Captain Jim McMahan Jr. Of Bel Air Dies At 82

BEL AIR, MD — Former County Councilman and Bel Air Town Commissioner James V. "Capt'n Jim" McMahan Jr. died April 14. The lifelong Bel Air resident, who was also a radio show host, was 82.

McMahan — also known as "Captain Jim"— was born, raised and educated in Bel Air.

He went on to serve in the U.S. Army as a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1960 to 1978.

A longtime local radio and television personality, McMahan purchased WAMD with a group of investors in 1978 and served as a manager and program host for the station until retiring in 2003.

In January 2021, he was nominated to be a Harford Living Treasure. Residents 70 and older who have lived in the county for at least 40 years are eligible to be nominated for the designation, which results in an interview that becomes part of the Harford County Public Library's oral history archives. The program, established in Harford County in 1981, preserves local history for future generations.

Both of McMahan's parents were named Harford Living Treasures in 1986. Vaughan McMahan was the town of Bel Air's police chief for 26 years. Selena McMahan taught biology at Bel Air High School for so long that she educated grandchildren of her former students.

"I can't think of a better Living Treasure," said Councilman Chad Schrodes, who was elected the same year as Captain Jim McMahan to serve on the County Council.

McMahan was an encyclopedia of local history who "knew how to tie everything together, especially for the town of Bel Air and for this area," Schrodes said at the Jan. 5 meeting where the council accepted the Living Treasure nomination from the Harford County Cultural Arts Board.

From 2014 to 2018, McMahan was vice president of the Harford County Council, where he was elected to serve District C, representing Bel Air, in 2006. He served on the Harford County Commission on Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2018, was a life member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and founded the Ripken Museum in Aberdeen. He was also elected to the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners from 2003 to 2006 and was the past president of the Bel Air Chamber of Commerce, according to the Maryland State Archives.

"He's a great community servant" and "his work for the veterans" was invaluable, Schrodes said.

Councilman Curtis Beulah described McMahan as a "great person, great man, great all the way around" who helped him get oriented when he began serving on the council in 2014.

In 2018 McMahan received the title of honorary deputy sheriff from the Harford County Sheriff's Office for his "tireless support of our law enforcement and correctional deputies and civilian staff," according to the sheriff's office, which issued a statement Friday saying: "We are saddened to hear of the recent passing of former Harford County Councilman James V. 'Capt’n Jim' McMahan Jr."

A notice of McMahan's death was posted on the McComas Funeral Home website, where two members of the Bel Air community shared their memories of him.

"Capt. Jim McMahan was one of the great lights of Harford County and of the Town of Bel Air," wrote Michael Blum, who organizes the town of Bel Air's Christmas and Independence Day parades. "I worked with him on many charitable projects and many civic programs, and he always showed love and respect for all, and especially for veterans, for whom he worked tirelessly. His death is a great loss to the community, and I will miss his quirky humor and distinct personality!"

Philip Pace, who founded the local singing group Just Having Fun, also wrote on the tribute wall.

"Capt'n Jim was a public servant through and through. He was founder and friend of the Bel Air Community Chorus and a friend to the Just Having Fun Singers," Pace wrote. "He truly cared about people, even prayed for people. He will be missed."

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 30, at Bel Air United Methodist Church, 21 Linwood Avenue, Bel Air, MD 21014. A memorial service will be at the same location at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 1.