The Angela and Albert Feldstein Western Maryland Development Collection contains primarily newspaper clippings (news articles, editorials, letters to the editor, ads) but also photographs, correspondence, and ephemera (brochures, broadsides, programs, and newsletters). These materials were collected by Al Feldstein during his tenure with the Maryland Department of Planning and the Economic Development Strategies Task Force in Western Maryland (1978-2014); for over 20 of those years, Feldstein served as the Appalachian Regional Commission Program Manager for the State of Maryland. Article topics cover a range of issues from the 1980s into the early part of the 21st century: for example, systemic economic and infrastructure problems in Western Maryland and the surrounding region, proposed legislation and projects, funding and fundraising, tourism, and project development and its impact. Notably, most photographs in the collection were taken by Al Feldstein to document development projects and their use. The collection provides a portrait of a rural and formerly industrial region dealing with economic loss; it details the dedicated work of Maryland state planners and other government officials to address these problems through new infrastructure, economic development, and community involvement.
In center : Speak of the Maryland House of Delegates Cas Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Frostburg Mayor John Bambacus,
At Frostburg Railroad Depot. From left to right: Maryland State Senator George Edwards, Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, former U.S. Senator J. Glenn Beall, Jr.
