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This one is not so local but it’s definitely personal. I just spied a familiar face peering out from the Baltimore Sun. And then I winced, because I realized it was an obituary.

Joseph Libercci: Longtime owner of Park Avenue Pharmacy known as ‘Dr. Joe’ and for kindnesses to Bolton Hill Community

 I lived in Bolton Hill when I first came to Baltimore in the mid-80’s, first as a young married person and then as a newly divorced mother of a very young child. The Park Avenue Pharmacy was the center of Bolton Hill, and Joe was the brain and the heart that kept it going. He knew everyone. He would sometimes allow you to put much needed medications “on account” when you were waiting for payday to roll around. The tiny store had everything from medicine to snacks, greeting cards, school supplies, art supplies, beer and wine, magazines, even a bit of hardware supplies.

I never had a cross word from anyone who worked in that store. And I got plenty of good advice from Joe over the years when it came to medicines for my daughter and me. It was a time in my life that I struggled both emotionally and financially. Joe treated me (and everyone) with kindness and respect.

Baltimore Sun writer Fred Rasmussen does an excellent job at portraying Mr. Libercci. Even if you have a limited number of free articles, this one is worth the read. It’s a reminder of how just one person can do great work, can make their world a far better place.

So let’s make this one local. Share someone in Columbia/HoCo who has been this kind of heart and soul of a community. It doesn’t have to be someone in the spotlight, just someone who has brightened  their corner of the world.

I bet there’s more of their light out there than we realize.


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