Ocean City To Name Service After Bob Melvin

OCEAN CITY – A familiar face at City Hall in recent years was fondly remembered this week.
Bob Melvin, 93, died Feb. 13 at Atlantic General Hospital.

“A gentleman who was very familiar with everyone on this council and in these council chambers, Mr. Bob Melvin passed away,” Mayor Rick Meehan said at the end of Tuesday evening’s Mayor and City Council meeting. “Bob, if you saw him on TV, or if you saw him here, or if you knew him, was an elderly gentleman in town who worked very, very hard to establish a program called MEDTRN.”

A few years ago Melvin spearheaded MEDTRN, a transit system transporting senior citizens, the handicapped and veterans to medical appointments locally and to surrounding areas.

“He put together this program with perseverance, with people skills, and working with town officials, and then he went out and got sponsors for the program to pay the minimal fee that the riders would have to pay,” Meehan said. “Bob did a great job, he was a very, very fine man and he will be missed. “

Upon the mayor’s request, Councilman Brent Ashley proposed to have the MEDTRN service to become known as the “Bob Melvin MEDTRN”, and the council unanimously agreed.

Melvin, a World War II Army veteran, never stopped pushing forward and as recently as last July he proposed MEDTRN Plus to the City Council, extending MEDTRN transportation to further areas, such as Baltimore, Cambridge and Philadelphia. At that time, Ashley supported Melvin’s endeavor with a $1,000 check.

This week Ashley announced that he would be dedicating $1,000 for the next two years toward MEDTRN in Melvin’s honor.