We need another Max Chambers, who was born in the year 1900.

For those of you who were not yet born or not yet living here when he was in his prime, I will bring you up to speed. For much of the 20th Century, Caroline County benefitted from the presence of a firecracker of a gentleman with limitless energy, ideas, and a desire to serve. I encountered Max late in his life and early in mine, but of course the X-Y axis intersection could only be at one predictable junction: local history.

An octogenarian with no concept of “retirement” age, Chambers produced an original stage production called “A Debt of Gratitude” that saluted the federal bicentennial in April of 1989. What a show it was. The play covered everything imaginable using the life of George Washington as a backdrop, from the cherry tree tale to the French and Indian War to Valley Forge — and then again from winning the War for Independence to symbolically handing over his sword to the Constitutional Convention that used him as the framework for what a president should be. The spectacle even concluded with a joint performance from members of the CRHS and NCHS marching bands, who surprised the packed house by high-stepping through the North Caroline auditorium doors in formal parade attire playing a rousing medley of patriotic tunes. I can still vividly see the standing ovation and hear the robustly enthusiastic cheers in my memory.

As a ten year old, I enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the proceedings. I was somehow cast as young George Washington without even auditioning or knowing that such a production was in the works; they needed a kid so I was willingly and eagerly drafted into service. To this day, despite declaring in third grade that I would be a historian for a living, I have no idea who suggested me but I enjoyed my time in the spotlight just the same. I could not tell a lie as the child version of GW, but I could sing a solo: my couple bars of “I Would Be True” assuredly stole the show. Or not. What ended up being most memorable for me, other than angrily missing a baseball practice for dress rehearsal, was meeting a number of iconic Caroline County movers and shakers including Max Chambers himself. That generation of local leadership is almost entirely deceased now and sorely missed. Very few people in positions of influence today remember or understand how things used to be here; now you know why I entered the public arena when I did and continue to fight for all forms of historic preservation.

The aforementioned event was not the first history rodeo for Chambers; some three decades before, it was Max who founded the Caroline County Historical Society. Apparently he had a flair for the dramatic. The organization meeting drew at least one hundred people to the Denton High School auditorium. That in itself is not overly spectacular though certainly commendable; what impressed me most was the annual CCHS banquet menus Chambers lorded over as its longtime president. Based on old county newspaper reports I have archived over the years, it seems as though the society went to great lengths to serve authentic period dishes as a nod to the stately colonial roots of Caroline: suckling pig, sugar-cured hog jowl, Cornish hens, diamondback terrapin stew, Scottish broth, winter cress, cracked hominy, giblet gravy, pumpkin tarts, and shrub cocktails were just some of the culinary options while Max was in charge. I wish I had a time machine for the food alone, but I will settle for knowing that my grandfather served a turn as president after Max had stepped down to focus on his many other projects. Maybe one day I will be afforded the same opportunity, and if so, our membership will eat quite well.

Back to Max and his Caroline County dance card. Believe me, Chambers had myriad other projects. Local newspaper editors must have been fascinated by him and thankful for the content he generated because almost every issue in my collection has at least one quote from him or a story about any one of a number of his irons in the fire; this went on for decades. Though far from a complete listing and in no real order, here are some of the notable contributions Max made to the community:

• He published the long-running Preston News and Farmer newspaper among many other publications and writing roles too numerous to summarize here; Max even sent a reporter to the Maryland State Fair in Timonium to cover me winning my first All-Maryland dairy showing titles as a nine year old. I was the only 4-H exhibitor from Caroline County and he thought that deserved some attention even though my heifer calves Joan and Kate deserved most of the credit for the unexpected victories.
• Perhaps his interest in the cow show circuit, as well as his knowledge of its logistics and appreciation of its homespun colloquial importance, stemmed from his time as county 4-H Extension Agent.
• He operated a tomato cannery near Bethlehem.
• Not limited solely to agricultural endeavors, Chambers taught Industrial Arts for the local school system.
• He was a member of the Preston Volunteer Fire Department and the local Lions Club.
• He chaired Caroline County bicentennial events in the mid-1970s, local United States independence bicentennial events in the later 1970s, and the local celebration of Maryland 350th anniversary events in the mid-1980s. Commemorative booklets for all three still circulate in good condition and are a must-have for any serious local historian. I know where mine are and they are not for sale, trade, or to borrow.
• Despite the number of Preston entries on his résumé, Max also created the annual Federalsburg Hobby Fair that still attracts a capacity crowd to the town’s museum as recently at this past August.
• As of my last visit, there are multiple artifacts from his life and career on display at the Preston Historical Society.

You get the idea! A volunteer like that comes along once in a lifetime……

Sadly, on October 24th, 1989, which was some eerie Jim Morrison/Austin Powers cross-mojonation since it was also my eleventh birthday, Max was driving on Route 16 when he veered from the road to avoid hitting a dog. That’s the kind of person he was if you scrolled through his curriculum vitae and had decided he was at all self-centered or egotistical. The incident was front page news when it happened and weekly health updates were run in the paper like some dutiful sort of public vigil. Chambers never fully recovered from the accident, however, passing away the following June just short of 90 years old. His pallbearers were a veritable “who’s who” featuring two Congressmen, a former governor, state legislators, two judges, all three county commissioners, and numerous other leaders in an actual or honorary capacity.

A modest plaque on the Caroline County Courthouse grounds commemorates his service to the community. He deserves more, much more, but it is a fitting tribute for such a servant leader. Any Caroline County Hall of Fame discussion must include him as a first-ballot inductee to its inaugural class, but it pleases me just to be able to salute one of our latter-day heroes.

What if we found a new Max Chambers for this generation? A writer, a historian, an organizer. The passion. The knowledge. The vision. All that is needed is the opportunity; observing the 250th anniversary of Caroline County in March of 2024 would be perfect. There’s still time.