Sharyn R. Duffin was a passionate and determined historian who did invaluable work on African-American history throughout Montgomery County, with a special focus on her Rockville neighborhood of Lincoln Park. A descendant of some of the original founders of this historically Black community, Sharyn was dedicated to investigating and sharing their rich but underrepresented history.
While an illness in her youth left Sharyn with paralysis and blindness such that she “didn’t get out much,” she encouraged, engaged, and inspired others to be her eyes when necessary, and continued her research. Sharyn earned both an Associate’s degree from Montgomery College and an interdisciplinary Bachelor’s in political science and history from Antioch College.
Sharyn was remarkable in her commitment to sharing African-American history and documenting the strength and struggles of people and stories for the benefit of the present local community as well as the future. She was always searching for historical documentation to validate her theories and ideas about her research topics, never satisfied with simple plausibility.
A longtime Peerless Rockville volunteer, Sharyn provided valuable insight, research, and assistance with numerous projects over the past four decades. She was especially devoted to preserving the Lincoln Park neighborhood and often advocated for its special sites when threatened. Recent Peerless projects completed with her help include the 2017 Emancipation to Integration series on African-American education, for which she authored the article Realizing a Dream: Providing Opportunity Through Education on the local men who organized for a Black School in 1867. In 2018, she was nominated and awarded the Montgomery County Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award for her body of volunteer work.
Sharyn served as a resource and reviewer for Peerless Rockville’s 2019 Forging Freedom: Endurance, Escape, and Rockville’s Underground Railroad exhibit. This past year, she helped brainstorm topics and contacts for an African-American oral history project in Rockville. Sharyn had a knack for drawing friends and family into her efforts, inspiring others to join in her important work. If she didn’t know something, she always had an idea of who to call to help.
One of Sharyn’s most treasured roles was as the official historian of Jerusalem – Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church. She described a sign there that defined her life: “Enter to worship, exit to serve.” Sharyn’s lifetime of service and work on African-American history has been to the benefit of all of Montgomery County and Rockville.
Peerless Rockville will miss our dear friend Sharyn and her constant assistance and guidance. We will continue to share African-American history and remain inspired by her dedication to doing justice to underrepresented stories and keeping this heritage a part of the modern community.
