Veteran MD Delegate Bennett Bozman, dead at age 69
The Associated Press and Delmarva Daily Times is reporting this evening that veteran Maryland Eastern Shore, Maryland Delegate Bennett Bozman, D., Dist. 38B, Wicomico & Worcester Counties has passed away.
Del. Bozman died en route to Johns Hopkins… The Berlin, Maryland resident passed away from bacterial meningitis “while being transported from Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.”
The photograph of Delegate Bozman, is from The Daily Times’ Web-site.
Ms. Canfora elaborated, “Bozman, 69, a democrat who served District 38 covering Worcester and Wicomico counties, was a retired pharmacist and long-time politician. He is survived by his wife, two children and three grandchildren… See continuing coverage in Friday's The Daily Times.”
To find delegate Bozman’s Maryland House of Delegates brief bio, go: here.
He was an early riser, who often started his days at 5 AM and it was not uncommon for him to work through until midnight. He was known for using a series of cloth bags in order to keep his various categories of paperwork in order, eschewing the standard Annapolis briefcase.
For lunch, he was known for eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Not quite what one would think of when the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee and deputy majority whip has a power lunch.
The Associated Press article says, “Bozman, a Democrat, joined the House of Delegates in January 1991. He had served as deputy majority whip since 1995. He was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Joint Committee on Federal Relations and the Joint Audit Committee.
“Bozman was born in Norfolk, Va., in 1936. He attended Washington High School, in Princess Anne, Md. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He served in U.S. Coast Guard from 1961 to 1969.”
In my Tentacle column of February 24, 2006, “Kelly’s Dream Deferred,” I wrote:
“As a newly minted elected municipal official in the late 1990s, I have fond memories of those folks who were friendly and helpful as I tried to unravel the byzantine rituals of the Maryland General Assembly. Perhaps, first among equals in that helpful group was Delegate Kelly... Most members of the Frederick and Carroll County delegations were very supportive... Several of the other names that quickly come to mind when I think of friendly folks who went out of their way to lend a hand were: Del. Brian R. Moe (D., Anne Arundel/PG); Del. Bennett Bozman (D., Wicomico/Worcester); Del. Norman H. Conway (D., Wicomico/Worcester); Sen. Donald F. Munson (R., Washington); then-Del. Charles McClenahan (R., Somerset, Wicomico & Worchester); and Judge Paul G. Goetzke, then Annapolis city attorney.”
My wife, Caroline and I have a number of very good memories of Delegate Bozman. One of my many favorites is when we visited Crisfield, Maryland in September 2000. (See: "20060426 Sept. 2000 Tawes Card Crisfield Museum Presentation.” on www.kevindayhoff.com.
On September 2, 2000, my Caroline and I traveled to Crisfield, Maryland and attended the 53rd annual Crisfield Crab Derby Labor Day Weekend. After lunch, Caroline and I presented the Governor J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum with a framed "1938 J. Millard Tawes for Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland Campaign Card"
Delegate Bennett Bozman was very helpful in arranging for Caroline and I being able to make that donation to the museum.
I certainly did not agree about everything with Delegate Bozman. But he worked tirelessly for his constituency and he had a deep all abiding respect for his responsibilities as a Maryland elected official. With Bennett, there was always something positive to discuss and I always enjoyed his company. He always greeted me with a smile and friendly conversation. He will be missed.
Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org
I could not believe Bennett has passed away.I feel such a sorrow!Unfortunately,living overseas I was not regular in my correspondence with him and his family, though we always thought about them with love and remember their kindness and support. I incidentally found 123people.com,I just wanted to find inform about my American friends, who I could not call for long since no one answers. And now I am so depressed, since both of my searches ended so unhappily! Raymond D.Coates from Berlin has also passed away in January, 2008. And I came to know about them having left us only yesterday!I am a professor of Kazan University in Russia. But in 1987 when I met Ray and his wife Jane while they travelled in Russia, I and my husband Arthur were young Soviet couple with little experience and knowledge of the outer world. Mr. and Mrs.Coates invited us to the US, paid for the whole trip and showed us the real America. Through that stay we met many nice and open-hearted people, Bennett Bozman and his wife Betty Ann were among them. Bennett was really so kind and easy-going person, that even my husband Arthur with his poor English felt absolutely comfortable, not to say "at home" communicating Bennett. The second time we came to the States and brought our daughter Karina,5(now she is 23, a law-school graduate)so she was always after Bennett, since kids like pets virtually sense kind people and Bennett was such a generous person.All in all we were 3 times to your country. I am proud I met these nice people! I and my family will always miss them. We really loved them. Life is so unjust and tragic sometimes.Thank you.
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