Bernice Friedland created a 78-year legacy of service in Cumberland (and hasn’t stopped yet)

(January 16, 2025) Young at heart and thriving in her 98th year of life, Bernice Friedland exudes vitality as I chat with her one late summer afternoon in her beautiful, light-filled living room. We are surrounded by the woodland, birds, flowers, and wildlife that continue to be sources of delight to her. It is an honor to have the opportunity to interview one of Western Maryland’s most active, visionary, and caring women. She is a source of inspiration to me. As a faculty member at Allegany College of Maryland (a community college in Western Maryland), I have long admired her spirit and commitment to women’s rights, education, and civic engagement.

Finding the home of a lifetime 

Bernice’s ties to our community and her impact on the lives of women and children span over 78 years. She was a nineteen-year-old graduate of Penn State University in 1942 when she accepted a telegrammed job offer to teach English at Fort Hill High School. (“It was in Room 1212,” Bernice recalls.) She quickly grew to love the area after crying every day for the first few weeks. A major factor in her adjustment, she tells me with a twinkle in her eye, was when she met her late husband, Arthur, through mutual friends.

Arthur had returned to Cumberland from active military duty when Bernice called and invited him – in her typical direct, visionary, and confident approach to life – to be her escort as she chaperoned the senior prom at Fort Hill High School. Arthur, who was with  friends when Bernice called, immediately hushed his friends, saying, “Keep quiet! This is the girl I’m going to marry!”

The rest, as they say, is history.

A legendary union 

The two married in 1946 and their love story of over 70 years nurtured them, their children, and our entire community. Theirs was a powerful and productive partnership with a lasting legacy for Western Maryland. It began at home where they valued their family, first as parents to Lynn, Stephen, and Bruce and later as doting grandparents of seven and great-grandparents of eight. 

While raising their own children, Bernice and Arthur clothed generations of families as the dedicated business owners of “Tots to Teens,” a popular downtown Cumberland store. Together, they learned volumes about working with others. They led and volunteered with business, civic, community, and nonprofit organizations and became prominent members of the community.

Women’s rights: A decades-long focus  

Listening to Bernice, I am aware that from an early age that Bernice has been active in issues pertaining to women and families. She is among the founders of the Allegany County Commission for Women and the Allegany County Women’s Refuge (now Family Crisis Resource Center) and was a member of the Allegany County Child Abuse Task Force member. She served on the Maryland State Commission for Women and chaired their Hall of Fame. Bernice was president of the American Association of University Women.

Beginning in the 1970s, Bernice was also active in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. In fact, one of my most cherished possessions is an ERA-embellished apron Bernice gave me at a 2017 Women’s History Month event at Allegany College of Maryland where she was recognized for her long-time commitment to women’s rights. (As an aside, I am wearing my ERA button as I interview her as a reminder that we are still working to have the ERA made part of the US Constitution more than fifty years later.)

Education as a key to power

Bernice has always championed education and opportunity. She founded the County’s Adult Literacy Council, where she was a tutor, and served on the board of the Allegany County Library. From 1984 to 1998, Bernice served as a member of the Allegany College of Maryland (formerly Allegany Community College) Board of Trustees, with seven years as vice chair and two years (1994-1996) as chair. Bernice was a founding member of the Allegany College of Maryland Foundation in 1982 and continues to serve on this board. As a strong advocate for the critical importance of education in a democracy, Bernice speaks proudly of the impact that the College has had on the lives of its students, but particularly on women who have acquired skills, confidence, and empowerment as a result of their education.

A foundation of faith and humanities 

As I gaze at the lovely furnishings of Bernice’s living room, I see the treasures of her many years as a world traveler. Bernice loves collecting art, and this love has impacted our local arts community through her support of the Music at Penn Alps programs and the Community Concert series. She has been a member of the Maryland Humanities Board of Directors.

Bernice is also a leader in her faith community. She is a past president of B’er Chayim Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in Cumberland, and was the first woman to serve in that post.

I marvel at the legacy of this brilliant woman as I wrap up our interview. Bernice has moved on from the focus of the interview.

Before I leave, she shares the view of her back porch and the surrounding woodland with me. She invites me to return, this time to savor the flowers, the birds, and the “little” joys in her life. My sense is that embracing joy and opportunity is the secret sauce of Bernice Friedland’s entire life.