The Spy “Exit Interview” series is part journalism and part oral history. Over the last eleven years, the Spy has interviewed dozens of local leaders at the moment of their retirement or departure to reflect on their work and some of the challenges they have faced in their professional careers.
We continue the project with individual interviews with Easton’s Liz and Howard Freedlander. While Liz and Howard are not retiring from any current position, they are moving to Annapolis next month after almost forty-five years of active community involvement and leadership.
While the Freedlanders would cringe at being called a “powerhouse” couple, the totality of their work for the betterment of Talbot County is a stunning example of the region’s exceptional social capital. From Liz’s early start at The Country School and her pioneering work in the creation of Talbot Hospice as its first director, the development of UM Horn Point Laboratory’s Chesapeake Champions program, and the stewardship of other local nonprofits in fundraising, to Howard’s leadership on the boards of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, his commentaries in the Spy, and the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation, as well as their combined activism in supporting Democratic candidates in what was once a decidedly Republican County, the Freedlanders are a model of civic engagement.
As the couple has entered their retirement years, and with their family entirely on the Western Shore, the Freedlanders will be moving to Annapolis next month. And while it is a fact that they will be maintaining their ties to Easton, including Howard maintaining his role on local boards, it seemed like a perfect time to take stock of their four decades in Easton.
These videos are approximately ten minutes in length.
Liz Freedlander
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.