Bowie Kuhn, Chairman Of The Thomas More Law Center's Advisory Board, Laid To Rest Today
by Staff
March 20, 2007
ANN ARBOR, MI (christiansunite.com) - The Thomas More Law Center, a national Christian legal advocacy group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, mourns the loss of the Chairman of its Citizens Advisory Board - Bowie Kuhn. Mr. Kuhn died on March 15, 2007, at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Kuhn, who lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was 80. Many know that Bowie Kuhn was Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1969-1984. "He led our game through a great deal of change and controversy," current commissioner Bud Selig said. "Yet, Bowie laid the groundwork for the success we enjoy today." "He wore the mantle really well. He liked being commissioner," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He never seemed to compromise on what he felt he needed to do."
Since leaving baseball, Bowie Kuhn has been a leader in the Catholic community. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel to the Thomas More Law Center, attended Bowie Kuhn's funeral. Thompson commented, "Bowie was one of the most virtuous and intelligent men I ever met. He was an articulate steadfast spokesman for the Christian community."
The Thomas More Law Center was on Bowie Kuhn's mind the day he passed. Bowie Kuhn told a member of the clergy in the hospital that the Thomas More Law Center was a great organization.
Brian Rooney, Director of Communications for the Law Center, said, "I had the privilege of meeting Bowie Kuhn recently in Naples, Florida, with my father. My grandfather, Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was a huge baseball fan, and not surprisingly was good friends with Bowie Kuhn. I will always cherish the stories Bowie Kuhn told me and my father that day about his friendship with my grandfather."
Bowie Kuhn was a graduate of Princeton University and had earned a law degree from the University of Virginia. "I want it to be remembered that I was commissioner during a time of tremendous growth in the popularity of the game," Kuhn said, "and that it was a time in which no one could question the integrity of the game."
"Bowie was a good guy, and I admired him. Even though we had our disagreements, I never lost my respect for his integrity," George Steinbrenner said through spokesman Howard Rubenstein.
Bowie Kent Kuhn grew up in Washington, D.C, the youngest of three children. His father, Louis, an immigrant from Bavaria, was an executive with a fuel company. His mother, Alice, her roots in 17th-century Maryland, descended from five governors, two United States senators, and the frontiersman Jim Bowie.
Bowie Kuhn is survived by his wife, Luisa; his son, Stephen, of Chappaqua, New York; his daughter, Alix Bower of Ridgefield, Connecticut; two stepsons, Paul Degener, of Redding, Connecticut, and George Degener of Somers, New York; a sister, Alice McKinley of St. Augustine, Florida; and 10 grandchildren.
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through education, litigation, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.
