Dr. Theresa Stafford

Last year, New Beginnings Youth and Family Services on Greenwood Avenue in Cambridge got a name change to Dr. Theresa Stafford’s New Beginnings Learning Center. Stafford’s daughter Ashley thought it was a mouthful, but, as she told The Star Democrat’s Maggie Trovato at the time, the renaming would ensure that her mom became “a part of the story, so every child, every parent, every staff member that walks through those doors will remember that legacy.”

But what is the legacy of Cambridge-born Theresa Molock Stafford (Nov. 30, 1953 – Dec. 14, 2023)?  An Army National Guard veteran who got her doctorate from Wilmington University and spent 37 years in the public schools, she had a passion for education and the welfare of local children that inspired many. After retirement from the school system, she took on the role of executive director at New Beginnings, a nonprofit organization founded to provide a safe, nurturing environment for vulnerable kids and mentor them to take advantage of expanding opportunities in education and the workplace.

“Outside of her always having an affinity for children and being an educator, she’s always been an advocate,” Ashley said of her mother to The Spy this week. “And the children of the Greenwood Avenue community, which is the population that New Beginnings serves, are an underserved and under-resourced community, and they absolutely need someone to advocate for them. So, it was a role that just fit her to a tee. She’s always fought for the underdog, she’s always been a voice for the voiceless.”

When drug dealing or gang activity occurred near New Beginnings, Dr. Stafford would speak directly to those involved, her sister Goldie Cooper told Trovato in 2024. “They respected her enough to move on.”

When not confronting the shadier elements of Greenwood, Dr. Stafford created strong educational, recreational, and cultural programs at New Beginnings, including extensive field trips to expose the kids to wider learning and opportunities. The activities increased critical thinking skills while creating a positive environment that engendered good behavior, which led to fewer school suspensions and improved grades. Over a decade, Stafford and her dedicated associates served hundreds of children and families who faced hardship and limited resources.

During that time, Stafford also won a seat on the Dorchester County Board of Education because she felt she could help move the school system forward. She remained there until finally losing her long battle with cancer just before Christmas 2023. But, while that was the end of her life, it was only the start of her legacy.

New Beginnings continued to run strong afterward, because Stafford left behind people with enthusiasm for the children and their potential, including her sister Goldie Cooper, who succeeded her as executive director. The center now serves Pre-K through Seventh Grade, who benefit from the afterschool and summer programs that offer academic support, meals, field trips, and cultural enrichment.

“It’s really been continuity,” said Ashley Stafford when asked about how New Beginnings carries on her mom’s mission. “The same staff and the community support is still there, so they’ve been able to keep the same programming and keep it free for the children of the community.”

That community support includes those people organizing and attending “Unity in the Community,” the inaugural annual fundraiser for New Beginnings taking place at Minnette Mills Dick Memorial Hall on December 6. It will feature live entertainment, a catered meal, and “stories that highlight the transformative impact of New Beginnings on our community’s children,” according to the fundraiser committee. One hundred and fifty people have tickets for the sold-out event.

“It’s definitely an emotional time between her birthday and the day that she passed away,” said Ashley. “It’s been tough, but definitely having the fundraiser around her birthday–and that tradition will continue each year–will be a way for us to take a time that could be sorrowful and make it celebratory.”

While she misses her mother, Ashley still feels her presence. “My dad [Lewis] says that I open my mouth and my mom comes out. I feel her presence in the decisions that I make from day to day. I’m now on the board at New Beginnings. I’m always out in my community doing work, as well, and so she’s with me all the time when I’m giving my time and my energy back to my own community.”

There is no doubt that the legacy of Dr. Theresa Stafford is in capable hands and will be felt in Cambridge for as long as there are needy children with big dreams.

The promenade at Cambridge Harbor.

The City of Cambridge is actively seeking a volunteer to serve on the Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc. (CWDI) board. Interested citizens are encouraged to apply to be a member of this board by completing the application form located on the city website.

Citizens may also email their letter of interest and resume to City Manager Glenn Steckman at [email protected].

As a volunteer, this board member will receive no compensation for their efforts on behalf of the community.

CWDI is a nonprofit development corporation established by the City of Cambridge, Dorchester County, and the State of Maryland to jointly plan and guide redevelopment along the Cambridge waterfront. Its mission is to work in partnership with the community to create and sustainably steward Cambridge Harbor as an inviting, accessible, and vibrant destination, one that enhances opportunities to live, work, play, and visit.

The new board member will succeed Secretary Natalie Chabot, who recently resigned to spend time with her newly born grandson. In her resignation letter, she expressed her belief that “Cambridge Harbor has momentum” and that “great progress [is] underway.”

“This project is complex to say the least, and I believe all members have an active role to play in ensuring that it is a success,” she went on to say, adding that the board member’s job is “to serve the city and its residents – to be part of a positive process that will surely enhance our wonderful community.”

Cambridge was the place to be on the Eastern Shore on Thanksgiving in 1912, because even Governor Phillips Lee Goldsborough was spending the holiday here. But he wasn’t the only one. Captain Richard Insley of Wingate and Miss Laura Thomas of Bishop’s Head were in town. Miss Elizabeth Spedden was visiting her parents on Oakley Street while Mr. and Mrs. Harry Meginnis of Chicago were guests of Mrs. Radcliffe Navy on Choptank Avenue. Everyone was excited for Thursday, November 28th.

The night before, many people had enjoyed the entertainment at the Auditorium: the talented Juggling Parrotts and the Blue Ribbon Trio (“the big laughing show”). For their five cents admission, patrons had also gotten a pair of two-reel photoplay features.

Also, just before the holiday, young George Todd found himself with much to be thankful for, as he was found not guilty of manslaughter in the last important case taken up during the November term of the Circuit Court for Dorchester County. The evidence, as presented by Comptroller Emerson Harrington for the defense, showed that the deceased and his comrades had insulted Todd’s aged grandmother and that his thrashing of them brought about an accidental death. No doubt State’s Attorney Calvin Trice was disappointed at the verdict.

Also disappointed that week was Ernest Tubman, whose new bicycle “Special” had been stolen from him at the oyster house. It had last been seen at Bucktown on Election Day, and the sellers, Slacum Brothers, offered a $3 reward for its return.

But most in Cambridge went into the day with gratitude and joy. Many attended the 11 a.m. service at Zion Church, a special occasion, as representatives from Grace, St. Paul’s, and the Baptist Churches participated in a Union Thanksgiving service officiated by Reverend George W. Wray. It was a fine way to start the holiday.

Then came the big feast. No doubt many families included in their spreads fresh oysters from Mrs. William Price of Water Street (it was the Eastern Shore, after all) and fruits from Dean Bros. Possibly some adventurous cook followed the recipe from 1705 (as reprinted by The Daily Banner) for Queen Anne Mince Pie, which included a large cow’s tongue. The food was likely prepared on a stove purchased from Phillips Hardware Co. or Herbert Hearn’s Hardware, using coal or wood from the Cambridge Manufacturing Company.

So, as the meal began, what was everyone thankful for? Well, lame duck President William Howard Taft offered a suggestion in his “dignified” Thanksgiving proclamation. He said all Americans should feel “strong in the steadfast conservation of the heritage of self-government bequeathed to us by the wisdom of our fathers, and firm to transmit that heritage unimpaired, but rather improved by good use, to our children and our children’s children, for all time to come.”

Furthermore, the Banner editor reminded its readers of the gratitude they should have felt. “How far have we erred from the original Thanksgiving Day, and how much more we have to be thankful for than our pioneer forefathers. We need no guards to protect us from the savage Indians, and no one to fight off the wild beasts.”

He went on to say that “especially should our farmers feel gratified, for this has been an excellent time for the agriculturist, who has been given such bountiful crops. [And] there is plenty of work for energetic and industrious men. The election of a fearless man for President of our country [Woodrow Wilson] gives promise of greater prosperity for 1913, and, lastly, let all the maidens be thankful for Leap Year, and continue to take advantage of it.”

The last, tongue-in-cheek, statement referred to the tradition that, on February 29th, a woman could flip the social rules and ask a man to marry her. He was expected to accept or pay a forfeit (such as gloves, a silk dress, or money) if he refused.

Following the Thanksgiving meal, many men enjoyed a cigar or other kind of tobacco from the Geo. O. Dashiell & Bro. stationery store at the corner of Poplar and Race Streets. During that time, they could reflect on the graces of the past year.

At the same time, they also had to look forward to the next holiday.

“Only one more month before Christmas,” announced the Banner. “Let everyone remember the careworn clerks and . . . aim to complete the shopping early, in order that the ones who are forced to endure rush, may enter upon the holidays devoid of fatigue.” The merchants were then advised: “Advertise early, in order that the public may shop wisely.”

Thanksgiving Day may have felt like a respite for revelers, but the pace never really slowed for the big city of Cambridge in the early part of the 20th century.