In Memoriam
of those who were active in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), or its predecessor, the Governmental Refuse, Collection and Disposal Association (GRCDA).

PHILLIP D. BRESEE, 1967-2023
Phillip Bresee had a 30-year plus career developing and leading recycling and solid waste management programs for Frederick County MD (as recycling coordinator), Howard County, MD (as recycling division chief), Broward County, FL (2004-2012, as recycling program manager); City of Philadelphia (2012-2016, as recycling director), and Arlington County, VA (as environmental management division chief). Since 2018. he was a Senior Consultant with MSW Consultants in Orlando FL, but was based in MD.
He was a member of many professional organizations, including SWANA and MRN. He would attend many of the SWANA Mid-Atlantic Chapter events. Active with MRN since 1992, he was elected to its Board in 2001 and became President in 2003, and then, since 2019, came back on the MRN Board as director, secretary, and treasurer. He was also involved in the planning for the MRN-SWANA annual conferences.

EDWARD A. SERP, June 16, 1937 – January 19, 2023
SWANA was one of the many professional organizations in which he was a member .
Ed’s tenure on the Chapter Board of Directors was as follows:
- 1991 (latter part of year): The BOD appointed him to replace a director who resigned in mid-year.
- 1992-1993: Director
- 1994: Vice President initially, and then became President when the elected President relocated
- 1995: President
- 1996: Past President
Ed was born in Baltimore City and graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1955. He earned a B.E.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 1959 and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1973.
Ed was a licensed professional engineer for over 50 years in MD, as well as in DE, VA, WV and DC. He worked at MD Surveying and Engineering Company; Whitman, Requardt and Associates; and KCI Technologies. Ed was also active in other professional organizations including: The Engineers Club of Baltimore (where he was an officer and past President), The B&O Railroad Historical Society, AWWA, WEF, SAVE, NSPE, AREMA, and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.
Ed had extensive experience in the fields of solid waste management, water and wastewater treatment, and other urban infrastructure throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
A kind and loving gentleman. Baltimore’s best Civil Engineer . . . Mehal Trivedi (BOD Director)
He was an engineer’s engineer . . .Dana Blumberg (BOD Advisory Board Delegate)

JAMES PAUL KRAWCZYK, July 4, 1930 – July 30, 2017
Jim was on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board of Directors for only 3 1/2 years, but he has the distinction of being the Chapter’s first Vice President and President who was not employed by a government entity. Our initial Bylaws restricted non-governmental employees to be Directors; they could not be Officers. That was the norm for most of the SWANA chapters; however, in the late 1980s, we did amend our Bylaws to allow those employed by private firms to also be Officers.
- 1988 – Director (appointed mid-year to fill a vacancy)
- 1989 – Vice President
- 1990 – President
- 1991 – Past President
When Steve Lippy started in the solid waste management field in 1972, Jim Krawczyk, a registered civil engineer, who specialized in landfill design, was working with Green Associates, which was later restructured and renamed Century Engineering. Jim was the project manager for at least four solid waste contracts with Baltimore County and seemingly worked on the majority of landfills in the Baltimore region.

FRANK HENDERSON, March 30, 1943 – May 27, 2016
Frank worked for the State of Maryland and, starting in 1995, for Harford County as an environmental engineer, having received his engineering degree from the University of Delaware. At Harford County, he was Deputy Director of Environmental Services in the Department of Public Works and oversaw the solid waste management activities of Harford County; he began his active involvement with the Chapter in 1995.
He served on the Chapter’s Board of Directors for thirteen years from 1996-2008:
- 1996-1997 – Director
- 1998 – Vice President
- 1999 – President
- 2000-2001 – Past President
- 2002-2008 – Director
While on the BOD, he was instrumental in Harford County’s hosting of two successful SWANA Mid-Atlantic Regional Road-E-Os, which included two other chapters, at the County’s Scarborough Landfill (2003 and 2004); supported his operators to participate in SWANA Regional and International Road-E-Os; co-chaired the local committee for WASTECON 2001 with Steve Lippy; supported the annual crab feast at Sandy Point State Park (getting sponsorships and overseeing the games for the children); was chair of the Membership Committee; served on the Nominating Committee; hosted BOD meetings, tours, and MOLO landfill tours; etc.
Frank was an active, enthusiastic, and a strong supporter of the Chapter, including supporting his staff to participate. He had the unofficial title of the “party-guy” on the BOD and was always an advocate for the Chapter to spend more money to the chagrin and consternation of fellow BOD member Steve Lippy.
Frank enjoyed life and believed that everyone should have fun while going through life. His positive attitude and friendliness was manifested at his memorial service by those who spoke about him and the hundreds who were in attendance.
CHARLES (Chuck) K. WEISS, April 26, 1943 – May 17, 2010
Chuck began his career with Baltimore County, MD in November 1967 in the Office of Personnel. In 1970 he transferred to the Department of Public Works to begin his solid waste career with the Bureau of Sanitation, which was later renamed the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. He started as an Administrative Analyst (later reclassified to Managment Analyst) and then became Bureau Chief in 1984 until his retirement in 2002.
One of Chuck’s great joys was golf; as a result, Steve Lippy, as conference co-chair, enlisted him to serve as Chair of the golf Tournament for the 1988 GRCDA Annual Conference and the 1995 SWANA Conference when they both were held in Baltimore. Going back to the Chapter archives, Chuck attending the July 1983 meeting when the committee was formed to establish the local GRCDA Chapter. Another way he supported SWANA was allowing the Bureau Engineer, Steve Lippy, to be active in the local chapter, starting at that meeting in 1983.
JOSEPH A. KOLODZIEJSKI, 1947 – 2009
Joe served Baltimore City in its Department of Public Works Bureau of Solid Waste from 1974 to 1980 and then 1985 to 2007. While in the Bureau, he was a hokey cart man, safety supervisor, supervisor of mechanical street sweeping, Chief of the Maintenance Division and Head of the Bureau from 1999 – 2007.
His main involvement with SWANA was being one of the co-chairs of the 2001 WASTECON, which included his photo (with the other two co-chairs) on the cover of the October 2001 issue of Waste Age, as well as being quoted in an article on page 56, “SWANA Sails into Baltimore.”

GEORGE L. WINFIELD, July 6, 1943 – December 1, 2007
One of the Founding Fathers of the Chapter:
- 1983 – Vice President (of the provisional Chapter)
- 1984-1985 – Vice President
- 1986 – President
- 1987 – Past President
- 1988 – Director
In addition, he was a co-chair of the local committee for the 1988 GRCDA international solid waste exposition in Baltimore in 1988; and for the 1995 and 2001 SWANA International Expositions in Baltimore, he was instrumental in ensuring participation and assistance of the City Department of Public Works.
George, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, enlisted with the Air Force (1964-1968), which included service in Viet Nam. Afterwards, he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Howard University in 1972 and a masters in Bio-Environmental Engineering in 1973. His employment with Baltimore City began in 1973 in the Collections Division of the Bureau of Solid Waste where he progressed to be Bureau Chief, before becoming the head of the DPW Bureau of General Services and Deputy-Director of Public Works. After a short retirement (1996-2000), he was appointed Director of Public Works in 2000 as the City’s first African-American Director. He also served as the City’s representative on the Board of the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority from 2000-2007, including being elected as Treasurer from 2004-2007.
In 1989 George was named Black Engineer of the Year. In addition to SWANA, he was a member of APWA, AWWA, WEA, and ASCE.
In mid-November 2007, he suffered a stroke and died on December 1, 2007. On December 8, there was a funeral service/“celebration of life” to honor his career and life. The December 3, 2007 “Examiner” quoted a DPW spokesperson, “He was well-respected and he has a legacy that is going to impact people for many years to come.” Also, the Examiner stated, “He was so well-loved by everybody,” an “…exemplary public servant…” In the December 3, 2007, Baltimore Sun, Governor Martin O’Malley stated “he did it quietly, professionally, and honestly.” The Sun further stated that “He developed a reputation as not only a competent public official, but as one of city government’s nicest people. His employees described him as passionate and patient.” These same sentiments were also expressed on December 8 by the pastor, as well as six speakers (the Governor, Mayor, a DPW representative, a State Senator, George’s brother James, and his daughter, Takirra).
His immediate family includes Ruby (his wife of forty years), son Talawn (and wife, Erin), son Tamry (and wife, Nag Quita) and daughter Takirra, and four granddaughters.
Based on his experience serving with George on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board of Directors in the 1980’s (including being President when he was Vice President and as the other co-chair of the 1988 Exposition), Steve Lippy heartily agreed with sentiments previously expressed in the Examiner, Sun, and in the expressions during the funeral service. Traits of the Boy Scout law (e.g., trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, reverent), as well as competent, professional, honest, integrity, and gentleman are all words that described George. He was indeed a good man who will be missed.

PARKER ANDREWS, 1933- 1998
One of the Founding Fathers of the Chapter:
- 1983-1985 – Chapter Director
- 1986 – Vice President
- 1987 – President
- 1988 – Past President
Many of the meetings in the 1980’s were held in his office at the Anne Arundel County Millersville Landfill. His active support included attending the IB meetings while the Chapter Director at no cost to the Chapter, as well as assisting in the Chapter’s hosting of the GRCDA International solid waste exposition in Baltimore in 1988.
Parker had a long career with Anne Arundel County from 1963-1993, advancing through the ranks:
1963-1965 | Supervisor of Utility Assessments (Sanitary Commission) |
1965-1969 | Supervisor of Utility Assessments (DPW) |
1969-1971 | Project Administrator (County Executive’s office) |
1971-1986 | Bureau Chief, Solid Waste Bureau (DPW) |
1986-1987 | Assistant Director (DPW) |
1987-1988 | Acting Director (DPW) |
1988-1993 | Director (DPW) |
Besides GRCDA, he was a member of CEAM and APWA. In addition, he represented Anne Arundel County, as its Board member on the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, starting in 1980, staying until 1993, including serving as Treasurer of the Authority from 1989 until 1993.
As noted above, Parker was very involved with solid waste management, including the Mid-Atlantic Chapter while in its infancy.
One of our Chapter’s long time corporate members, Jim Manley of Information Systems, Inc. stated that, “Parker Andrews at Anne Arundel County Public Works was the first client for the WeighMaster System in 1980, which was developed for weighing vehicles delivering waste to disposal facilities and is the genesis of Information Systems, Inc.”
“One of the things I can recall discussing with Parker was to make sure you make the program easy to use for the operators, but auditable by management. He was interested in using technology to streamline the County’s operations where appropriate. I recall many helpful sessions with Parker during the system design. We have continued using those same basic rules over the last 28 years.”
* [Note: If anyone has any other relevant information to share please contact s.lippy@verizon.net]