Patricia M. Richardson slipped away from the helm of the St. Mary's County public schools without much fanfare.
She retired Dec. 31 as superintendent to head a graduate program in education at the University of Maryland. She had been a part of daily life in the St. Mary's schools since 1972, when she began teaching third-graders at Piney Point Elementary School.
_____Maryland Government_____
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Near Paths, Fearing What the Connector Might Lead To (The Washington Post, Jan 20, 2005)
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Change in State Law Sought (The Washington Post, Jan 20, 2005)
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On This Historic Day, Hail to the Leaf (The Washington Post, Jan 20, 2005)
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Full Report
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In a recent farewell message to colleagues, she emphasized the tremendous changes that have occurred over those 32 years. "The world is a much different place by almost any measure," she wrote.
She also offered some advice based on what she said were some of the "best lessons" she had learned after more than three decades.
Not surprisingly, much of that guidance focused on students in the classrooms.
"For many of our students, we are the safe harbor," Richardson said. "We can never lose sight of the fact that our students come from many different home environments. Some face enormous challenges.
"We can be their oasis," she said, "and encourage them to take risks and flourish surrounded by support."
Bay Bridge Bill of Rights
The notion of a new Chesapeake Bay crossing continues to intrigue state lawmakers in Annapolis.
Since a new bridge would probably have one terminus along the Calvert County shoreline, it is also an idea that officials there and elsewhere in Southern Maryland have monitored closely. Generally, local officials have opposed such a project on the grounds that such a bridge would greatly worsen the area's traffic congestion.
Now, state Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Queen Anne's) is proposing something he calls the "Bay Bridge Users' Bill of Rights." Its basic premise is that current users of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge "are the most put-upon travelers of any section of the state's highway network."
Not only do they have to battle huge traffic jams on a regular basis, he said last week in a statement, but they have to pay for the privilege through toll charges. He asserted that toll revenue from the bridge is a major factor in funding highway projects throughout the state.
He said his legislative package will call for creation of a Chesapeake Bay Crossing Authority to focus on the problems created by the annually increasing traffic on the existing bridge. It would also restructure the Maryland Transportation Authority.
His proposal would ban 18-wheeler truck traffic from the bridge anytime all five lanes are not operating, and it would authorize the transportation authority to allow toll-free crossings whenever a traffic backup exceeds 30 minutes.
Pipkin, who is a member of a state task force studying bay crossing options, has fought to keep the possibility of a new bridge alive within the state Department of Transportation.
