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The Port of Baltimore
■
January/February 2014
NEWSMAKERS
Bentley ‘Roasted’ as Part of
90th Birthday Celebration
F
or
Helen Delich Bentley
’s 90th birthday
party in November, a large crowd dominated
by business leaders and politicians had
fun “roasting” the long-time Port of Baltimore
advocate and former congresswoman.
More than one guest noted that the birthday
celebration attracted a roomful of people that both
love and fear Bentley, not necessarily in that order.
House Minority Whip
Steny Hoyer
, playing on
Bentley’s well-known “Buy American” stance, joked
that he brought along a letter of congratulations from
the Japanese ambassador, but that he couldn’t read it
out loud due to the coarse language it contained.
Other “roasters” poked fun at Bentley’s fast
driving, gruff voice and long hours on the job.
Recalling the early-morning telephone calls she
would get when the two women were in office
together, Senator
Barbara Mikulski
said, “I’m a
good Catholic; I will genuflect for the Pope and I will
answer the phone for Helen Bentley.”
A former newspaper reporter, Federal Maritime
Commission chair and five-term congresswoman
who spearheaded important dredging efforts in
Baltimore Harbor, Bentley received a pin from
Senators Mikulski and Ben Cardin that was
commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution and
identified her as “The First Lady of the Port.”
The renaming of what is now known as the Helen
Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore took place in 2006
during the Port’s 300th anniversary, which was com-
memorated with the issuing of special license plates.
U.S. Rep.
C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger
remembered
thinking that he might be in line for the coveted 300th
plate. Alas, Congressman Ruppersberger’s car sports
No. 299; Bentley has No. 300.
Along those same lines,
George F. “Bud” Nixon
,
former President of Rukert Terminals Corporation,
said of Bentley, “She’s the only eyewitness of the
birth of the Port of Baltimore.”
U.S. Rep.
Elijah Cummings
put all kidding aside
when he told Bentley, “You helped me to dream
bigger dreams. … You were trying to make our world
a better world.”
The event took place on the waterfront at the
Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI). In lieu of gifts
for the party, Bentley requested that donations be
made to some of her favorite causes, including
the BMI,
Pride of Baltimore
, Maritime Industries
Academy Foundation and Wounded Warriors, as
well as various animal-protection groups and the
University of Baltimore Bentley Scholarship Fund.
When explaining why the 90th birthday
celebration was important to her, Bentley said, “I
decided I wanted to see all of this while I was still
above the ground.”
Soundings
EVENTS
Port Plays Key Part in
Forest Products Industry
Symposium
B
altimore recently served as host
for what is considered to be
the leading biennial conference
and exhibition for the global forest
products logistics industry.
During
PPI Transport Symposium
20
, which was held October 28-31
at the Baltimore Convention Center,
representatives of the Maryland Port
Administration (MPA) and BalTerm took the
opportunity to promote their forest products
capabilities before a worldwide audience.
The MPA was able to showcase the
Port with a harbor cruise the night before
the opening day of the conference. Later,
MPA Executive Director
James J. White
was one of the highlighted speakers.
“We had the premier location for our
BILL MCALLEN
