John D. Bell *70

Professor John D. Bell, historian at the U. of Maryland-Baltimore County and acknowledged authority on Bulgaria, died Dec. 4, 1998, of cancer at his home in Clarksville, Md. He was 56.

Born in Minneapolis, John was an alumnus of Yale, where he earned his bachelor's and master's in 1964-65, majoring in Russian and East European studies. He earned his doctorate in history at Princeton in 1970. During the last years of his graduate studies he also was an instructor at Monmouth College in New Jersey.

John joined the faculty of the U. of Maryland-BC in 1970 as assistant professor and continued there as a full professor, in addition to consulting for the Dept. of State since 1980. He became an authority on Bulgaria and served many roles in that function. He wrote and lectured extensively on Bulgaria, spent much time studying there, and was an official observer of the Bulgarian elections in 1990. He served on the board of the Bulgarian-American Trade Council and held membership in the American Assn. for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.

Susan, his first wife, predeceased him in 1986. He remarried and is survived by his wife, Judith, three daughters, and a stepdaughter.

The Graduate Alumni