As we continue our celebration of women in local history, Poolesville Seniors is offering a two– part story about the two women who co-founded a local benchmark institution and spent their lives in service to our community. Jane Stearns’ name is still instantly recognizable and much beloved in connection with WUMCO Help, Inc. Forty-five years after her death, Beulah Harper may be less well known, but is equally important to the founding of that organization. While they grew up in quite different circumstances, their compassion and selfless dedication to others brought these women together for the ongoing benefit of our community.
Jane (Bast) Stearns, born in 1927 in Louisiana, Missouri, was raised by her aunt in a home where she never had to worry about the bare necessities. In 1949, she graduated with a degree in chemistry from William and Mary College in Virginia. Her job search took her to Washington D.C. Unable to find work in her field, she accepted a clerk position at the Pentagon. In 1954, she met and married Fred Stearns, an accountant originally from California. The following year the couple moved to Boyds. They raised two foster daughters Margaret and Judith.
Beulah (Clarke) Harper, born in 1911, was the granddaughter of freedman James Clarke. She was the second of four surviving children born to Lincoln University graduate, Noah Edward Clarke, and Molly (Proctor) Clarke. Raised in a family that emphasized the importance of education, Beulah was one of six in the 1930 initial graduating class of the Rockville Colored High School, an institution her own father helped found. She soon married Cole Cecil Harper, the youngest of 16 Harper children born and raised in historic Jonesville.
Jane and Fred Stearns immersed themselves in their new community. As members of Warren United Methodist Church in historic Martinsburg, they discerned the growing needs of their less fortunate neighbors. At a time when communities of color were not able to secure medical appointments locally, Jane offered folks rides to their out-of-town appointments. She also served as Membership Secretary for the Montgomery County Branch of the NAACP for over 30 years.
In contrast, early on, Beulah’s life revolved around family, work, and church. She held various leadership roles at Jerusalem Baptist Church where she worshipped. She was employed as a domestic, riding down county daily with other domestics and construction workers. Beulah’s mother watched Beulah and Cole’s three boys and took in extra laundry to make ends meet. Cole worked on area farms before he was drafted into the US Army Air Corps.
Independently, Jane and Beulah made it their mission to serve others. After the last of the Harper’s three sons left to join the army in the 1950s, they welcomed foster children into their Jerusalem home. Their porch became a food pantry so crowded with bakery–donated bread, canned goods, and wool blankets that they knew something had to be done.
Prior to meeting Jane, Beulah started an organization called Poolesville HELP. Later, in the 1960’s, Beulah was appointed to the County Council’s Community Action Committee to help provide solutions for low-income families. This group ferried dozens of Poolesville area clients via minibus so they would have access to food and medical services.
Prior to their meeting in 1968, these two extraordinary women each recognized the necessity for a more coordinated response to the expanding need for assistance in our area. That mutual awareness led to the establishment of WUMCO Help, an emergency assistance organization which provides thousands of individual services each year.
In Part 2, we will take a more detailed look at WUMCO Help’s evolution from porch to garage and beyond.