In December 2004, Bodman was nominated to replace Spencer Abraham as the Energy Secretary and was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on January 31, 2005. During his tenure, he oversaw the security problems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a budget in excess of $23 billion and over 100,000 federal and contractor employees.
Early life and education
Bodman was born on November 26, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lina (Lindsay) and Samuel Wright Bodman.[1] Bodman spent his early years in the Chicago suburbs before he graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.[2] He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and the Sphinx Head Society.[3]
In February 2007, Bodman testified before the United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces about security problems at Los Alamos National Laboratory.[10] He stated that "The heart of the problem is a cultural issue at Los Alamos".[11] He asserted that the impediment to improved security was "Arrogance. Arrogance of the chemists and physicists and engineers who work at Los Alamos and think they’re above it all".[11]
Personal life
Bodman married M. Diane (Petrella) Barber in 1997.[12] He had three children, two stepchildren, and eight grandchildren.[13]
Bodman died in El Paso on September 7, 2018, at the age of 79.[12][14] The cause of death was reported to be complications from primary progressive aphasia.[15] His death was announced by former President George W. Bush on the same day.[12][16]
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