Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

Kevin Leonard writes a monthly column called “History
Matters” that focuses on historical events from the area.
His column has appeared in the Laurel Leader, Howard
County Times, Columbia Flier, Fort Meade Soundoff!,
Baltimore Sun, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune.
He is one of The Laurel History Boys, who offer a wealth
of local history on their web site (https://laurelhistory.
com/), and he is a frequent lecturer providing historical
presentations to community groups.
Kevin provides historical research through his
company, The Leonard Group, Inc., to a variety of
clients that include documentary filmmakers, book
authors, and others. Some of his film clients include the
National Geographic Channel "The Hunt for the Boston
Strangler", History Channel "Amelia Earhart: The Lost
Evidence," "Ancient Aliens," PBS NOVA "Killer Subs
in Pearl Harbor," "Japanese SuperSub," and independent
documentaries and feature films "Persona Non Grata,"
"The Cost of Construction," "American Made Movie,"
"The Golden Age." His screenplay about the life of WWI
hero Eddie Rickenbacker won Clint Eastwood’s Monterey
County Film Commission Screenwriting Competition,
and was optioned for production.
Karen Lubieniecki is a past president of the Laurel
Historical Society. Since 1996 she has been involved in
the creation of more than 20 of the Laurel Museum’s
exhibits. Ms. Lubieniecki holds an MA in history from
UMBC and is the author of the “Apart Before Death:
Separated Women in Colonial Maryland,” chapter in
"Order and Civility in the Early Modern Chesapeake."
(Lexington Books, 2014).
Martha McClary spent the last 32 years working at Fort
Meade in various capacities. Her current position is the
Fort Meade Garrison Director of Family and Morale,
Welfare and Recreation, which she held since 2009. Her
early career focused on education and curriculum, teaching
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Erlangen and Boeblingen,
Germany, and Junction City, Kansas. She transitioned to
management positions in Child and Youth Services and
Family and MWR while working at Fort Meade. Mrs.
McClary resides with her husband of 40 years, Donald L.
McClary Sr. of Vincennes, Indiana. They have one grown
son, Donald L. McClary Jr who is married and lives in
California with his wife Melissa.
CONTRIBUTORS
Col. Kenneth O. McCreedy (Ret.) Senior Director of
Cybersecurity and Aerospace in the Maryland Department
of Commerce, is a 1980 Distinguished Military Graduate
of the University of California, Berkeley. Commissioned
as a military intelligence officer, he served overseas in
Panama, Germany, Kuwait, and Bosnia. He commanded
a scout platoon, a counterintelligence/ interrogation
company, a signals intelligence battalion, and finally, he
took command of Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, in
June 2005 and served in that capacity until July 2008. Since
his retirement in 2008, McCreedy has worked as a defense
contractor and led a non-profit organization that provides
therapeutic horseback riding to people with disabilities..
In his current position, Col. McCreedy is charged
with growing and retaining cybersecurity and aerospace
companies in Maryland and attracting new business to
the state. He is also working to educate people about
the cyber threat and encouraging them to take steps to
protect themselves and their businesses.
Michael K. McLaughlin was born in Regensburg, West
Germany, in 1953. Mike travelled with his career Army
family before they settled in Laurel when his dad retired
out of Fort Meade in 1966. After school years and early
employment here, Mike spent the 1980s on the west
coast, joining the staff at the Vic Braden Tennis College
and Coto Sports Research Center. Mike and his wife
Jackie have lived in Laurel since returning in 1990. They
have three adult children, and Mike is currently a career
PopPop to their first grandchild.
Reverend Dr. Phebe L. McPherson was ordained in
1977 and after serving churches in Baltimore for ten years
she became the Rector of Epiphany Episcopal Church
Odenton in 1987. She graduated from Goucher College in
1972 and studied at Union Theological Seminary in New
York City and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in
Chicago receiving her M.Div. in 1975. She was the first
woman ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
She earned a doctoral degree from Virginia Theological
Seminary in 2006 and focused her thesis on the work
of Dr. Howard Thurman, mentor to many of the Civil
Rights Leaders of the 60s. As its head pastor, she has
overseen the redevelopment of Epiphany Church for 30
years.
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