I was sad to hear about the death of Cochise County Democratic Chairman Bob Bland yesterday. He fell ill while on a cross country trip.
Bland had been active in Democratic and progressive politics in a number of states before moving to Bisbee in 2006, and he started young. As a member of the Rice University Young Democrats, he was part of a movement that got the Texas Young Democrats to pass an anti-Vietnam War resolution in 1967.
A remembrance on the Democratic LBGT Caucus website says that Bland may have been the first openly gay Arizona county party chairman. Even though that distinction actually goes to a former Pima County chairman, Bland was recognized within the party as an important leader in the LBGT caucus. It is hard to imagine that the caucus would be as well organized today if he wasn’t around when it started.
Above all, he was a kind and friendly man. I guess there isn’t much better you can say about anyone.
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He will be greatly missed.
Thank you for the lovely rememberance, Ted. Please join us to celebrate Bob’s life on Saturday, June 11, 6:30 PM at the Cochise County Democratic Party headquarters, 1010 E. Fry Blvd., Sierra Vista. Some members of Bob’s family will be there. We want them to know how Bob touched so many lives in his short time in AZ. We are asking people to wear bright colors (of the rainbow) and bring candles. Let me know if you have any other questions. Yes, we are going to miss Bob Bland….
Tedski, Pat, C.J. and many others throughout Arizona, Thank You for the wonderful comments you have made about Bob Bland. He was so proud of his efforts in the Democratic party (Vermont, Arizona, Texas, NC, and acroos sthe country. As a leader in the LGBT & Gay Pride movements, he was also proud of what he accomplished. As one of his three brothers, I speak for the Bland family and his living mother, “We were proud of you Bob!” As Bill Hess, Reporter, Tucson Herald Newspaper said, “He was anything but bland!” That will be on Bob’s Tombstone! Tom Bland (C) 703-501-5269