MDSSAR's First African American Chapter President
On Saturday January 24th, the Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution, founded in 1889, made history with the inauguration of our first African-American Chapter President Jean S. Fugett Sr. He has been elected President of the Col. John Eager Howard Chapter of Baltimore City. Compatriot Fugett was inaugurated at the 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore city during a recent chapter meeting. He of course is a very capable and able member of our Society and will make a great Chapter President and the announcement of his election is a great honor for us. We must however acknowledge this significant event in our history at a time when we are also proud to see our nation inaugurate its first African-American U.S. President. It is a unique moment in history that must not pass without fanfare.
Many of you may have met Jean and his family at National events as they have been presented their membership certificates at successive Congresses by our President Generals showing the growing diversity of the membership of our Society. Jean comes from a long line of able men too. His father was a teacher and Principal and his grandfather was a former slave who worked hard in post war times to make a better life for his family. His Patriot ancestor Henry Bakeman was a free African in New York who served as a private in the state Militia and actively participated throughout the War.
Jean has instilled these strong traits in his family too; his son Jean Jr is
a former NFL football star and attorney and his stepson is Reginald F. Lewis whose name now adorns the new African-American Museum in Baltimore. Jean gives all the credit to his wife of 58 years, Mrs. Carolyn Fugett, for all his success. Carolyn too is proud of their family history and says her house has been nicknamed the ‘Heritage Trail’ because of all the old ancestral pictures and portraits that adorn their walls. When asked what she will do when she runs out of wall space for all her paintings, she quipped “When I was in Italy, I saw the Sistine chapel had paintings on the ceiling so…”
Please join me in congratulating Jean on his new role in our Society.
