It’s hard to imagine anyone with less in common with a small town life than Bob Oritz when he and his wife Pam arrived here in 1994. And yet this native son of Greenwich Village, with a long history in urban Baltimore, has nonetheless embraced the Chestertown life with gusto since his arrival. A gifted and highly regarded furniture designer and craftsman, Bob can also be found playing the lead role in a cutting edge theater production at Washington College, hitting his beloved drums at a public library gig, or offered his downtown studio to poetry readings.
When it comes to Chestertown’s future, Bob focuses on “what can be” rather than what it is. He sees Chestertown’s proximity to the over 12 million people who live within a ninety minute drive of town an exceptional asset to develop. While he admits that he “dispairs” at times as Chestertown works through issues like racial diversity, he nonetheless sees a bright future for all if positive energy can be tapped.
Chestertown Futures is a two-year project of the Chestertown Spy to provide a sustained community conversation on Chestertown’s future and aspirations through the unique voices of twenty-four members of the community representing all aspects of greater Chestertown. By design, these interviews are longer than most broadcast interviews to allow each participant ample time to express their views. It is therefore advisable to allow time for the YouTube video to load the interview fully before viewing, which may take up to three to five minutes.
Tim O'Brien says
Well said Bob. If you can make it there (in NY) you can make it anywhere so the saying goes. Also being transplants who could create things, we drove across the C-town bridge one day and said instead, if we can make our product anywhere, we want to make it here! quality of life and good neighbors will keep us here.
Carla Massoni says
And, what a life we have!
Kelly Castro says
Everything you said, Bob! And your mother-in-law and I must have been struck with the same Cupid’s arrow: as Alex and I drove across the bridge for the first time, at about the halfway point I grabbed his arm and said “we’re moving here!” Three months later we did. Three years later, we still marvel at how lucky we were to have found this little piece of heaven.