Thelma Conner's vision still influential in Dunes Manor, Ocean City

Thirty years after the Dunes Manor was established, Thelma Conner's vision for the hotel lives on.

Conner was 86 when she died Nov. 15, 1999, but her legacy is revered as a visionary entrepreneur who was way ahead of her time, said James Garcia, the general manager at the Dunes Manor Hotel.

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When Conner founded the hotel, she had a plan, Garcia said. And even though the hotel has undergone changes Conner's vision will always be honored, he said.

"The first couple years after she would come out here and serve the guests," Garcia said. "She wanted it to be that type of environment."

With 30 years in the books, managers and owners of the storied hotel have continued the tradition that was started by Conner's vision. 

The hotel was founded April 1, 1987, when Conner was 74, and the hotel has worked to carry out her legacy, Garcia said.

She picked April Fools Day to open the hotel because she was told "no one but a fool would open a hotel at her age," said William Mariner, one of the hotel's co-owners.

"But there was no way it was not going to be a success," he said. "Thelma was a very successful person. She knew it was going to be a success."

Conner was born in San Antonio, Texas, on March 19, 1913. She earned degrees from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She met her husband, Milton Conner, in Philadelphia, and they married in 1940.

It was in 1940 when Conner got her start working in the hospitality business by working for her husband's family business, the Hastings Hotel.

In 1965, the Conners purchased the Dunes Motel, and in 1987 she opened the Dunes Manor.

But her impact on a classic OC hotel wasn't Conner's only contribution. 

She was also the first woman to serve on the Ocean City Town Council, serving from 1976 until 1984.

Conner was also the president of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce in 1974 and was named the 1985 Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen of the Year. She also served as the president of the Hotel Motel Restaurant Association in 1985 and was named 1994 Maryland Independent Hotelier of the Year.

"Nothing was going to stop her from achieving her vision," said Sandy Hurley, curator of the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. "She knew what she as going to do. That was part of her character. She was fulfilling her vision."

'A place where families could gather'

The Dunes Manor Hotel celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, and Garcia says Conner's fingerprints are all over the hotel to this day.

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"She wanted it to be a place where families could gather and enjoy friends and family," he said. "That's why you see it the way it is with the piano in the middle. She also established a tradition of tea time every day at 3 p.m. She invited folks from around the community and around the neighborhood to join, and that's a tradition that continues today.

"It is a tradition that has lived and stood the test of time."

Garica said he only recently joined the staff at the Dunes Manor, but he feels Conner's presence in his day-to-day work.

Never has he worked at a company where there is so much emotional connection to the property, he added, with legions of guests telling him they came there as children and now they are bringing their own children.

"I really approach it with much respect," he said. "Yes, there is always a pressure to maintain it, but we work very hard to maintain it."

'She had a lot to do with the town's history'

During Conner's time on the Ocean City Town Council, she worked to establish the Museum Society, which helped purchase the building in which the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is today, Hurley said.

"She had a lot to do with the town's history and the museum itself," she added.

Before Conner served on the council, Hurley said she lived down the street from the Conners.

Hurley described Conner as "very sweet and kind," but someone who always stood her ground.

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"The last time I saw her, she was serving tea at the Dunes Manor," Hurley added. "She was a very wonderful person."

Mariner, who got involved with Conner and her family with the hotel after serving as their accountant, said everyone wants to maintain the vision Conner had for it.

She knew how to run a property, he added, saying it was a pleasure to work with her and he learned most of what he knows about running hotels from her.

"We don't want to mess with Thelma's dream," he said. "We don't intend on changing anything."

Hurley said she knew the hotel was going to be a success, and nothing was going to stop Conner.

If she was alive today, Hurley said Conner would be very happy with the way the hotel and the life saving museum have developed.

"She always thought the town was progressing, and I know she would be pleased with the museum because that was her vision," Hurley said. "The Dunes Manor turned out exactly how she wanted it to be, so I think she would be very pleased."

Mariner agreed but acknowledged that change cannot be avoided.

Two other Dunes properties — the Dunes Suites and the Dunes Court — have both undergone renovations in the past two years.

And although Mariner said he intends on keeping the properties up with the times, he will never lose track of their vision, and  they intend on keeping to the Victorian theme.

"She would be very pleased with the hotel today," he said. "She really would. It is exactly the way she wanted, and we are carrying forward with that dream. The hotel is also going down through her family group, so they will keep on with the tradition. A lot of times families would want to sell it, but that's not the intent of this family."

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