St. Leonard, MD – From his wine shop in St. Leonard, Calvert native Pat Buehler can tell you much of the county’s recent history. Every customer, it seems, is a news source. We’re not talking about small town gossip—although Buehler, if he ever chose to, could tell you plenty of that, too. While managing a longtime family business—Buehler’s Market—he recalled a time when farmers and farmhands shopped and purchased their groceries on credit. Farming and working on the water were the employment mainstays for Calvert.

Buehler also recalls the names of the wealthy Washington, DC-area businessmen who bought lots of waterfront land in Calvert with the plan to create an area where other well-do-tos could build getaway houses. These homes were built is places called White Sands, Drum Point and Chesapeake Ranch Estates.

The big change occurred in the 1970s when Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant was built on the Chesapeake Bay in Lusby. “Once the power plant got here it was a whole new ballgame,” said Buehler. The result was jobs for locals, additional revenue for local government and the plant workers who needed a place to stay began renting the cottages originally intended for retreats. The public schools went from Maryland’s worst to a stature where families began moving to Calvert for the primary and secondary education. Children who grew up on farms began going to college.

Pat Buehler’s involvement in the community went much farther than the inside of his store. After serving a few terms on the Calvert County Democratic Central Committee, Buehler sought, and won, a seat on the board of county commissioners in 1990. He served 10 years on the board, resigning in the spring of 2000 so that his involvement with the Koenig Foundation—the organization responsible for the development of Annmarie Garden—wouldn’t pose a conflict of interest. After an unsuccessful run for House of Delegates in 2002, Buehler’s political involvement would appear to have been restricted to a role as the unofficial “mayor of St. Leonard”—although he hasn’t been too shy about weighing in on local issues on social media.

Now in his early 70s, Pat Buehler is dealing with a different challenge—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tethered to a breathing apparatus, Buehler explained that earlier this year he spent several days in residence near Johns Hopkins Hospital. He had been hoping to get a double-lung transplant. However, because of other health issues, doctors determined that the procedure would be too risky. Buehler said he now travels to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore a couple of days a week. “COPD is just a progressive thing,” he said. “It’s never going to get better. It’s only going to get worse.” What keeps him active, in addition to some of the more technologically advanced breathing apparatus, is his family—wife Beverly and daughter, Maria. Buehler said “I’d be a dead man” if they weren’t there to help him.

In addition to managing the wine shop at Buehler’s Marketplace, Buehler has found a way to make life easier for hard shell crab lovers. His two inventions—The Original Chesapeake Bay and Patuxent River Placemat and the Crab “KING,” an implement for getting “the most out of your crab” are available for purchase at the store.

On Thursday, Oct. 12 an event that is sure to buoy the Buehler family’s spirits will be held at the Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant at Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa. Buehler recalled his longtime friend and owner of Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa—Gerald Donovan—called him recently and said, “we’d like to do a little something for you.” The Oct. 12 appreciation dinner has been organized by The Small Business Interest Group (SBIG). The cost per person is $50 and includes cocktail hour with an open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres, surf and turf dinner and live music.

Maria Buehler said in addition to Donovan, organizers of the event include Maryland Secretary of Veterans Affairs George Owings III, for county commissioner and state Agriculture Secretary Hagner Mister, former Calvert County Administrator Richard Holler and SBIG President Anthony Williams.

“It will be nice to have dinner as a family together,” said Maria Buehler, who, along with her son, will join her parents at the event.

Pat Buehler appears to be taking the plan to make him the center of attention in stride, stating he didn’t seek a seat on the board of county commissioners for power or recognition. “It was an honor to be able to serve,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE BUCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com