Addison Bowman Obituary

ADDISON M. BOWMAN Addison Moore Bowman, "Professor Bowman," "Coach Addie," or (his favorites) "Dad," "Pops," and "Grandpa," passed away peacefully on December 15, 2023 at his home in Pa'auilo, surrounded by his family. Addie is survived by wife of 38 years Jo Kim, his children Michael (Glen Ellerbrock), Max (Marielle Hampton), Eli (Nicole Bowman), and Noa, and his three grandchildren Mira, Sophie, and Wes. Addie's younger sister, Martha "Marty" Johnson, predeceased him; they were two years apart and stayed close their whole lives. Addie was born in 1935 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to a long line of lawyers and physicians. He developed a habit for hard work early in life, beginning at a gas station on the New Jersey turnpike at the age of 16. He received his undergraduate degree and AB from Dartmouth College in 1957, an LLB from Dickinson Law School in 1963, and an LLM from Georgetown University Law Center in 1963 before accepting a fellowship at Georgetown Law's E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship program. Addie was a visionary, described by some as a radical, and was one of the 149 original members of the Society of American Law Teachers ("SALT"). He was proud to have served in the US Armed Forces; he was on active duty as a gunnery officer and navigator in the US Navy aboard the USS Saint Paul (CA 73) from 1957-60; from 1960 on he served in the US Naval Reserve. From 1964-67, Addie was an early member of the Public Defender Service in Washington DC where he gained considerable trial experience trying death-row cases. He represented Vietnam War protesters and spent a night in the DC jail for protesting the Vietnam war. Addie was a popular figure in Washington DC and was featured in the Washington Post for his legal representation of anti-war protesters. His passion and talent for litigation, advocation, and the application of the rule of law was quickly noted in the legal community and he joined the Georgetown University Law Center as a Professor of Law from 1967-74. Addie had a passion for education. His favorite subjects to teach were law and youth soccer. He taught as a Professor of Law at Richardson School of Law from 1976-96, was a Visiting Professor in 1989 to the University of Hiroshima Faculty of Law, and in 1996 became Professor of Law, Emeritus, with the University of Hawai'i. Addie was admitted as a practicing member to the bars of the US Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Hawai'i bar. Addie's love for the law led him to author and publish the "Hawai'i Rules of Evidence Manual," a litigation and trial manual frequently cited by the Hawai'i Supreme Court. The Hawai'i Rules of Evidence Manual provides the most complete and in-depth analysis of legal rules, their applications, and case law in Hawai'i and likely seen on the desk of every litigation attorney in the State. If asked, Addie would tell you that his proudest accomplishments involved being a father. He devoted himself to the betterment of his children, always involved in education, extracurricular activities, sports and community service. He led by example, showing his boys how a loving, responsible man functioned. He attended parent-teacher conferences with a clipboard, taking notes on potential ways to improve and grow. He became a masterclass in youth soccer, creating a space for his sons to compete and excel. Always leading by example, Addie demonstrated to his family and the community what class, commitment, and honesty could achieve. Addie has garnered significant recognition for his work throughout the years. An Outstanding Professor of Law charter recipient in 1983, he received a Gubernatorial proclamation setting August 22, 1997 as "Addison M. Bowman Day." He achieved the Robert W. Clopton award for distinguished community service at UH Manoa in 1980; received a Hawai'i County Bar Ass'n Lifetime of Service Award in 2016; has a Certificate of Appreciation from the Southern Poverty Law Center adding Addison's name to the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery, Alabama; and was named "Person of the Year" in the 2005-06 Honoka'a High School Yearbook. Addie was a successful man because of his mind, his drive, his attention to detail and his commitment to excellence. His death was like his life: orderly, progressive and methodical. It was almost as if he had planned it to the end, and like the legal expert he was, he gave his family advance notice of his passing; like the teacher he was, he showed us how to gracefully depart. Addie will be dearly missed by his legal, educational and athletic communities, his friends, his colleagues, his students, his players, his dogs, and his loving family. Memorial will be held at the Honoka'a Hongwanji on January 20, 2024, Family Visitation to commence at 11:00 a.m. Services at 12:00 p.m. A memorial will be held at the Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i at a later date.