Remembering Ellen Bozman

When Arlingtonians attend a Neighborhood Day celebration, shop at retail stores built in high-rises across the street from an Arlington metro station, or buy produce at the Arlington Farmer’s Market, they can thank Ellen Bozman.

Bozman, who moved to Arlington from Illinois in 1950, was a believer in good government and smart community planning. She was first active in Arlington’s League of Women Voters, pushing for school desegregation and becoming the league’s president from 1963 to 1965. Over time, Ellen was drawn into county work by her civic responsibility, culminating in her election to the Arlington County Board in November of 1973. She kept that seat, holding the chairmanship six times, until her retirement from the Board in 1997. One of her most long-lasting achievements was the success of Smart Growth, which surrounded metro stops along the Courthouse-Ballston corridor with urban retail and residential high rises while keeping areas further out more open and suburban. In 1986, Washingtonian magazine named her “Washingtonian of the Year.”

Bozman’s tireless work on behalf of all Arlingtonians continued even after her retirement from the County Board. Until her death on January 8, 2009, she was a board member for the Arlington Community Foundation and appeared at Neighborhood Day celebrations, of which she was the founder. Today, you can find out more about Ellen Bozman’s work on behalf of Arlington County residents in the Virginia Room. There are oral histories and county publications that document Bozman’s time on the County Board, and maps that document Arlington’s development over the second half of the twentieth century.

What About You?

What are your memories of Ellen Bozman? Let us hear from you!