Janet and Walter Sondheim Hall

Janet and Walter Sondheim Hall. . Named in honor of Baltimore's legendary civic leader and his wife, Sondheim Hall and the Janet and Walter Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program affirm UMBC's connections to Baltimore and the university's mission to integrate research, teaching and learning for the benefit of society., It would be hard to find a citizen anywhere in the country with as long as an involvement in public service as Walter Sondheim, Jr. As president of the Baltimore City school board at the time of the momentous 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, he led the desegregation of Baltimore City schools. His service to public education also included being named president of the Maryland State Board of Education in 1998 at the age of 90., As chairman of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management, he helped make the city a model for downtown renewal and development and the Baltimore waterfront a mecca for tourists and city-dwellers alike. He has been involved in every major civic issue in Baltimore, from education and housing to transportation and economic development, and he still serves as senior advisor to the Greater Baltimore Committee., Janet and Walter Sondheim were married for 58 years. She studied dance with Martha Graham and was a member of the legendary Denishawn Dancers and worked extensively with children. During World War II she taught in a nursery school for children of defense workers and later at the Children's Guild, a program for emotionally disturbed children., The Janet and Walter Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program at UMBC, created to prepare future generations of leaders committed to public service, is a lasting tribute to the Sondheims and the ideals and values they demonstrated throughout their lives., Sondheim Hall was dedicated in May 2005