Gil Sandler’s Baltimore Stories

Gil Sandler was born and raised in Baltimore -- a circumstance he considers fortunate and one he does not want you to forget.  He attended public school (P.S. #59, Garrison Junior High, Baltimore City College, Class of 1941) and then served in the United States Navy as a navigator aboard ship in the island war in the South and Central Pacific.  He was awarded two battle stars, for the battles of Saipan and Pelleliu.

Returning, he completed his college education at the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 1949).  Of his years at Penn, he recalls, "I spent my entire college years getting out the newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian."  In 1967 he earned his Master's Degree in Liberal Arts from the Johns Hopkins University.

While waiting to be hired by The Baltimore Sun he began to free lance in advertising and public relations, and was lead to founding Gilbert Sandler and Associates to serve his clients.  Almost immediately, he started a parallel career writing features for The Sun, The Evening Sun and The Sunday Sun.  In time, beginning in the 1970s, he began to write a weekly column ("Baltimore Glimpses") that appeared on the editorial page of The Evening Sun; and when that paper folded, The Morning Sun.  "Baltimore Glimpses" would continue weekly for 31 years.

After selling his company in 1988 to Shandwick of London, he took a position as Director of Communication of The Abell Foundation, in which capacity he still serves.

He is the author four books (Johns Hopkins University Press): The Neighborhood, Baltimore Glimpses Revisited,  Jewish Baltimore, Small Town Baltimore, and is working on a fifth, Wartime Baltimore.  He has been editor of, and frequent contributor to, Generations, the Journal of the Jewish Museum of Maryland.  For almost 15 years he wrote a monthly column about Jewish life in Baltimore for The Baltimore Jewish Times.  His essays about life in Baltimore ("Baltimore Stories") is now a weekly feature on WYPR.

He has received numerous awards for his writing and lecturing, including the Emmert Award for Feature Writing for The Sunday Sun and election to Hall of Fame of his alma mater, Baltimore City College.

He was married for 52 years to his late wife, Joan, and has three children and seven grandchildren.

Asked how long he thinks, he can continue telling Baltimore stories, in print, radio and from the podium, he replies, "I'm just getting started."