After decades of service, Sir John Plowman, Kt., CBE, OBE, MLC, died at home yesterday morning. He was 93.

The long-time community activist, who was born here but moved to the UK as a child, was refused entry when he returned to the Island 16 years later. However after a careful look at Bermuda's immigration laws he convinced officials to allow him to take up residency in his rightful birthplace and went on to serve the Island for more than 65 years.

Born on September 18,1908 to a non-commissioned officer stationed at the British Army camp at Prospect, Sir John was one of seven children.

During his early years in Bermuda, Sir John lived on Frog Lane with his family and attended the Garrison School.

After the First World War, his family moved back to England where Sir John attended the Highfield School, Clark's Modern School for Boys and later the London School of Economics.

After a brief stint in British politics where he was branch chairman and vice chairman of the Junior Imperial League, a speaker at Conservative Party rallies, a 1912 Club member and the youngest Borough Chancellor, he returned to the Island.

It was 1935, he was 27 and he believed there were opportunities here.

Shortly after arriving in Bermuda Sir John went to work at distributing company W. S. Purvis and Company Limited and married Majorie Harwick.

Sir John quickly joined the debating group Forty Club and later joined the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers.

A Food and Supplies Control Board had been formed in 1940 to monitor the distribution of food on the Island which had become a problem as supplies being shipped to Bermuda from the United States were limited. Sir John acquired the newly created position of Rationing Officer and later served as the Assistant Director of Supplies from 1942 to 1945, Director from 1945 to 1947 and Chairman of the Supplies Commission from 1947-1949.

Sir John was awarded the Queen's honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his services with the Wartime Supplies Commission.

In 1945 at the end of Second World War, Sir John was approached by the partners of Holmes Williams and Purvey to become the fourth partner of the company in the position of Managing Director.

He went to work at HWP in 1947 and stayed until 1998, serving either as Managing Director or Chairman.

While there he was instrumental in bringing the first cars to Bermuda and in bringing the GE dealership to Bermuda for the distribution of large electrical appliances.

In 1948 Sir John became a member of the Chamber of Commerce for which he served as vice-president until 1950 and president from 1950-1952 and 1960-1962.

He also served as a member of the Census Committee from 1949 to 1950 and 1959 to 1960. Sir John was appointed to the Transport Control Board in 1951. He served as Lions Club Bermuda branch president in 1952.

A keen sportsman, Sir John joined the Bermuda Athletic Association in 1947 and was also instrumental in combining the two segregated football leagues into the Bermuda Football Association in 1955. He was elected Vice-Chairman of the BFA in 1955.

With Sir John Plowman as the Chairman of the board of governors from 1968 to 1977, Warwick Academy became the first school in Bermuda to integrate.

Sir John's political career in Bermuda began in the early sixties when Employers Council Chairman Henry Tucker asked him to take a position on the committee. He was appointed president in 1963.

While he would shortly thereafter run for a seat in Paget East and lose, this did not stop Sir John from being active in what was to become the United Bermuda Party.

Instrumental in forming the UBP, Sir John went on to serve as the chairman for many years.

In total he gave 40 years of service to Government.

He was Minister of Organisation from 1973 to 1976, Minister of of Marine and Air Services from 1976 and Minister of Government and Commercial Services.

He was appointed a member of the Legislative Council in June 1966 and served for over 11 years.

He was also a member of numerous government and public boards including the Bermuda Hospitals Board on which he served as chairman from 1966 to 1968.

He was given the Queen's Honour of Commander of the order of the British Empire in June 1970 and was knighted in 1979.

Even after he retired from Government in 1982, Sir John did not cease to be involved in public affairs. Some of his activities in recent years included serving as Chairman of the International Year of the Older Persons Committee, being very involved with Project Action and serving as the director of the Senior Learning Centre.

Sir John was also committed to education and youth and gave many of his employees at HWP opportunities for advancement.

Widowed in 1986, Sir John is survived by two sons, Michael and Piers.