Alamo Motel still holds beloved Ocean City memories for original owner's family

Four sisters walked around the building that shaped their youth during numerous Ocean City summers.

They peeked in windows that sparked memories, pointed out what they jumped off of to dive in the pool but also eyed the new vibrant colors — a significance that drives home the new era of the Alamo.

The great uncle of Sue Jones, Melinda Bassett, Jennifer Sasso and Rebecca Kunz was Bill Weaver, the World War II fighter pilot who opened Worcester County's first motel in 1946 — known then as the Alamo Court.

While the motel recently sold in May and is undergoing renovations this summer, the original spirit of the place remains in the memories of the Weaver family.

The sisters got together in August to see the changes after reading about the new owner's plans.

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"It's what binds our family together. We continue to remember all that time we spent there," said Bassett, 62 of Jefferson, Maryland.

Their father's uncle was a character doing things like driving across the grassy median so he didn't have to make the U-turn on Route 50. If he asked you to pass the bread, the expectation was a fast pitch of the loaf to the head.

They didn't know quite why Weaver got into the hospitality business, but they did know he loved the water and his boats.

It's one of the beginning success stories that had the vision to see Ocean City as a desirable resort. There have been many since, with over 300,000 visitors on a weekend in the summer. 

Even with the newcomers, many locals say it is old Ocean City nostalgia that brings people back to town, reminding them of their youth. It's also something lifelong visitors or residents are willing to fight for.

When Dumser's Dairyland found itself caught in the middle of a legal dispute that might cause them to lose one of their Boardwalk locations, thousands came in support. The Save Dumser's Facebook group garnered 3,000 members.

A petition presented to the council received over 10,000 signatures in a short period of time. The case is ongoing.

Many other landmarks like Dolle's Candyland have thrived, which recently opened a fourth location since its original opened in 1906.

Despite not maintaining the level of admiration as other resort classics, the motel that Weaver and his brother-in-law Robert (known to many as Mr. Bob) managed created more than just a place for tourists to stay. The Alamo was the foundation of hard work and youthful summer memories for the four sisters and two brothers, William and Jonathan.

Background:Embattled Alamo Motel's future in retro revival for West Ocean City

Once they were of working age, they no longer enjoyed just vacationing at the beach at the family-owned Islander on 20th Street. The siblings became the servers, pool attendants and sometimes housekeepers to the growing Alamo Court.

"I remember when they were too young to serve the beer. They could serve sodas and food, but then they'd have to go in kitchen and get mom or my grandmother or somebody to come out and get the beer out of the cooler," said Jones, 65 of Sykesville, Maryland.

They met friends and families who would return the same week of each year.

They built shared stories that have outlasted their family's ownership of the plot of land on Ocean Gateway. 

"When we weren't working, we were literally just were having fun," said Kunz, 57, of Point of Rocks, Maryland. "We had a pool there, kids from the hotel. Some of them you'd see year-after-year."

Sasso even met her husband there in 1974.

Three kids later, "and we're still together, all these years later," said Sasso, 60, who lives the furthest from Ocean City in Milford, Connecticut. 

Whether it was matchmaking, standing on the beach during an approaching hurricane, or shoveling out a snow-covered motel, the family says it's important to remember the Alamo.

The recent history and stigma has darkened the view of the establishment in the past few years. Neighbors complained of guests throwing beer bottles and crossing the fence into yards among other unsavory actions. It was also frequented by police, with sheriff's deputies patrolling the premises or answering calls 179 times from 2013-2017.

But its new owner, Mark Odachowski, president of Royal Plus Electric, said he saw the value in its history during a May interview. He could not be reached for comment for this article. He purchased the motel from the family of the late Charles H. Schulze, who took ownership beginning in the late 1970s. 

A fresh coat of colorful pastel paint breathed a sense of fresh air into the downtrodden area even if it was a little bit of an eye opener to the family, who was used to their white exterior.

"For that period of time, I think I would have rather seen it been razed, rather than knowing that it was sinking to those levels," Kunz said. "We are so thankful it is being rejuvenated."

Tradition matters in Ocean City

Jayne Kendall knows a little bit about generations. Her family, the Buntings, are working on their fifth line of succession of the Angler Restaurant and marina on Talbot Street in downtown Ocean City.

That's 80 years of business evolving but staying true to classic recipes and those bay views. Kendall converses with patrons everyday during the summer. They tell her it's been 30 years of tradition or 60 in some cases. 

"Having conversations with people reminds you of the ones that have come before you," Kendall said.

Like her grandfather and grandmother doing many of the same things around the kitchen that Jayne and her sister Julie are teaching their children, Meegan Jayne, R.J., Maura and Porter — the fifth generation.

"I've worked with my grandparents, my parents, my sister and now our children," Kendall said. "So I think learning how to do that is fundamental in keeping the family united and strong."

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But it's important to have landmarks like the Angler, the Boardwalk, Trimper's, Jolly Roger, Thrasher's, Dolle's, Fisher's and the other surviving and thriving classics. It reminds visitors of their youth and the charm of summer, Kendall said.

"There's not a lot left of that," she said. "I think people like to see the landmarks and know that some things don't change. There's always growth and that's a good thing. But some of the landmarks are still here."

It's why the four sisters headed down to the Boardwalk for a bucket of Thrasher's fries despite the rainy forecast. It's something they've always done and will continue to do when in town.

"I still love it down here"

Malia Ricks said it hasn't changed that much at all if you know where to look. She grew up in Ocean City during the 1970s and 1980s and is the owner of Malia's Cafe on 18th Street and the Boardwalk. She sees her children doing the same things she did growing up.

"We don't pay to go on our beaches, the Boardwalk is almost exactly the same, other than some high rises and some bigger hotels," she said.

The sky-scraping hotels and condos may give Ocean City a commercial feel, but Ricks said there's still the custom T-shirts, Playland arcade and other landmarks that have endured change.

"I still love it down here," said Jones, the oldest sister. "Just because of the Alamo, we spent every almost summer there, between there and the Islander."

And so those will be the memories the sisters choose to remember: The Easter egg hunts with kids from the area, searching for the golden egg worth $1; playing Monopoly with real money, even though they never finished the game or getting stuck in the sand at Assateague for 12 hours, building a fire while they waited for someone to see them.

"It's just that sense a family," Bassett said. "It's always meant something to me. Whether it was other families who came each year and we remember them being there. Whether it was the fact that, as a family, we did work together."

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