Barbara L. Ruland, a community activist who played a role in the redevelopment of the old Memorial Stadium site in Baltimore, died June 1 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson of a hemorrhage. The Roland Park resident was 78.
“She was a hometown patriot,” said former City Council member and President Mary Pat Clarke. “She wanted to make sure some good came from the redevelopment of the Memorial Stadium site and when the fight was over, it became a residential neighborhood and hundreds of moderate-income people have benefited and live in a beautiful place,” Ms. Clarke said.
Maggie McIntosh, a former member of the House of Delegates, was a longtime friend and supporter. “Barbara was a fixture in local community Democratic politics in North Baltimore,” Ms. McIntosh said.
“She was vocal and had a lot of power to her. You knew she was someone who could move an issue.” Eleanor Montgomery, a retired public interest lawyer and neighborhood activist was another friend and ally.
“Barbara was an incredibly wonderful person and the redevelopment of the stadium site would not be what it is today without her,” Ms. Montgomery said. “She was hugely instrumental in that outcome.
” Barbara Lee Beltz, daughter of William T. Beltz II, a Baltimore City Police officer, and Nora Mast Beltz, a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in Belair-Edison. A graduate of the old Eastern High School, she worked for the state drug administration and as a paralegal before pursuing car.
