalty from all four corners of the city. From former star athletes to loyal community supporters, it was a celebration of history, culture, and unity.

The weekend began with a fundraiser for Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. My personal journey includes both Poly (9th and 10th grade) and Dunbar (11th and 12th). Truth be told, I got the best of both worlds.

“Kosher” (aka Dwayne Wood) and **Skip Wise** (See interview with Skip).

After the fundraiser, I was reminded of the powerful pieces of local history that too many of us don’t know. One eye-opening moment came during a conversation with 85-year-old Joe Joe Parker, someone I hadn’t heard of before this weekend. Parker played for the Harlem Astronauts Professional Basketball Team — Baltimore’s version of the Globetrotters — alongside Jim Stanley, Larry Davis, Cleveland Harp, Willie Shaw, Jim Jackson, Larry Patton (a halftime act), and Lem Carpenter (also known as Herky the Hobo).

His stories reminded me of the deep roots and legends embedded in Baltimore’s basketball legacy — stories that deserve to be shared and celebrated.

The next day was One Baltimore’s 20th Anniversary cookout in Woodlawn. As Tim Greene, President of One Baltimore, put it:

“I’m the President of One Baltimore, but I don’t look at it like that. I’m just another member because that title means nothing to me. How we got started, Donny Joy — fellow Poet — his one and only son got killed. Jimmy, Banks, Johnny and myself were up at Vaughn Greene’s on Edmondson Avenue viewing his body. And Jimmy said, why don’t we get together and do lunch or dinner, because the only time we get together is at times like this? And Baltimore — you know for yourself, it’s small. One Baltimore doesn’t consist of just basketball. It involves people, children, white, Black. And it’s not all sports. The reason we got together back in ’05, it was Cactus Willie. We didn’t start the cookouts until 2008. It was just our yearly cookout, not necessarily our 20th because we took off for COVID.”

From Walbrook, Lake Clifton, Southern, and City, to Southwestern, Patterson, Northern, and Northwestern — from Eastside to Westside, Cherry Hill to South Baltimore — the events this weekend reflected one unifying truth: a deep love for the City of Baltimore and its people. These gatherings will be remembered for years to come. But most importantly, they must be shared with the next generation.

While I strongly advocate for a thriving, tourist-friendly downtown as part of our “New Baltimore” campaign, I equally believe in empowering our neglected neighborhoods. If Baltimore is to truly be great, uptown must be cared for just as much as downtown. A New Baltimore must include all of Baltimore.

Being at Woodlawn Park for One Baltimore’s annual cookout felt like heaven. Legends were everywhere.

Friday night, the energy continued at Engineering New Paths’ (ENP) Inaugural Gala at Café 12 (5627 Reisterstown Rd.).

Marty Glaze, a proud Poly Engineer and former football star, has had a remarkable journey. From his high school days to a successful career as an engineer and builder — he even constructed a robotics lab and weight room at Poly. I met him as a freshman in 1979, when Poly was still majority white. Today, the school has flipped demographically, and my classmate Kia Glaze — Marty’s wife — is now Assistant Principal. She was my son’s teacher and is now helping lead the very school she once attended. It’s a reminder that greatness is everywhere in our community, despite what headlines may suggest.

Marty has even overseen the construction of a skyscraper. Developer Dean Harrison was in the room Friday night too. And while some Poly alumni missed this moment — including The Finn Group’s LaRian Finney — donations to ENP can be made via Zelle: engineeringnewpaths@gmail.com.

“I am proud to be a founding member of the Engineering New Paths team and grateful for all the support we’ve received,” said Marty Glaze. “Friday night’s gala was a great event and very inspiring. I am excited about the future and all the positive things we will do for the youth of Baltimore.”

Also present was Vennieth McCormick, a recovery network mogul who now controls an entire city block of hotel space downtown. He’s ENP’s President and a Poly alum who now hosts his own TV show — a testament to the power of personal transformation.

Ralph Lee committed to helping raise money for Poly students. Ven McCormick (R) is the President of Engineering New Paths (ENP), a group of Poly alumni trying to make a difference.

Baltimore can be a trap, especially for our youth. But this weekend reminded me that royalty lives in every person who showed up. These weren’t celebrity events. There were no news cameras. Just pure, authentic love. No incidents. No drama. Just everyday people — the real heroes — working, raising families, and surviving. It was about life: the wins, the losses, the resilience. But mostly, the wins.

Big shoutout to Poly’s Tim Rock for hosting Friday night at his family’s Café 12. And who would show up at a Poly event? None other than Choo Smith — yes, a City alum — with love in his heart. He shared this reflection:

“Tonight was special. The alumni of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute officially launched their new nonprofit initiative: Engineering New Paths – Kinship, Comradery, Excellence.

This powerful movement is all about building fellowship and empowering the next generation of Poly Engineers.

Shout out to the founding members of ENP: Vennie McCormick, Ralph Lee, Tim Rock, Howard Fields, Marty Glaze, Phil Davis, Steven Baker — your leadership and vision are inspiring!

A huge THANK YOU to Tim Rock for the invitation to speak at their inaugural fundraising event. It was an honor to address such an inspiring group.

I had the chance to reconnect with some true Bmore Legends who paved the way for me — Ralph Lee, Smiley, Kevin “Duke” Eric King, Fred Wright — and meet some amazing new faces who are just as committed to uplifting our youth.

It’s always a blessing to collaborate with those who are doing the work and making a difference. Let’s keep building.”

#PolyPride #EngineeringNewPaths #BaltimoreStrong #CommunityLeadership #STEMExcellence #BPIAlumni #YouthEmpowerment #LegacyInTheMaking #BaltimoreCityCollege #CityForever #CityKnights #BPIvsCity #BmoreUnity

For the uninitiated, Choo is a former Harlem Globetrotter and founder of Choo Smith Youth Empowerment. He’s building a “Communiversity” across 52 U.S. cities — with support from NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis — and he’s straight out of Sandtown.

Poly’s Howard Fields, my James Mosher Baseball alum; Marty Glaze aka Mr. Polytech – we go back to ’79 at Poly; and former Globetrotter Charles “Choo” Smith – a new best friend for the past 20 years. City’s Ambassador at a Poly event who runs Choo Smith Youth Empowerment. (Look at that love!)

And we can’t talk Poly basketball without mentioning Ralph Lee. For my generation, he was the GOAT. Though he wanted to attend Dunbar, his mother had other plans. I first saw him at Cecil Kirk Rec Center in the early ’70s — he was a leader then, and he’s a leader now. He’s committed to raising funds for Poly students through ENP.

The weekend wrapped up with the Walbrook Reunion. I went specifically to meet Derick Boyd — of The Boyd Brothers, Walbrook basketball legends. Richard Burton and his big, bubbly smile was there. Walbrook was my zoned school, but I needed a change. My best friend’s older brother recommended Poly, and I went. I knew staying at the ‘Brook might’ve left too much room for trouble.

But all my friends went there. The whole neighborhood, in fact. And it was beautiful seeing how we’ve all grown. The hugs, the memories, the love. That was my weekend — Baltimore at its best.

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