Formed in 2021, the Chief Elwood Banister Memorial Foundation honors the memory of Chief Banister and his decades of leadership and service to the Baltimore County Fire Department.

Elwood “Woody” Banister and his wife, Boots, passed away within one week of each other from COVID-19 in late 2020. Their grandson, Josh Christina, a Baltimore area singer-songwriter and Nashville recording artist, announced the formation of the Chief Elwood Banister Memorial Foundation in April 2021.

The mission of the foundation:

• To honor the memory of Chief Banister by supporting a scholarship in his name through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (https://www.firehero.org/resources/family-resources/programs/scholarships/)

Christina notes, “My grandfather recognized the commitment of firefighters and the importance of remembering them. He was committed to honoring their memory and supporting those they left behind”