Remembering Cherry Hill’s historian

I was saddened to learn of the passing of John “Jack” Breihan, professor emeritus of Loyola University of Maryland (“John R. ‘Jack’ Breihan, history professor and co-author of books on Maryland aviation, dies,” Feb. 23).

When I decided to do a communal memoir of Cherry Hill in 2016, I searched Cherry Hill on the internet to see what work had already been done. Dr. Breihan’s 30-page history came up noting that it was available at Pratt Library. When I could not find it at Pratt, I reached out to Dr. Breihan through Loyola University. I explained to him that about 60 of the first generation of children to be raised in Cherry Hill were coming together to write about our experiences in our wonderful new community. He was delighted and he very graciously agreed to send me a copy of the history, as well as copies of the transcripts of the interviews that his students conducted.

The material was indispensable to documenting the diversity and beauty of the architecture of the homes and the physical layout of this first planned community to be built by the federal government. Dr. Breihan noted that the planners, some of whom had designed Roland Park, Guilford and Homeland, decided to make Cherry Hill “a city on the hilltop.” Dr. Breihan noted in his history that he hoped residents would come together to share a more complete look at the community.

The book, “Cherry Hill: Raising Successful Black Children in Jim Crow Baltimore,” was published in 2018 and I sent him a copy. He was so pleased with it that he requested several more to share with his friends. I am so honored that our paths crossed and I will always be indebted to him for caring enough to help us to understand our story better. My condolences to his family and friends.