The Annapolis community and Anne Arundel County dedicated the first civic memorial to the late Maryland Speaker Michael E. Busch on Friday.
A small stage recently constructed in Whitmore Park across from the county offices on Calvert Street is now the Michael E. Busch Ampitheater, and will be used for performances and events.
County Executive Steuart Pittman offered remarks on the impact Busch, who died in April, had on the community.
“Speaker Mike Busch was larger than life. The good he did for Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland cannot be measured. No monument or memorial could be big enough or meaningful enough to capture how much he meant to us,” Pittman said.
“The Michael Busch Amphitheater won’t be the last thing dedicated in his honor, but it is fitting that it is among one of the first. Speaker Busch was a leader to the city of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the state of Maryland. This location at Whitmore Park captures those three levels of government: a county park, in the city, a block away from the State House.”
He noted Busch’s 40-year tenure with Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks and his drive to secure state funding to support recreational facilities in the county.
“Speaker Busch left us with facilities and parks where people come together as a community, it makes sense we honor his memory and work at one of our county parks,” the county executive said.
The location is also apt, Pittman added, because it is a place where the community comes together. The Dr. Martin Luther King Foot Soldiers Memorial is steps away. It is a big part of the First Sunday’s Arts Festivals.
“It’s a park for the people, where all of us can come to honor Speaker Busch.”
Others, including Busch’s wife Cindy Busch and Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley made brief remarks and the Naptown Brass Band played a couple numbers, despite the heat.
No formal events are yet planned for the pavilion but look for First Sunday performances in a couple weeks.
