Obituaries

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Robert J. Hellman, 62, writer, BMW enthusiast

Robert J. Hellman, a writer and recognized BMW enthusiast, died March 9 of carcinoid-related heart disease at his Chesapeake Bay home in Tracy"s Landing, Md. He was 62.

Mr. Hellman earned a doctorate in German intellectual history from Columbia University in 1972 before moving to the District and working on Capitol Hill. During his graduate studies, Mr. Hellman was active in the affairs and publications of Columbia"s International House, captivating many with his guitar playing and command of obscure tunes and lyrics.

He grew up on Hellman Point Road in North Lake, Wis., graduating in 1967 from Marquette University, where he was a member of Crown and Anchor Literary Society. An early U.S. exchange student to East Germany who lived to view his own Stasi file after the secret police records were made available, Mr. Hellman lived at Trotthaus during the last years of the Cold War while he conducted research at Humboldt University for his book, "Berlin, The Red Room & White Beer: The 'Free' Hegelian Radicals" of the 1840s. There, he played on the East Berlin volleyball team. He witnessed the funeral of the supposed last Holy Roman empress and the collapse of the actual Berlin Wall.

A prolific writer and adroit editor, Mr. Hellman"s contributions included a 1976 book produced under then-House Banking Committee Chairman Henry Reuss, "On the Trail of the Ice Age," which inspired the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. Mr. Hellman wrote for numerous publications, including coverage of Daytona Bike Week for The Washington Times.

He helped popularize the term "Boxer" for BMW"s air-cooled motorcycles, Mr. Hellman"s wit once got him banned from reviewing cars for the company"s flagship magazine. He was designated BMW "Freund der Marke" No. 001 in 1997 and given BMW of North America"s first BMW Icon award a decade later. As vice chairman, motorcycles, for the International Council of BMW Clubs until February 2007, Mr. Hellman was honored later that year for his more than 20 years as editor of the BMW Riders Association magazine On The Level.

Mr. Hellman belonged to the National Military Intelligence Association and the Association for Intelligence Officers.

An avowed liberal who often saw past party lines, to the point where he once entertained writing speeches for a Republican governor, Mr. Hellman followed basketball with equal passion, cheering Marquette's Dwayne Wade and decrying Duke. A tenured figure at the Guards in Georgetown and Mangos by the Bay in Maryland, Mr. Hellman"s broad interests included crewing for Harry "Buddy" Melges Jr. of America"s Cup fame, iceboating, ice skating, windsurfing and scuba diving, a late-onset love of gardening, and an abiding appreciation of the turtles that reminded him of his lakeside childhood.

Mr. Hellman is survived by his mother, Margaret Hellman of Milwaukee; a daughter, Alice Sturm of the District; a brother, John Hellman; and his friend, Mary Lee Kingsley of Bethesda.

Jane C. Gude, 86, congressman's wife