W. Scott Ditch, III

W. Scott Ditch of Royal Oak died Thursday, June 18, 2009 at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He was 80. Born in Baltimore to the late, Mary and Winfield Ditch, Jr. on March 27, 1929, he attended Gilman School and was a graduate of The Boys Latin School and of the Johns Hopkins University in 1950. During the Korean War, he served as a fighter and attack pilot in the Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Captain. Following a tour of duty in Korea, he was appointed Aide to Commanding General of the First Marine Air Wing in the Far East. Upon his return to the US, he was an aerial weapons instructor and later served as Aviation Officer Selection Officer in New York. He was a retired Vice President of The Rouse Company and a member of the original group responsible for the planning and development of the new city of Columbia in the 1960’s. He was the author of the original planning document for the new city and the formal presentation made to Howard County to gain approval of the project. He directed the initial marketing effort and was responsible for the original Columbia exhibit and information center and for the city’s street, neighborhood and village naming system derived from historic place names from the works of writers, artists and others who contributed to the fabric of the nation. At the completion of military service, he became an Account Supervisor with the VanSant, Dugdale Advertising Agency in Baltimore. In 1962, he was Managing Editor of the Baltimore County News Week in Towson, which later became part of the Jeffersonian Newspapers. He joined The Rouse Company in 1963. In addition to his work on Columbia, he was involved in many of its landmark projects in the areas of public and governmental approvals, marketing and communications. These included The Village of Cross Keys and Harborplace in Baltimore, Fanueil Hall Marketplace in Boston, St. Louis Union Station, South Street Seaport in New York and developments in Santa Monica, Milwaukee, Miami, Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia and New Orleans. He was also the author of a redevelopment proposal for Wye Island on the Eastern Shore. Following his retirement from Rouse in 1986, he established a real estate and redevelopment consultancy to provide assistance and expertise to cities and development organizations throughout the world. He carried out assignments in England, Scotland, Wales, France, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Germany, Australia, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the USA. He was a frequent speaker and writer on city planning, preservation and redevelopment, and was a co-author of the Urban Land Institute’s publication, Designing the Successful Downtown. His principle interests were in conservation and environmental issues worldwide. His extensive travels abroad included studies of many cities in Europe and the Far East. He and his wife retired to Royal Oak, MD in 1997. He is survived by his wife, JoAnne Aiello (Chrisman); daughters, Susan Little of Lyons, CO and Katherine Callen of Baltimore; a brother, Luther B. Ditch of Towson; and a sister, Mary Eleanor Patterson of Oxford. Services will be held on Monday, June 22, 2009 at 1:00 pm at Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore. Memorial donations may be made to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 213 N. Talbot St., St. Michaels, MD 21663. Arrangements made by Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A.

W. Scott Ditch, III

March 27, 1929 - June 18, 2009