Woodside Park Memorial Dedicated to Purple Line Activist

A Silver Spring man fondly remembered for his work trying to make the Purple Line a reality will be honored Thursday with a memorial in Woodside Park. 

Harry Sanders, who passed away in 2010, lived on Noyes Lane and spent much of his time there advocating for the 16-mile light rail line that would connect Bethesda to New Carrollton. The public is invited to attend the dedication of the memorial on March 28 at 10 a.m. at Woodside Urban Park at Georgia Avenue and Spring Street in Silver Spring. 

“I learned so much from Harry. I learned that you must be passionate about an idea that you believe in and never let it go," said Councilwoman Valerie Ervin in a statement. "I learned that true leadership is not loud or obnoxious. It is not mean or indignant—it is about building trust and community, and sometimes, you learn that it is the journey that is what is important.”

"Harry remains an inspiration to us all as we work to realize his prescient vision for the county's future," says Purple Line NOW! President Ralph Bennett.

A statewide gas tax to fund transportation projects, including the Purple Line, passed the Maryland House of Delegates this week.

"Transit is not mere concrete and steel—it is connecting people with jobs, family and friends and education," said Sanders' son Greg Sander, who serves on the board of Purple Line NOW! "Harry loved trains, but he loved people even more. Connecting all our people is worth paying for."

Neighbors in the Woodside neighborhood made donations for the memorial plaque and redbud trees at the memorial, according to a release from Purple Line NOW!

Councilmen George Leventhal and Hans Riemer are scheduled to attend Sanders' memorial.