Paul Daniel McDermott

Paul Daniel McDermott, age 88, of Montgomery County, Md., passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 28, 2025. Affectionately known as "Dan", he was born on December 10,1937, in Highland Park, Illinois, to the late James and Pauline "Beatty" McDermott. His family subsequently moved to the Seattle, Washington area, where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Cartography and Geography at the University of Washington.

After a short tenure teaching at Briarcliff College in New York, and further graduate studies in geography at the University of Maryland, he served as Professor and Chair of Geography and Cartography at Montgomery College, in Rockville, Maryland, for 34 years. During that time, he participated in numerous college and professional committees. He was active in the National Geographic Society’s Geography Bee, especially as the organizer of the Maryland State Bee. He also served for many years as a judge in the Cartography and Geographic Information Society’s Annual Map Design Competition (formerly American Congress on Surveying and Mapping).

His beloved and now deceased wife of 51 years, Gayl McDermott, was a supporter of both his career and numerous hobbies. He was an avid photographer and exhibited his work in both competitions, galleries and shows. He loved to capture nature, architecture of historic buildings and unique points of view in his photographs. He was also fond of travel, golf, writing, and lecturing. Based on his professional training in cartography, he co-authored with Thomas Rabenhorst, Applied Cartography: Source Materials for Map Making (1989) and Applied Cartography: Introduction to Remote Sensing (1989). Reflecting his long-time interest in the historical geography of the nineteenth century Pacific Northwest, he co-authored with Ronald Grim and Philip Mobley, Gustavus Sohon’s Cartographic and Artistic Works (2002); Eye of the Explorer: Views of the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey, 1853-54 (2010); and The Mullan Road: Carving a Passage through the Frontier Northwest, 1859-62 (2015).

Other research interests included the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, George Washington’s Potomac, the historical geography of western Maryland (especially Washington County), and maps of Revolutionary War battles. 

This resulted in numerous journal articles and public lectures, which gained him the distinction of presenting over 1,000 of these lectures through Montgomery College’s Speaker Bureau.

In addition, he was a devoted father to his sons and grandchildren. He is survived by sons David and Shawn McDermott, and their wives Kathy and Jeanne, as well as grandchildren Brijit, Kairi and Liam. He is also survived by a brother and sister, Patrick McDermott and Anne McDermott Baumgartner, both residing in the Seattle area. A Celebration of his Life will be held on March 21, 2026, at 3:00 pm at Keeney and Basford Funeral Home,106 E. Church Street in Frederick, Md. The family will receive friends from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. He was known for his hearty laugh and sense of humor. His enthusiasm and joy for life will be remembered by both family and friends.