Historian Scott Jay To Serve As Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal

Want to know something about Severna Park history? F. Scott Jay probably has the answer.

Who developed Severna Park? Oscar Hatton.

How much did it cost to take the train from Severna Park to Baltimore in the 1940s? A nickel or a dime.

Why does Dawson’s Liquors have poles in front of its parking spaces? Someone drove a car through the store in the 1950s.

And the list goes on.

Now 82 years old, Jay was born and raised in Severna Park, and he loves studying the town’s past. These factors made him an easy choice to be the grand marshal of the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s 50th annual Severna Park Independence Day parade this summer.

Lifelong Severna Park resident and Winkelmeyer Plaza owner Betty Winkelmeyer Wells gave Jay the reassuring nudge he needed to accept the honor. As the daughter of Walter Winkelmeyer, who formed the chamber of commerce with Bob Barranco, Winkelmeyer Wells knows a thing or two about preserving traditions.

“When you pick Scott Jay, you have picked a walking encyclopedia,” Winkelmeyer Wells said of the grand marshal nomination. “He and (wife) Donna — they’re loving, they’re kind and they love history.”

The couple loves history so much, they have spent most of their lives in homes previously owned by Severna Park founders and business owners. From 1985 to 2001, they lived in a house that previously belonged to the Linstead family and brothers Harry and Francis Riggs. The Jays then moved to and renovated the former Harlequin clubhouse of ice cream entrepreneur Lionel “Manny” Hendler on the road bearing his name. Now, they live down the street.

High school sweethearts, the Jays are celebrating two milestones: the parade’s 50th anniversary and 60 years of marriage. They raised two sons who attended Severn School, and the couple now has five grandchildren. Throughout their kids’ childhoods, Jay regaled them with stories. And boy, did he have plenty.

He grew up at 100 Evergreen Road, across from Severna Park Elementary School, and fondly remembers playing outside with friends who all remain close.

“We had a river, woods and swamps,” Jay said. “We had bows and arrows, hatchets and knives. We would build forts. You could dam up the pond, catch frogs. We played touch football across from Severn School and went swimming at night.”

Jay attended Severna Park Elementary School and Wroxeter School. He spent one year at Severn School before joining Severna Park High School for the class of 1963, just a few years behind the school’s first graduating class of 1961.

“We got to name the mascot and come up with the colors and the song,” he said. “It was a fun time.”

After high school, he worked at the Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he removed bandages and cleaned up post-op patients. Later, he rekindled his love for the outdoors by becoming a lumber broker. By 1976, he had his own company: F. Scott Jay Specialty Wood Products in Millersville.

After selling his business — now known as American Cedar & Millwork — in 1996, Jay was recruited to oversee a “facelift” for Severn School, for which he sat on the board of directors. As an owner’s representative, or construction consultant, he handled that project, followed by others at Chesapeake Academy, Chesapeake Montessori School and other locations.

Jay determined what stakeholders wanted and interviewed architects and engineers before he assigned them the job. He oversaw the plans and specifications to make sure construction was completed according to each school’s wishes.

He remained active in the community by serving on the board of directors for Severn School, the Severna Park Community Center and Anne Arundel Medical Center. Donna is one of the original organizers of the Annapolis 10-Mile Run.

Jay was also a member of the Severna Park Old Timers, or SPOT.

“We told stories and had a great time,” Jay said. “One day, I looked around and I was the only one left.”

Jay wants to preserve history and all the people who have made Severna Park a special place. One of his favorite stories involves Dr. Billingsley, or Dr. Bill, who called store owner Clif Dawson and instructed him to drive a 9-year-old Jay to University of Maryland Hospital because Jay had appendicitis and his mom did not have access to a car. Dr. Bill even gave Jay’s mom money for the hospital.

Jay wants several kind people from Severna Park’s past to be remembered.

“Mrs. (Lydia) Giddings would collect ration stamps so the Jay boy would have milk,” he said, citing one example. “Everybody looked out for each other. Everybody helped each other.”

This year’s Independence Day parade gives Jay another opportunity to reminisce. A student of history, Jay has also considered his own legacy.

“When you die, all you leave is a memory of you,” Jay said. “You want people to say, ‘You know, he was a good guy.’”

Where To Watch The Parade

The parade steps off from two churches, St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal and Our Shepherd Lutheran, at 10:00am on July 4. The route winds along Benfield Road, Evergreen Road, Riggs Avenue and Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard before coming to a stop at Sunrise Senior Living on Cypress Creek Road.