Nineteenth-century author and Presbyterian minister Henry Ward Beecher observed, “It is not the going out of port but the coming in that determines the success of a voyage.” The Honorable Helen Delich Bentley, self-proclaimed “Mother of the Port of Baltimore” and octogenarian, has come into port through a successful career that began as a local maritime reporter and editor.
During her 24-year tenure, she became the most respected maritime expert in the nation. In 1950, her voyage propelled her to television. Bentley produced, directed and wrote for her series “The Port that Built a City.” This new medium was her forum to heighten public and government awareness of the port?s substantial economic impact on Maryland.
In a recent speech at the 10th annual International Leadership Awards, where Bentley received the Governor?s International Leadership Award, she said: “The port?s power supplies the juice that powers the state. Because of the port, Maryland?s economic future looks brighter than many other states.”
In 1969, President Richard Nixon discovered Bentley and made her the chairman of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, a post she retained for six years.
At the time, she was the fourth-highest ranking woman in federal government history. From 1985-95, Bentley served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Maryland?s 2nd Congressional District.
While in Congress, she developed a reputation as a “tough lady,” said Aris Melissaratos, secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In his introduction of Bentley at the leadership awards, he explained, “She wasn?t afraid to raise her voice to any of her colleagues to demonstrate her love of the port and of keeping jobs in America.”
Since 1995, Bentley has been president and CEO of Helen Bentley & Associates Inc., concentrating in government relations and business development. She also retains her role as a consultant to the Maryland Port Administration, and “a very good one,” said Melissaratos. “The port appreciates Helen Bentley very much on its 300th anniversary.”
Moreover, Bentley serves as chairman of the Port of Baltimore Tricentennial Committee. Who else but the matriarch of the port should hold this position? “No other port has celebrated 300 years ? it?s very special,” she noted during her acceptance speech. “For all those years, maritime in Baltimore never sleeps. It?s 24/7, 365 days a year.”
It seems Helen Delich Bentley never sleeps, so as to stand watch over every ship sailing through the channel and into the Baltimore harbor.
A longtime export analyst and consultant, Joseph R. Hughes? maritime-related articles have appeared in numerous publications. He is a native Baltimorean who now lives in Harford County.
