Phil Edwards was born in Riverdale, Maryland in 1943 and moved to 114 Grove Avenue in January 1946. His parents bought their first house in 1952, a never-completed (though large) cottage at 206 Grove Avenue. Phil served in the Air Force before marrying Anna Woodruff in 1963, when they bought the house at 17 The Circle. Phil completed his engineering degree at the University of Maryland in 1967. Phil and Anna later divorced.
Phil had the good fortune to meet Suzy Ocampo, and in 1972, Phil and Suzy bought Phil’s parents’ house at 206 Grove. Phil ran for Town Council and was defeated, but bounced back in 1973, when he was appointed mayor after Don Doughty resigned. Phil served as mayor until 1977, and afterward was appointed (at his suggestion) Town Historian. He also served on the Board of Zoning Appeals. In 1993, Phil and Suzy forsook the Grove for their farm in Warfordsburg, PA.
In the intervening years, Phil and Suzy built a house in Mexico and spent most of 19 winters there. In Pennsylvania, he’s been involved in local government and also became a certified septic system designer.
Aside from the Grove histories, Phil has published three novels and two collections of short stories. He and Suzy continued to have adventures together until her death in August 2022.