Baltimore communicator and storyteller Gilbert Sandler, known for sharing his recollections of old Baltimore in The Sun and on WYPR-FM, died December 19 of cancer at age 95.

In 1956, he founded Gilbert Sandler and Associates, an advertising and public relations firm he ran from an office in the Standard Oil Building. Clients included Shofer Furniture, Sun Life Insurance and First Federal of Annapolis. After earning his master’s degree in liberal arts in 1967 from the Johns Hopkins University he began to write features for the Sunday Sun and a weekly column (“Baltimore Glimpses”) for The Evening Sun. “Baltimore Glimpses” would continue for 31 years.

In 1975, after contributing freelance articles to The Sun, he began writing a weekly article, “Baltimore Glimpses,” that appeared on the editorial pages of the old Evening Sun. It dealt with nostalgic Baltimore topics and brought him a devoted following. He later also continued writing in the Baltimore Jewish Times, where an editorial cited his “graceful pen, erudite wit, keen intellect, folksy manner and wondrous power of recall.” He is the author of six books (Johns Hopkins University Press): The Neighborhood, Baltimore Glimpses Revisited, Jewish Baltimore, Small Town Baltimore, Wartime Baltimore, Glimpses of Jewish Baltimore.

Maryland Public Television announced the promotion of long-time staff member and Columbia resident Michael English to the position of managing director of its Content Division. In his new role, English oversees the full range of MPT-produced content, both broadcast and digital. He manages staff comprised of more than 20 producers, on-air talent, and other associates.

English most recently served for 10 years as senior executive producer responsible for MPT productions with environmental, natural history, and history themes. He first joined MPT in 1985 and is widely recognized for his talents as a writer, producer, and director of both documentaries and ongoing series, foremost among them the long-running series Outdoors Maryland – now in its 31st season. He also is the creator and executive producer of MPT’s popular weekly series Maryland Farm & Harvest.

The 21-time Emmy® Award winner also was the impetus for MPT’s groundbreaking Chesapeake Bay Summit broadcast. The environmental forum is part of the station’s Chesapeake Bay Week® (CBW) observance, an annual broadcast tradition English launched in 2005. The network’s growing catalogue of original CBW programming is broadcast annually by upwards of 95 percent of public TV stations across the nation.

MGH in Owings Mills announced it added two employees, Andrew Winfield and Reese Cassard, to its ranks. Winfield has re-joined MGH as a senior web developer. During his first stint with the company, which lasted nearly a decade, he served in multiple roles, including as a member of MGH’s social media marketing department — the first in the mid-Atlantic area — before becoming a part of the agency’s interactive team. Prior to rejoining MGH, he spent three years at Baltimore agency Planit. In his new role, he will work with the account teams for Lorien Health, Ocean City, Md., Department of Tourism and Round Table Pizza.

MGH also added Cassard, a copywriter, to its creative department. Cassard previously served in a similar position at Mariner Marketing. There, he wrote for a variety of clients in the foodservice and hospitality industries, including Campbell’s Foodservice and Perdue Chicken. He brings three years of advertising and copywriting experience to MGH.

“We’re so pleased to have talented and positive individuals like Andrew and Reese at MGH,” CEO Andy Malis said of the hires. “These additions are both well-timed. With several projects in the pipeline for 2019, they’ll both make immediate impacts on the agency.”

Photo: Jewish Museum of Maryland