David Shane Donovan

David Donovan of Butchers Hill passed away on September 27, 2022 from ALS at the age of 68. He was the son of Major Jesse Donovan and Ruth Donovan and is survived by his sister, Sharon and brothers Robert and Frederick. He is remembered for his love of classical music and many years at the Central Pratt Library, first in Telephone Reference and later in Fine Arts. An Army veteran, David played bassoon in the Continental Army Band in Fort Monroe Virginia. For over twenty years he also served as a music critic on WBJC's Face the Music. He graduated from Patapsco High School and Towson State College with a degree in music. David managed the classical music store, Record Masters. He also wrote classical music reviews for the Baltimore Sun and regularly attended concerts at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Meyerhof and the Lyric. During his military career he marched in Reagan's Inaugural Parade, the Rose Bowl and the Yorktown Bicentennial. His Woodwind Quintet toured Europe. Working at the Pratt library, David researched the H.L. Mencken collection discovering over 660 pieces of music played by The Saturday Night Club. He worked with the Concert Artists of Baltimore for a concert conducted by Ed Polochick at the Engineers Club and later at Johns Hopkins celebrating the 100 th anniversary of Art as Applied to Medicine founded by Mencken's friend, Max Brodel. He gave lectures, wrote magazine articles and organized exhibits at the Pratt about H. L. Mencken Collection. For over two decades he was the Panelist Emeritus at WBJC's Face the Music program. On October 1, the station gave a tribute to him," Remembering Dave Donovan" featuring some of his favorite recordings. David was also a fan of the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Colts. Anyone choosing to make a donation in David's memory can do so at WBJC.com or WBJC, 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 202, Baltimore MD 21215. Funeral arrangements will be private.