The Big Board

Pride of Baltimore

M.J. “Jay” Brodie can name nearly every business, high-rise or hotel he passes en route to work. That’s because, since 1996, the architect-cum-president of the Baltimore Development Corporation has taken a lead in revitalizing the city’s neighborhoods. Brodie’s efforts have helped to retain or attract more than 35,000 jobs in 357 businesses.

Jay Brodie assesses a revitalization project on Baltimore city’s west side.

A former vice president of the international architecture/ engineering firm RTKL Associates Inc., Brodie could also take credit for multitudes of architecture and planning projects beyond Baltimore. But he finds local development especially rewarding. “Baltimore is reinventing itself,” he explains.

Strong ties bind Brodie to Charm City. He courted Georgene, his wife of 44 years, here. They met at a movie theater downtown, married in 1958 and had two daughters, Kimberly and Ellen. As Jay completed architectural degrees and began his career, Georgene taught preschool. Dancing, piano-playing and theater work all became infused with her particular brand of joie de vivre.

In 1980, Georgene’s shop at Baltimore’s Harborplace, “The Crab Line,” took off. After six years, she bowed out to devote more time to her family.

As Jay’s reputation soared, the pair entertained politicians, artists and developers. But Georgene and Jay always made time for romance. Their favorite activity: ice dancing. “We’d waltz, tango and laugh for hours,” recalls Jay. One night on the ice, Georgene started slipping. Jay teased her about aging. But a referral to Johns Hopkins in 1999 revealed a much more serious condition: ALS.

Throughout her illness, Georgene remained upbeat. In a column for Urbanite magazine, she wrote: “When people ask me how I’m able to have such a positive attitude while dealing with a terminal illness, I tell them it’s because I’m blessed to have a wonderful family and great life in the city I love.” She later sponsored a day-long Baltimore celebration capped by dinner and an art auction that included her paintings. It raised more than $50,000 for the Packard Center.

Both husband and wife served together on the Center’s board until Georgene’s death in October 2002. “I miss her every day,” Brodie says. Still on the board, he remains a Center advocate. “When I was younger, I saw polio up close. It was awful, but a cure was finally discovered,” he says. “In the same way, we can’t give up on ALS.”