Walter W. ‘Wickes’ Brewster Jr., who helped recovering alcoholics, dies

Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun
·4 min read

Walter W. “Wickes” Brewster, a lifelong alcoholic who worked tirelessly to help those who also suffered from alcoholism, died July 14 of complications from the disease at his home in Carbondale, Colorado. The former Glyndon resident was 69.

“Wickes struggled throughout his life with alcohol followed by periods of sobriety and he tried to get better, but it was always a challenge for him,” said Gerry Brewster, a cousin. “He was a very loving and supportive person who tried to help others who suffered with the same disease.”

Tom Adgate, who recently celebrated 37 years of sobriety, first met Mr. Brewster at Jaywalker Lodge, a Carbondale, Colorado, recovery center.

“I met him in the program and he always tried to get it, but the disease won out, but he gave it a helluva battle,” Mr. Adgate said. “He knew more about Alcoholics Anonymous than I did and the people he helped with the program were limitless.”

Walter Wickes Brewster Jr., son of Walter W. Brewster Sr., an Alex. Brown & Sons stockbroker, and Margaret Rennert Perkins “Maggie” Brewster, was born in Baltimore and raised at Millstone Farm, his family’s 130-acre horse farm in Glyndon.

Mr. Brewster was a scion of an old Maryland family whose ancestors included Revolutionary War hero Lambert Wickes, a captain in the Navy. He was also the sixth great-grandson of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

His great-great grandfather was Benjamin Harris Brewster, who was U.S. attorney general from 1881 to 1885, during the administration of President Chester A. Arthur.

Mr. Brewster attended Gilman School and graduated in 1972 from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

“He left Gilman after his freshman year and went to Hotchkiss, and that’s where the drinking started,” said his brother, David Bryant Brewster, of Halifax, Vermont. “And that’s what happens when teenagers are left to their own devices and addiction becomes progressive.”

Mr. Brewster attended Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of St. Anthony’s Fraternity.

He took a job as a cab driver, then with the old First National Bank of Maryland. He became a fundraiser for what is now Mercy Medical Center and worked on several Maryland political campaigns.

“Wickes was like a character out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. A gentleman bon vivant who lived out of another era. He had an extraordinary wit and charm,” his brother said.

“Ironically, he chose a maverick lifestyle. Once a cab driver, he was probably the only cabbie who wore a double-breasted made to order English tweed jacket,” he said.

But Mr. Brewster continued to be hobbled by his alcoholism and sought treatment at Father Martin’s Ashley in Havre de Grace, now Ashley Addiction Treatment, and the Hazelden Betty Ford Clinic in Minneapolis.

“I first met Wickes in Minneapolis in 1992 when I got sober,” said Bob Ferguson, founder of Jaywalker Lodge

Mr. Brewster then followed Mr. Ferguson to Colorado and entered the Jaywalker Lodge program.

“Wikes volunteered at Jaywalker and filled in a number of roles in that community,” Mr. Ferguson said. “Early on in recovery, I learned that you can pretend to care but you have to show up, and regardless of battling his own demons, Wickes always showed up for all of the people.

“He was always there, always available to volunteer and pitch in to help people. He was always looking for ways to contribute. He was one of the most selfless individuals I’ve ever met,” he said.

Mr. Ferguson added: “He brought joy and spirit to everything he did. He was a joyful presence and generous spirit when it came to our community.

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“At the treatment center, he worked as a trail guide taking people on hikes, and taught them fly fishing,” Mr. Adgate said.

“He was a person who always wanted to give back,” his cousin said. “He was a passionate supporter of the programs at Jaywalker Lodge, and he liked taking people in recovery on hikes, made dinners for them, taught them downhill skiing which was one of his passions. And all of this was tremendous therapy for Wickes.”

“Wickes was fabulous with people and he related seamlessly with people from all walks of life and made them feel validated,” his brother said. “He loved to light a fire, recounting outrageous tales, having everyone in stitches with his brilliant sense of humor.”

Mr. Brewster was a voracious reader who had a passion for world history, national politics, opera and especially the works of H.L. Mencken, family members said.

“He was an engaged community member who always put others before himself,” his cousin said.

“Having a family member who is addicted can tear families apart,” his brother said. “But I made peace. Wickes was who he was.”

Plans for a memorial service to be held in the autumn at St. John’s Church Western Run Parish in Reisterstown, where his ashes will be interred with his parents, are incomplete.

In addition to his brother and cousin, Mr. Brewster is survived by a sister, Margaret Brewster “Marnie” Phillips, of Weston, Massachusetts; a niece; and a nephew.