Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

C. Bernard "Bernie" Fowler (1924-2021)
MSA SC 3520-2705

Extended biography:

As a boy growing up on Broomes Island, Bernie Fowler developed a life long love and admiration for the Patuxent River, a vital tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. "When you live on a river like that, it becomes a part of you." (Karl Blankenship. "Past political leaders reflect on restoration efforts' past, future," Bay Journal, Vol. 11 No. 3 (May 2001). Fowler has made preserving the River and Bay his life's work.

After returning to Calvert County following service as a petty officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he established Bernie's Boats, with the help of fellow native son Louis Goldstein. The early business venture included boat rentals and a snack bar. "Back then, I was my own bait boy, clerk, everything," Fowler recalled (Martin, Sandra. "Bernie's Big Day": With Bare Toes or Sneakers, It's Time to Wade Right In." New Bay Times, vol. VI No. 23 (June 11-17, 1998).) Upon Goldstein's death in 1998, Fowler reminisced about the early days of his business and politics in the rural county:

I went to the bank to borrow $4,000 under the GI loan program and they turned me down. It seemed crushing to me to come back home with the federal government guaranteeing a GI loan and I couldn't get it. So I went to Louis Goldstein's law office across from the courthouse and told him the story. He went down to the bank with me and had a few choice words to say to the vice president, and they called me that night and approved my loan. It was a tremendous favor to me. And it made us lifelong friends. I went in to thank Louis and he said, 'You can do me a favor if you will. Have you registered to vote yet?' And I said I hadn't, I was still just getting settled back home. And he asked me to consider affiliating with the Democratic Party because he needed my vote in the primary. So I signed up as a Democrat and I've supported him ever since. And that's the reason I'm a Democrat. ("Memories of Honey, High Finance and Humanity," The Washington Post, 9 July 1998; Southern Maryland Extra, M08.)

In the 1960s, Bernie, now a member of the Calvert County Board of Education, began to notice changes to and the degradation of the beloved river he crabbed and fished in for most of his life. No longer could the six foot tall man clearly see his feet while wading in the river, or the crabs and vegetation that lived there. He decided to take action.

In 1970, Bernie used $157 of his own money in a campaign for a county commissioner seat. He won the election and served as a commissioner for the next twelve years, serving as the board's president for much of that time. (Karl Blankenship. "Past political leaders reflect on restoration efforts' past, future," Bay Journal, Vol. 11 No. 3 (May 2001). During this time, Bernie also began a grass roots campaign to clean up the Patuxent. At a dinner meeting, Bernie's frustration with the inaction of both the state and federal governments became clear as he said, "'We've done everything we could ladies and gentleman. Now we can build a monument here to the death of the Patuxent River, or we can take another course: I'm going to recommend we seek relief in the courts.'" (2005 interview with David M. Jenkins, executive director of the Tri-County Council, on the Council's 40th anniversary. (downloaded from the Council's website, http://www.tccsmd.org)) Under Bernie's direction, the citizens of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties successfully sued the state of Maryland and "forced [it] to improve its water quality plan for the Patuxent, installing sewage treatment facilities and pump-out stations along the river." (Lyndsey Layton. "U-Md. Renames Marine Lab for Fowler," The Washington Post, 15 November 1998; Southern Maryland Extra, M10.) Fowler reminisced "We won three suits in the federal courts of the District of Columbia. The bottom line was, the ruling said we were right. They didn't even bother to appeal it." (2005 interview with David M. Jenkins, executive director of the Tri-County Council, on the Council's 40th anniversary. (downloaded from the Council's website, http://www.tccsmd.org))

Fowler came to Annapolis is 1982 as a State Senator representing portions of Calvert, St. Mary's, and Anne Arundel counties. The environment became one of his top legislative priorities. During his service, he served on the Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, the Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation, and he was the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas. He and Senator Gerald W. Winegrad of Anne Arundel County, became two the environmental interests "most prominent legislative champions" (Robert Timberg. "Bay losing yet another loyal friend." The Baltimore Sun, 2 February 1994; 1B.), introducing legislation aimed at improving the environment and water quality in Maryland.

The degradation of the River continued, and Fowler decided a visual way needed to be found to prove this to other Maryland politicians. In 1988, while serving in the Senate, Bernie and Tom Wisner, conducted the first Patuxent River wade-in, and the term "Sneaker Index" was born. (Sara E. Leeland. "To Change the Bay, You Can't Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet," Bay Weekly, 10-16 June 1994; downloaded from http://www.bayweekly.com) The concept was simple, Bernie, dressed in overalls and white sneakers, would wade into the River from the shoreline and stop at the point where he could no longer see his shoes, and then measure the water line on his clothes. Almost twenty years later, "Sneaker Index" and wade-in are becoming common terminology in the environmental community, even being used as an example of pollution measurement at the 2002 Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Roundtable in Seattle, Washington. Other states are also establishing their own wade ins, including the neighboring state of Delaware.

Upon announcing his retirement from the Senate in 1994, Fowler said "'I will leave the... Senate fulfilled, but certainly not satisfied... There is a lot to be done, and those who know Bernie Fowler know that I am not a quitter.'" (Robert Timberg. "Bay losing yet another loyal friend." The Baltimore Sun, 2 February 1994; 1B.)
The executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Commission acknowledged Bernie's efforts to bring attention to the pollution in Maryland's waterways during his years in the Senate by saying "Bernie is really a symbol for water quality... His toes will live on long after his departure from the Senate." (Robert Timberg. "Bay losing yet another loyal friend," The Baltimore Sun, 2 February 1994, 1B.) In recognition for his efforts to preserve the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay, the General Assembly passed a resolution in 1994, declaring June 12, 1994, "Senator Bernie Fowler Day" in the state of Maryland. (1994 JR 10). In June 1994, gubernatorial candidate American Joe Miedusiewki selected Fowler as his running mate. The pair placed second in the Democratic primary in September of that year. (1996-97 Maryland Manual, p. 878.)

Despite his retirement, Bernie has remained politically active, representing the citizens of Maryland on various board and commissions, including the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Patuxent River Commission (former chair), Maryland Veterans Home Commission, and the Patuxent River Oil Spill Citizens Advisory Committee (former chair). At a 2004 news conference with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Fowler said "We must move ahead, or throw in the towel and give up on the Chesapeake Bay.... When the Chesapeake Bay goes, the heart of Maryland stops beating." (Tom Pelton. "Environmental group proposes tax on meat, dairy to aid in bay cleanup, " The Baltimore Sun, 29 July 2004, 1B.) Bernie has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognition. In 1998, a lab at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Solomons, Maryland was renamed in Bernie's honor. That same year, the Chesapeake Bay Trust on awarded him the first Ellen Fraites Wagner Award. Former governor Harry Hughes, a member of the Trust's board, said, "Bernie's love and leadership for the Chesapeake has influenced thousands of people and activities... He exemplifies the mission of the Chesapeake Bay Trust - promoting public awareness and involvement in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay." (Karl Blankenship. "Burkholder, Fowler, Hargis honored for work regarding Bay," Bay Journal, Vol. 8 No. 1 (March 1998.), http://www.bayjournal.com)

Return to Bernie Fowler's Introductory Page

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