[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF MR. EDWARD BOWMAN, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2010

  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
the life of a great man and constituent, Mr. Edward Bowman, Sr. Mr. 
Bowman, of Cheshire, Connecticut, passed away on April 17, 2010 after a 
vigorous battle with cancer. He is survived by his eight children and 
twenty-five grandchildren.
  If you know Cheshire, Connecticut, traffic jams aren't something we 
have to worry about every day. But on the day of his burial procession, 
Ed Bowman caused one heck of a traffic jam that virtually shut down 
Route 10. That is how beloved the man was to his family, his friends 
and his community. While not everyone at Mr. Bowman's funeral knew the 
man well, they certainly knew what he meant to their community and what 
a great loss his passing represented.
  Ed Bowman was simply a giant in town, both in business and in 
charity. A devout Catholic, he lived his life in the true spirit of the 
Ignatian value of acting as a ``man for others.'' Mr. Bowman came up 
from the bottom to eventually purchase and operate a successful 
business in Cheshire--White Bowman, Inc. While he was a good 
businessman, he was an even better volunteer and community cheerleader. 
If you volunteered at a St. Bridget food drive, Ed Bowman was probably 
packing grocery bags right next to you; if you thought kids in Cheshire 
needed more opportunities to participate in sports, Ed Bowman was 
probably chalking the ball field with you; and if you thought that more 
scholarships were needed to get more kids to college, Ed Bowman was 
right there next to you selling raffle tickets and hustling for 
donations.
  And he did it all without asking for anything. One of his friends at 
the local Rotary remarked that Mr. Bowman wasn't a member of the Rotary 
because he wanted to attain any leadership position but because he 
simply believed in the organization and its mission of community 
service.
  Edward Bowman is a rarity among us. His service to his family and 
community wasn't based on the need for appreciation and acclamation, 
but instead he served for the most noble of reasons--it was the right 
thing to do, because he was a man for others.
  There is no other way to put it--Ed Bowman WAS Cheshire, and the 
Bowman family that he built IS Cheshire. In honor of Edward Bowman, Sr. 
and his lifetime of service to his family and community I ask that all 
Members of the House of Representatives join me in a moment of silence 
for one outstanding American.

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