Developer Killed in Crash Recalled for Sense of Fun

An investigator photographs wreckage of the helicopter that crashed near Dagsboro, Del., killing Joshua M. Freeman, 42, and pilot Danielle Howell, 30. (By Ted Mathias -- Associated Press)

Joshua M. Freeman was an unconventional real estate executive. The son of a prominent developer, Freeman skipped college after spending several fun-loving years at Bethesda's prestigious Landon School, friends recalled yesterday, and signed up for the Army's elite Green Berets before later joining his father's firm.

Freeman, 42, who died Thursday in a helicopter crash near the Delaware shore communities he and his father developed, was also a generous philanthropist known for a deep sense of commitment to employees and the communities he built.

The helicopter crashed near Townsends Road off State Road 26 near Dagsboro, Del. A dense fog had blanketed much of the area, but it had begun to lift shortly after dawn Friday as state and federal investigators examined the scene.

Known as a lively addition to parties since his high school years, Freeman once dragged a mechanical bull to an Olney Theatre fundraiser, showed donors how to ride the bronco and then goaded them to try it -- all to help one of his favorite charities just a few blocks from a shopping area he had developed.

Freeman, who lived on a sprawling family farm in Gaithersburg with his wife, Michelle, and three children, became president in 1995 of Carl M. Freeman Associates, the post-war development firm his father founded in 1947 to build hundreds of homes in the Washington suburbs. Carl Freeman, who died at 87 in a car accident eight years ago, also built the massive Sea Colony development in Delaware, as well as many other large projects. The company recently acquired the historic Tidewater Inn in Easton and Coolfont Resort in Berkley Springs, W.Va.

Del. Karen S. Montgomery (D-Montgomery), who watched Joshua Freeman mature, said he had transformed from a "wild and irresponsible kid" to someone with "take-charge ability. We have lost a good person in the community."

Freeman was 34 when he was thrust into the chief executive's chair after his father's death, but he quickly learned to juggle numerous business obligations, his investments in Washington's hockey and basketball teams and the family's tradition of giving back to the communities it helped build. Freeman's family foundation donated time and thousands of dollars to nonprofit groups in the Washington area, including the Olney Boys and Girls Club and the Make-A-Wish Triathlon on the Delaware shore.

Freeman was visiting employees at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club for a holiday party Thursday and was picked up nearby by helicopter pilot Danielle Howell, 30. The accident also killed Howell.

The car accident that killed Freeman's father eight years ago in New Mexico also injured Freeman's mother, Virginia, and one of his three sisters, Lisa. Like his father, Freeman will be buried on the family farm.

Friends and colleagues yesterday recalled his high-energy personality, his sense of community service and his fun-loving but serious approach to business and philanthropy.

"He always was coming up with great ideas to tie business to the arts, to family, to fun and to the community," said Debra Kraft, former executive director of the Olney Theatre.

Rusty Lindner, chairman of Landon's board of trustees, had recently persuaded Freeman to serve as co-chairman of the boys school's upcoming fundraising campaign. Lindner saw Freeman on Wednesday night at Landon, where both had worked late on school matters. Freeman's son Nicholas is a sophomore at Landon.

The decision to skip college -- Freeman this year received an honorary degree from Montgomery College -- made him an anomaly at Landon, where students vie for spots at the nation's most competitive colleges. In his graduating class, 65 students graduated, and 64 went to college, friends recalled.

Patrick A. Gorman, a political consultant and Landon classmate, said of Freeman: "Books were not his priority. Like Mark Twain said, 'He never let it get in the way of his education.' " Gorman and some Landon pals, who attended the school's annual alumni lunch yesterday, spent the afternoon reminiscing about Freeman.

"Walking down the hall, if you were hurting, he'd be the first to put his arm around you and hug you and make you feel good," Gorman said. "But if you got too big for your britches, he'd knock the books out of your hand and say, 'See, you can be on the ground like the rest of us.' "

Freeman served on the boards of his family foundation, Congressional Bank, Venture Philanthropy Partners, the Washington Capitals, the Washington National Opera and the United Jewish Endowment Fund.