Each year, the Salisbury Independent celebrates its readers' poll, Stars of Salisbury. A special part of that is the Person of the Year finalists who go above and beyond to make Wicomico Countya better place. These individuals were nominated by people in the community who have seen the difference a good deed can make.

See event photos here: https://baytobaynews.com/stories/community-and-business-honored-at-2024-stars-of-salisbury-event,146253

Read the keepsake Stars of Salisbury special publication, including hundreds of categories' worth of winners here: sections.iniusa.org

Now, here are interviews with the 2024 Person of the Year finalists, who were recognized at a special event in September: Doug Marshall Jr. and Craig Faunce.

PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER

Doug Marshall

It was a rare coincidence that P. Douglas “Doug” Marshall Jr. was actually awake early enough to see emergency personnel rush to the attack scene. In April 2021, he drove down the street in time to see an old friend, the fatally injured Delmar police Cpl. Keith Heacook, taken away on a gurney.

“When his ambulance went by me, I said ‘I’m going to do something tangible to bring people together,’” Marshall said. “I sold my auction company, I sold my development … I’m going to build a whisky and wine bar that has live music because music and food is the great uniter of people, right? We have served thousands and thousands of people … I make a fraction of what I’ve ever made in my life.”

For his ongoing dedication to the community, Doug Marshall has been named the 2024 Person of the Year.

Marshall operates the new Oaked 54 restaurant in Delmar. He previously owned Marshall Auctions, Kylan Barn, the Amphitheater at Heron Ponds and many other houses or development projects. But those have mostly gone by the wayside. Now he recalls the joy of recently watching a band of country boys perform a Beyoncé song while Haitian guests danced in the restaurant audience. “I believe acoustics moves cells and souls in your body—and can heal. I’m very passionate about how music heals.” He’d probably be happiest letting people settle differences at the bar over bourbon and barbecue.

“I’ve done a lot, and I enjoy helping others,” he said. “I do what I can to make my little zip code better.”

This attitude has been engrained for decades, back to his early teen years. His mother recently sent him some old flyers highlighting his volunteerism at the Deer’s Head Hospital Center and his summer job savings donation to a local family who suffered a fire on Christmas.

“It was just bestowed upon by whoever our creators are to always put other people first,” he said. “From an early age, I just felt a need to help others, and I have this weird sensation of stress when people are under duress.”

“Everyone has some type of trauma,” and Marshall developed an empath’s sensitivity to other people’s suffering.

Marshall has also been a mentor, including to a teenager he met in court. The young man was arrested for following a friend sneaking into one of Marshall’s properties. But this teen just seemed to need some more positive influences in his life. Asked to give a “victim impact statement,” Marshall found himself telling the judge: “He knows right from wrong, there’s no damage … I’m touched by what this kid has gone through, so right now, I will take him on as a mentor.” Marshall eventually purchased a car for the young man, offering him further independence and mobility.

Marshall believes strongly in a healthier relationship between law enforcement and the at-risk youth community.

That’s why he served on a police accountability review board—and why the annual Heacook Fest benefits groups like Operation We Care (supporting first responders) and Behind the Line, Inc. (providing mental health support for police after emotionally distressing events). “We’re all in a pressure cooker together,” Marshall said. First responders witness many more critical and traumatic moments that the average person. Healing now will prevent worse outcomes later.

“If we can focus on what our at-risk youth need in Wicomico County, we’d be much better off.” A young person without good influences or adult guidance is more likely to find companionship on the streets or in gangs, Marshall said.

He’s helped organize various public memorial events over the years, from a student bonfire to a massive gathering at Perdue Stadium. As an auctioneer, he’s also helped raise about $6 million for charity over the years. He’s also served on various boards, like the Maryland Foreclosure Task Force, the UMES Business Advisory Council and the Provident State Bank board of directors.

He’s proud to fund scholarships for J.M. Bennett High School’s longtime music program. “We are blessed to have the Rock & Roll Revival in Wicomico County … it gives them purpose, a sense of responsibility. … These girls sing their tails off, and people get up to cheer…you can’t take a pill for that!”

Marshall is grateful to the people who have helped him, like John Long, who gave him that first auction and financed projects through the years, and Bob Twilley for support and advice. Marshall also highlighted his mentee’s family “because learning their culture for me was touching. It’s very easy for people to become racist, but if you spend time really understanding what a troubled youth’s life is like, then you eliminate the hate.”

In his life, “I’m most proud of raising two daughters who saw me go from making a million dollars a year—to basically nothing in 2008—and to restaurant.” Marshall’s gone from “almost bankruptcy to somewhat of a salient business model, but all along, putting the kids’ well-being first.” That includes during his divorce, when he and his former wife remained civil for the kids. “If you have to decouple for some reason, end a marriage—do it in a way that doesn’t [show strife or feuding] because it causes them anxiety,” he said.

Named the 2024 Stars of Salisbury Person of the Year, Marshall said, “It’s such a deep, satisfying happiness to know that there are people out here who pay attention—it really means more than we have current words for.

“I hope people know I took a tragedy and modified my lifestyle … I’m the happiest I’ve ever been! I drive a truck with crank-up windows and work for $19/hour at a bar and restaurant,” but his current joy showed through the simplicity.

At one point in life, he owned 14 classic cars. Now, he and his wife, Lumi, wake up in time to watch hummingbirds in the garden. “If I knew I was going to not make it through the day, how would I live? and that’s how I live every day. To hell with making money … focus on the hummingbirds, good music and tequila.”

PERSON OF THE YEAR FINALIST

Craig Faunce

One day, Craig Faunce took a short walk and picked up some litter from the ground. Another day, he did it again.

Faunce started taking longer walks and filled plastic bags with more roadside trash. He posted photos of his daily haul online, inspiring other people to get involved and organize bigger trash clean-ups.

Faunce has been named a 2024 Person of the Year finalist for making his corner of the world a little better and inspiring others to do the same.

“I didn’t have a plan … It was just something fun. It was neat to see that someone could make a little bit of change for an area,” Faunce said.

After a while, within a mile of Faunce’s Salisbury home, “there wasn’t a cigarette butt around, unless it was fresh. It took a long time to do that. But it was my exercise … I can’t sit still. My mother said I had ‘ants in the pants.’”

Faunce encouraged others to clean up their corner of the world. Individuals joined his clean-up days. Groups like Wicomico Clean took up the banner, and a local college fraternity added litter to their philanthropy mission. With a website called The Faunce Foundation, he even encouraged donations of buckets, pickers and trash bags (one person even sent old grain bags, in an effort to reduce further plastic waste).

“I’m just an old, retired guy, I’m disabled … if I can do it, anyone can,” Faunce mused.

“Picking up litter is kind of funny because you see everything.” Plastic soda and liquor bottles are countless. Vaping cartridges are common. Cigarettes “numbers are ridiculous.” Interestingly, plastic bags decreased after City legislation to reduce retail plastic bags.

You don’t have to be an environmentalist to care about garbage on the ground and in the water. “We live in an amazing, beautiful home, there’s nothing else like it on Earth, and we’re just trashing it. I do not understand it,” he once said.

“What I would love to see in a perfect world is more support from the community … there’s got to be a parent that cares if their kid sees nothing but filth on their way to school. It only takes 5 minutes—it’s not that hard. You could go out and make a difference, even if you only pick up light things.”

He also suggested more public trash cans so people have more options to dispose of garbage.

Walking helped Faunce through some of his health issues. “I was horribly out of shape,” but he estimates having lost 100 pounds of body weight since moving to Salisbury in 2020. “I just walked out of my house one day and started cleaning.”

However, his medical history still includes multiple bouts of bladder cancer, chemotherapy, heart issues and leg surgery, as he fights to avoid amputation.

Recently disappointed that his health and mobility forced him to scale back his efforts, Faunce still loves being useful, even for shorter walks or just yardwork in his new backyard (he jokes that he went from being a trash demon to a garden fiend).

“Cancer—it’s a wave of emotions unlike anything … it changes your outlook on life, a lot.” Faunce thinks back to his Rockville life: “All I did was work … running a car dealership. It was a great job, but it was all-encompassing.” He was proud of his approach in what can be a tough or even friendless industry. “I was always good to people I worked with, treat everyone with respect.”

Faunce is also a father with adult children, and he looks forward to healing and continuing his roadside mission.

“I want pick up litter in every state and write a book about my trips.” He’s already logged part of the northeast, including Vermont, New York and Maine. He envisions a southeast trip next, living in a travel van and exploring the United States up close.

Faunce has been interviewed by various news outlets over the years, even garnering attention from the City of Salisbury in 2021, which designated March 3 as Craig Faunce Day.

Faunce felt honored to be a Stars of Salisbury Person of the Year finalist. “I can’t believe what [this hobby] turned into.” He encourages people to “Make Earth Day every day,” which starts with people not littering in the first place.

He offered shout-outs to supportive people like Michelle Nelson (“she is one of the best human beings you’ll ever see”) and her husband, Steve, plus community advocate, David Galeone. He appreciated his church community, who both prayed and helped during hard times.