Addison M. Bowman's Obituary
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 his loving and dedicated wife 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, has already left us; 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. Addie recognized a habit for hard work early in life, beginning at a gas station on the
New Jersey turnpike at the age of 16. He went on to attain his undergraduate degree and A.B.
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 an advanced thinker of his age,
described by some as a radical, and was one of the 149 original members of the Society of
American Law Teachers (“SALT”). Addie was proud to have served in the U.S. Armed Forces,
and served active duty in the U.S. Navy as a gunnery officer and navigator aboard the U.S.S.
Saint Paul (CA 73), from 1957-60. From 1960 on, he served as U.S. Naval Reserve.
Addie was an early member of the Public Defender Service in Washington D.C., working from
1964-67, where he gained considerable trial experience, trying death-row cases. As a public
defender Addie also represented Vietnam War protesters, and spent a night in the DC jail for
protesting the Vietnam war. Addie was a popular figure in Washington D.C. and was featured in
a Washington Post story for his legal representation of anti-war protesters. Addie's 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 things to teach were law and youth
soccer. Addie 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 Hawaii. Addie was admitted as a practicing
member to the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and
the Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 is likely seen on the desk of every litigation attorney in
the State.
If asked, Addie would tell you that his most proud accomplishments involved being a
father. Addie devoted himself to the betterment of his family and 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 showed up to 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. Perennially
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", achieved the Robert W. Clopton award for
distinguished community service at U.H. 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
advanced notice of his passing, and like the teacher he was, he showed us how to gracefully
depart.
Addie will dearly be 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 Honokaa Hongwanji on January 20, 2024, Family Visitation to commence at
11:00 a.m. A memorial will be held at the Richardson School of Lawa, University of Hawaii, Honolulu,
Hawaii at a later date.
What’s your fondest memory of Addison?
What’s a lesson you learned from Addison?
Share a story where Addison's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Addison you’ll never forget.
How did Addison make you smile?