Now, She's Lobbying the Angels...

For all of you who appreciated "Everyone Loves Donuts", I thought you might like to know my friend died this morning.

From the The Tallahassee Democrat:


Budd Bell, the unsung hero of Florida, dies at 94
by Gerald Ensley • DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER • October 16, 2009

Budd Bell, the Tallahassee resident who became nationally famous as an indomitable champion of children and the downtrodden, died Friday morning.

Bell, 94, had been in declining health for three years and died at Big Bend Hospice.
Bell, a native of Canada, moved to Tallahassee in 1969 with her late husband, Florida State professor and gerontology expert William Bell. She had been the chief of social work at a Masschusetts hospital.

When Bell discovered Florida was not taking advantage of federal dollars available for public child care, she started lobbying the state about the issue -- which kicked off a nearly 40-year career of being at the forefront of local, state and national issues related to children, families, the disable, elderly and poor.

In 1972, she founded Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend, which aids children and families in three counties. In 1974, she founded the Clearinghouse on Human Services, an advocacy coaltion that now encompasses 200 organizations. .She helped legislators craft the Baker Act, which protects the rights of those with mental illness.

“I believe she was as instrumental as anyone in history in putting together Florida’s social services network,” said former Florida Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay. “I consider her one of Florida’s unsung heroes.”

They called her the "conscience of the state."

But Budd Bell was simply a woman who cared about the disadvantaged — and spent nearly 40 years as an indomitable, unpaid advocate for children, women, the poor, elderly and disabled.

"Her sense of justice was a clear compass for every reform in Florida from the early 1970s until she retired from the stage a few years ago," said Jack Levine, former longtime executive director of the Bell-founded Florida Center for Children and Youth. "She created the conversation about what should be done, what could be done and, by God, what will be done."


In 1972, she founded Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend, which aids children and families in three counties. In 1974, she founded the Clearinghouse on Human Services, an advocacy coalition that now encompasses 200 organizations. In 1976, she founded the Florida Center on Children and Youth.

She played pivotal roles in crafting legal protections for the mentally ill, health-care networks for the elderly and transportation programs for the disabled.

Elizabeth "Bess" Lander Bell was born in Winnipeg, Canada, the daughter of working class Jewish immigrants. As a teenager, she was a counselor at a camp for disabled children — earning the nickname Budd, short for Buddha, for her leadership and guidance to other counselors.

She earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in sociology from Canadian universities. She married her husband in 1942, and they moved to the U.S. in 1949. William Bell died in 1991.

"The word I always use with Budd is 'formidable,' " said Pam Davis, executive director of Kids Incorporated. "She had no fear. There was nobody more important to her than a child and its family."

Bell's success often was a result of her commanding personality. Solidly built, with a deep voice, she had bulldog persistence on every cause. She harangued politicians, lobbied agency heads and assembled coalitions of often diverse groups to push through legislation and policies.

"She was so darn tenacious. It was a whole lot easier to tell Budd 'Yes' than 'No,' because if you told her 'No,' she'd be back the next day just as persistent," said former Florida legislator and FSU President Sandy D'Alemberte. "If she thought something was wrong, she was going to work as hard as she could for as long as she could to make it right."

One of the most famous examples was in the early 1980s when she held a bake sale at the capitol for a children's issue that was stalled in the Legislature — with Bell facetiously asking, "Wouldn't it be great if the Air Force held a bake sale when it wanted to buy a B-1 bomber?"

As the end of the session grew near, Bell went to every legislator's office to plead her case — and got the bill passed.

"Kids were her special cause. But she took on anyone to fight for the disadvantaged," said longtime capitol TV reporter Mike Vasilinda. "She was a wonderful woman with a warm heart who did it simply because she cared."
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Budd—what can I say? How do I count the ways I loved her? Her love and influence are woven into the very tapestry of my life…I see her in the garden every time I clip a rose bush or grow a tomato. I remember the patience with which she taught my son, Joe, to trim the chrysanthemums…while she taught him so much more. I remember the hours we spent “brainstorming” on issues…three years of “brainstorming” on the bicycle helmet issue—and no matter the obstacles, she never quit.

I remember all the meetings of the Transportation Disadvantaged—the Clearinghouse mornings in the basement of the Capitol—then, often the trip to the cafeteria “to see who’s there that we might speak to…” The endless news conferences and talking points and committee meetings. So often, so many of us, would say “let’s get Budd, she’ll know what to say or do.” And, she always did.
I remember sharing an office with her and marveling at her energy and her knowledge. I remember traveling with her—and sneaking away from the meeting to go shopping for shoes because so few places carried the large size she needed…I remember standing for hours on the Mall at the Capitol in Washington with thousands of people who were Standing for Children...I remember the American Forum meetings and the fun she and I had writing an article together…and often, at the same moment coming up with precisely the word we each had been searching for…and laughing about how we came from such different places, but shared something neither of us quite understood.
I remember how she loved the photograph I took of the Aspen trees...and her wonderful stories about her time in Colorado. I remember thousands of cups of tea at her table.
I remember what a good sport she always was and how she loved to laugh. I smile every time I remember her favorite “bad” words—and how shocking it was for some to hear her use them—usually directed toward something, or someone, she found incomprehensible. I remember the strong presence she displayed as she leaned on the podium, toward the microphone, in a Senate or House committee hearing. Watching from the audience, I would chuckle to myself as I saw the members of the committee, perhaps unconsciously, move back in their chairs.

But most of all I remember her compassion and her love. Once, when I was having an especially difficult time— it was Budd, of all my friends, who realized how devastated I was and who promptly came to my house, pulled up a chair at my kitchen table and said, “Now, we must talk about this and you must be strong.”

We did, and I was, because she was there for me and she believed in me. From her vast reservoir, she gave me the strength I needed, then, to go on. She was there for so many of us: her family, her friends, her colleagues and all the thousands of children and others who never even knew her.

The world has lost a hero and we have all lost our friend and mentor…but she is not lost: she lives forever in the bloom of the rose, in the smiles of the children, and in the faces and hearts of the thousands for whom she so tirelessly worked.

In the unending circle of life, she is there –in each of us. I love you Budd.