Our First Responders Leave BIG SHOES to Fill
Cindy Lee – wife of Dan Lee, owners of MacGregor’s Restaurant until their recent retirement, shared a beautiful parade uniform worn by her dad, BILL BOWMAN, when he marched in parades with the Susquehanna Firefighters. He left some mighty big shoes to fill when he passed away in 2011.
Bill and his wife, Lee, moved to Havre de Grace in 1949. He owned what was then a Mobil Station from the early 1950s through the late 1960s. As a master mechanic, Cindy shares that many of the older guys in town today knew him and many were mentored by him.
He drove for the Ambulance Corps and as a fireman, he was chief of Firehouse #4 on two separate occasions. Back in the day, the corps marched in the Fourth of July Parades as well as other events. Check out the smart off-white pants (in the video) worn with this well-preserved jacket. Very classy!
worn by Bill Bowman
worn by Bill Bowman
We are privileged to have his marching uniform in our Havre de Grace History MuZeum! Thank you, Cindy.
Cindy also said that she has his Susquehanna Hose Company #4 jacket with his name embroidered on it and still wears it! It was made in 1950 in Baltimore!
Breaking News
Fred Cullum returned a quick request for information as we were filming the video. The Mobil Station was located in the 600 block of Revolution Street. It was once DeBonis Chevrolet, later the Havre de Grace RECORD office, and is now Lyon’s Pharmacy.
Fred worked for Bill in the late 1960s. In June 1969, he bought the business and operated it until 1973. The gas shortage of the 1970s created chaos for small stations. He closed the business in 1973.
More from Cindy
Cindy tells us a bit more about her dad.
He was a great guy that could build, fix, restore, or grow anything! Every year he would win the 1st prize in the county fair for the market basket. All of his vegetables were amazing. His 900+ pound pumpkins were always a big hit!
from Cindy bowman Lee, 2023
In the future, we hope to interview Fred Cullem. In the meantime, don’t forget to share your stories with our casual historian of HdG.
Remember, don’t throw the Havre de Grace ‘stuff’ out when you’re cleaning out a home, settling an estate, or just ‘downsizing,’ without checking in with George. Don’t give him cause to cry!!!
Our ‘casual historian’ is always waiting for your stories and any memorabilia you may want to share.
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