“Ever since Eve,” writes Mary Ann Lundgren, executive director of Women of Achievement, “women have generated their vital force on the course of human progress. The trouble is that the recording of their achievements is meager.”
Frances Hughes, later Glendening, is Cumberland’s only daughter to serve Maryland citizens as first lady. Growing up “Francie,” a 1969 graduate of Allegany High School, traveled widely with family. Her father, George Raymond Hughes Jr., was a lawyer, state legislator and judge on the state tax court. Her belief in public service came from her father. Of her mother, Pamela Hughes, Francie said in a 1998 New Bay Times interview, “My mother was one of the most unbelievable human beings I have ever met.”
Francie, as a prescient young girl, noticed what most adults did not. “From a very early age, I knew women were working in the community, but I didn’t see them. Very few held elected offices. I used to get very depressed,” she said in a 1997 Cumberland Times-News story. “Unfortunately, many women and their dynamic legacies … vanished into thin air.”
Francie led a collaborative search for “sheroes” and became one herself.
This unusually bright and talented young girl was nurtured by two caring parents, dedicated to her family and to their community (our community). At a young age, Francie felt “public service is the highest calling,” according to the New Bay Times story. She found her own purpose!
As Maryland’s first lady from 1995-2001, she birthed the book “Women of Achievement in Maryland History” and later led the creation of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. She was first of all “a cookie-baking mother; wife; loving caregiving daughter, sister, aunt and niece” all while holding a full-time job with a federal agency, the FEC, as chief legal and policy adviser. She’s widely credited as a partner and strategist for her ex-husband Parris’ election and policies when he was Prince George’s County executive and then governor of Maryland.
Francie experienced several devastating family tragedies while in public life. Her response to these tragedies was courageous and compassionate. Her healing came from caring for others.
Cumberland city councilwoman and former Allegany County Board of Education member Laurie Peskin Marchini said she worked with Francie Glendening while attending Maryland Association of Boards of Education meetings.
“As executive director, Francie had enormous responsibility and oversight, and always led with kindness, acceptance with tremendous focus for all children,” Marchini said. “As a new BOE member, Francie immediately made me feel welcomed and valued. Although I’m sure she was welcoming to all, I felt particularly special because I was a Cumberlander. … I joined other MABE committees with her encouragement. Francie is a truly beautiful person, inside and out, one of Cumberland’s finest.”