ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Wednesday unveiled a stained glass light box commemorating the life and legacy of Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley. The governor and First Lady Yumi Hogan were joined for the event by Secretary Jim Ports of the Maryland Department of Transportation, Executive Director Bill Doyle of the Maryland Port Administration, and Congressman Kweisi Mfume.
“The First Lady and I are proud to have supported this very fitting tribute to the life and the memory of Helen Delich Bentley,” said Governor Hogan. “Helen truly was a rare breed in politics, and her one-of-a-kind, irrepressible personality left a larger-than-life mark on the City of Baltimore, our state, and our nation.”
The light box was created by New York-based artist Nancy Nicholson, and depicts career highlights and personal interests from throughout Bentley’s life.
Helen Bentley spent the first 30 years of her career at the Baltimore Sun, where she reported on labor and maritime issues and became the first woman to cover the Port of Baltimore, which now bears her name. In 1969, Bentley was named chair of the Federal Maritime Commission by President Richard Nixon, making her the highest ranking woman in the Nixon administration.
In 1984, Helen Bentley was elected to represent Maryland’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she was a fierce advocate for shipping and trade issues.
After leaving Congress, Bentley founded Helen Bentley and Associates, which offered clients international and national trade, business, and government relations consulting services. She was also a board member of the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Maritime Industries Academy High School, and remained very active within the Port of Baltimore community, serving as a consultant to the Maryland Port Commission until her passing in 2016.
