RalphBogart was born in Annapolis, MD to a career Naval officer and settled in Chevy Chase, MD. Ralph attended Woodrow Wilson High School and George Washington University before enlisting as a Navy pilot in World War II. He received a commendation from James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, for heroism when he evacuated injured soldiers during inclement weather in the Okinawa campaign. On one of his flights, he met his wife, Una Bohrer, a Navy nurse.
Mr. Bogart was one of the top amateur golfers from the Washington area. He won many tournaments, including ten Maryland Amateur Championships, five Middle-Atlantic Amateur Championships and five Anderson Memorial Championships at Winged Foot Club with Bobby Brownell. (They were known in the golfing world as the "Gold Dust Twins"). He qualified for thirty-one U.S. Golf Association Championships and was inducted into the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame.
The partners founded what became a thriving insurance agency in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, called Bogart and Brownell, currently being run by Mr. Bogart's sons. Mr. Bogart was a resident of Chevy Chase and Kensington until 1989, when he retired to Boynton Beach, FL. He was a 49-year summer resident of Bethany Beach, DE.
Mr. Bogart was a long-time member of All Saints Episcopal Church, serving as Junior Warden of the Vestry, Chevy Chase Club, Rehoboth Country Club, and Quail Ridge Country Club. He was a member and president over the years of Cripple Creek Country Club, Middle Atlantic Golf Association, Maryland State Golf Association, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase Optimist Club. He was an organizer of the Society of Seniors in 1984, now a national organization with over 600 top senior amateur golfers, serving as its president from 1991-2003. An annual golf tournament named RalphBogart Winter Invitational is held in Naples, FL.
Mr. Bogart's family roots extend in Maryland to the early 1600s, when his ancestor, Nicholas Martin, settled on the Eastern Shore having received a land grant from King Charles I. Mr. Bogart's ancestors fought in the American Revolution and on both sides of the Civil War. For anyone who knew Mr. Bogart, they will remember one of those rare individuals who lived life to the fullest. He embraced everything he did with great energy and determination and he truly was a man of integrity. Survivors include his wife, Una Bogart of Boynton Beach; sons: William and Bruce; daughter, Suzanne Richman of Bethesda, MD; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and his many friends.
The memorial service will be on Wednesday, March 3 at 11 AM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach, FL; (561) 276-4541. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association; (800) 242-8721.