1931: Lewis Babcock and W. L. A.
Strawbridge envision a need for an American Legion Post for Takoma Park. They
obtain the signatures of fifteen World War One veterans and apply for a charter
from the Department of maryland.
July
1931: For
increased membership Post #28 receives the "Mattingly Trophy" and a
National Commander's "Citation for Distinguished Service."
March
31, 1931: The
Post, near the meeting point of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, and
Washington D. C., is officially organized. Department Commander George
Henderson installs the officers.
May
7, 1931: The
National American Lemon grants a temporary charter to Takoma Park Post//28. The
first meeting is held in the Takoma Park Fire Hall on Carroll Avenue.
September
16, 1931: The
National American Legion grants a permanent Charter to seventy members of
Takoma Park Post #28 in Montgomery County.
October
1931: Mrs. Charles
Hartley helps organize The American Legion Auxiliary of Post #28.There are 11
members at the first meeting held at her home.
January,
1932: Mrs. Charles
Conrad, President of the maryland Auxiliary, presented the unit with its
Charter. Mrs. T. Walker, past District President of the Auxiliary, presented
Mrs. Conrad with a gavel. During its first year, the auxiliary is active in
relief work and food and clothing collections for needy families. The
membership increases to 25.
February
9, 1933: Takoma
Park Post #28 is designated as the "Flag Post" of the State by the
Department of maryland. Several Embassies of our World War One Allies present
their Nation's flag to the Post.
November
11, 1933: Post #28
participates in the Armistice Day Ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery with
amassing of Allied flags. A member of the post, bearing that Countries' flag,
accompanies a representative of each Allied Nation of Word War I as they
advance and place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
December,
1941: Morris
Miller of Washington, D.C. donates to the Post the first building. The one
story (15'x12') building is the foyer and powder room of our present Post. W.
H. McCeney is responsible for having it transported and placed upon our
property. Mr. McCeney also furnishes the material and builds a boardwalk the
length of the front of the building.
1942:
Post #28 Commander
Martin F. Iverson supervises the construction of a 25' tall tower attached to
the southwest side of the original building. The tower is 100 square feet at
the base with a windowed room, siren and navigation light on top. The tower is
used as a Civil Defense plane spotter observation tower during World War II.
July
1943: Martin
Iverson becomes the 28th Commander of the Department of maryland.
February
23, 1944: In
exchange for $1,000, Mr. Robert E. Latimer conveys a deed of two plots of land
(6.62 acres) to Post #28 with the understanding the land is to be used for
American Legion activities. It is the last part of 182.74 acres the Latimer
Company owned and used to mine gravel. Mr. Latimer donates the $1,000 back and
is responsible for having the land graded for the Post home.
1946: Members of Post #28 acquire World
War II Army surplus ordinance from the
Bainbridge
Training Center on the Susquehanna River. The 3" ami-aircraft artillery
piece with a welded breech remains at the entrance to the Post,
1947: Post #28 acquires a (60'x25')
surplus former Quonset hut used in World War Two. An exterior (12'x60')
wood-frame office/storage room runs the length of the northwest side of the
original building. The Quonset hut is transformed into a meeting room with a
small kitchen in the southeast corner. The office/storage area is changed into
a bar, passageway, and furnace room.
February
18, 1948: Prince
George's County Commissioners issue a permit for a club house on the premises
of Latimer's Gravel Pit. The pit is located on the north side of Powdermill
Road about one-quarter of a mile west of Cherry Hill Road and three miles east
of Beltsville. It is zoned "Residential "A".
August
23, 1951:
First-Lieutenant John Latimer, U.S. Army, is one of nine people killed when an
Air Force C-47 crashes near the Summit Alaska airport.
1953: Rest rooms are added to the
northeast side of the original structure.
June,
1956: High Point
High School presents the first "American Legion Awards" from Post
#28. The faculty elected two graduating seniors best representing
"courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service."
1957: Workers from the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission place a 10" square cement marker with a
circular 3 1/2" diameter metal disk on Post #28 property. They designate
this as the highest point in Prince George's County. The compass bearings are
southwest of the edge of the driveway and 9' northwest of Powdermill Road. On
the disk is written "Azimuth Mark U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey."
National Geodetic Survey has no record of this marker.
October
17, 1958: The
National Organization of The American Legion Headquarters grants a Supplemental
Charter changing Takoma Park Post #28 to the John B, Latimer Post #28.
November
22, 1963: An
assassin kills President John Kennedy as he passes the Texas Book Depository in
Dallas, Texas.
November
17, 1968: The
National American Legion Headquarters grants a Temporary Charter naming the
John F. Kennedy Memorial Post #287 in Langley Park, maryland. Regular meetings
are held at the Adelphi Mill Community building
January
1970: Post #28
hosts it's first annual "Super Bowl Party." Initially it is a Post
Office celebration, and it is gradually taken over by the members of the post.
October
9, 1973: The
National Organization of The American Legion grants a Permanent Charter in
effect combining Post #287 with Post #28 and changing the name to Kennedy-
Latimer Post #28. The Southern maryland District and the maryland Convention
approve the transfer of Post #28 to Prince George's County.
January
11, 1974: The
American Legion Auxiliary grants a Charter establishing an Auxiliary of
Kennedy-Latimer Post #28.
July
9, 1974: The
former plane observation tower is discovered to be so severely infested with
termites that it is torn down and burned. Nothing is salvaged.
March
11, 1976: The
National Convention of the American Legion grants a Charter to Post #28 Sons of
The American Legion.
June,
1977: Post #28
member, Colonel Charles Vasitiadis, Commander of Aerospace Science Staff at
High Point High School, presents the first American Legion medals to JROTC
cadets. Patrick Davis receives the medal for scholastic excellence, and Cheryl
Ludwig receives the medal for highest military excellence.
January
1, 1979: The
members of Post #28 dedicate the newly built 650 square foot extension to the
bar. The bricks used in the construction of the supports and stairs are
salvaged from a demolished house on Washington Boulevard in Baltimore. The
house had been built from bricks used as ballast in British sailing ships
arriving in Baltimore Harbor. Fred Ridgeway cleans and transports them to the Post,
and Bill Baker contracts for the brickwork.
August,
1979: Members of
Post #28 help construct a bar-b-que pit about 60' southwest of the Post Home.
They build a Pagoda type structure which simultaneously protects from the rain
and dissipates the smoke. Fred Ridgeway pours two cement slabs 12'x6' and Yx4',
and Jay Van Kirk completes the brickwork.
April,
1980: Post #28
rifle team places third in national competition. The Post pistol team places
eighth.
September,
1984: Members of
Post #28 add 1,000' square feet to the Post home. The addition includes a
kitchen, preparation room and storage area. This is dedicated to Past Post
Commander Fred T. Ridgeway.
May
17, 1987: The
Veterans of Foreign Wars presents Post #28 a Meritorious Distinguished Service
Award in furthering the aims and ideals of the Veteran's of Foreign Wars of the
United States.
June
1988: Prince
George's County police officer, Sergeant John Decker, receives Post#28's first
annual "Policeman of the Year "award.
1990: The Post hall is renovated and
modernized under the direction of Bob Rosenburg.
1991: Post #28 Commander Gene Trenton
installs the ceiling and new lighting in the Post hall.
June,
1993: Past
Commander Arthur Door is elected Commander of the Prince George's County
Council of the American Legion.
July
1, 1994:
Thirty-year-old Gregory Ladd becomes the youngest post commander in maryland.
He is the first veteran of Desert Storm elected Commander of Post #28.
1994: An original charcoal drawing of
two men in combat is presented to Post #28. The artist is Ward Kennedy; the
son-in-law of Ladies Auxiliary member Marlene O'Brien.
1995: Post #28 is connected to the sewer
system. Members rebuild the bar-b-que pit after it is destroyed by controlled
burning during the clean up of the wooded area.
June,1995: Prince George's County fireman,
Brian Addis, receives Post #28's first annual "Firefighter of the
Year" award.
July
4, 1996: Commander
Schulze initiates an Independence Day Family Picnic with the
understanding
that this will become and annual event.
August,
1996: The first
annual Kennedy-Latimer Golf Tournament is held at Bowie Country Club. Jonnie
Stevens, Glen Wynkoop, Dave Duttery, and Mike Anderson tied for low score.
October,
1996: The monthly
"The American Legion" column first appears in the Beltsville News.
January,
1997: The Prince
George's County Health Department licenses the Post #28 kitchen. This license
enables food to be served at the post five days a week. The Department conducts
a "Level "B" Food Handler's Course certifying a dozen post
members.
May,
1997: Bobby Queen
begins the initial work on a nature trail around the perimeter of the Post
property. Part of the trail includes the old road bed of Powdermill Road.
Documents record the existence of this road during the Civil War, and there is
excellent reason to believe this was its location during the American
Revolution.
June,
1997: Greg Fuqua,
with help from others, supervises and installs new lights for the horseshoe
pits. Calverton Exxon underwrote the cost of the material and Percontee Inc.
furnishes heavy equipment for the construction.
August
19, 1997: Department of maryland Historian, Shelly Sines, presents the
"1997 Department History Award" (Posts with membership of 101-250) to
Post #28.
In Progress