James Everett Bowman

James Everett Bowman was born in Des Moines, Iowa on October 25, 1922 to Floyd and Adelaide Bowman. Although he was an only child (or so he thought himself to be) he quickly created relationships as close as brothers with his cousins Earl Bowman and Frank Robinson, Jr. James, Jim, graduated from North High School in 1940. A highlight of his high school years was his success as a guard on the school's basketball team, with his best game resulting in a newspaper article that included his photograph, mid-dribble.

After high school, Jim enrolled at Iowa State University in Ames intending to become a veterinarian, but those plans were disrupted when the United States entered World War II in 1941. Prior to the war, there had been a serious and well-coordinated movement among Blacks in the U.S., pressing Congress to make provision for the preparation of African-American pilots in the Army Air Corps. As a result, when Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed on April 3, 1939, it provided that the Secretary of War was authorized to establish training opportunities "at appropriate Negro colleges." The day after a lawsuit was brought by the NAACP, demanding that such provision be made, President Roosevelt instructed that training for African-American pilots was to commence at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). Jim Bowman was among those who applied for and completed that training, exploding the myth that Black were incapable of conducting themselves as officers and operating complex military equipment. As a response of the excellence of the 992 "Tuskegee Airmen," and other valiant Black fighters and support troops, on July 26, 1948, President Harry S Truman issued Executive Order 9981 ordering the full integration of the military.

In 1945, in the waning days of the war, Jim and some friends from the Army Air Corps were strolling the streets of Chicago early one Sunday morning when they were spotted by a young woman sitting in the window of a third floor apartment. She was enjoying a party that had lasted all night and was still going strong as the sun rose over the city. Glimpsing the men, sharp and proud in their uniforms, she yelled, "Hey, Air Corps!" and invited them up to the party. Later that year Jim was back in Chicago strolling that same neighborhood, disappointed about a party that 'wasn't'. He took a detour past the apartment building, hoping that same young woman might be at home and willing to step out with him for a bite to eat. She was, she did, and Jim married Gloria in January, 1946.

With the help of the G.I. bill and Gloria's firm encouragement (she, having a college degree from Fisk, insisted that he would have a degree as well) returned to Drake University, receiving his B.A. 1947 in Biology and his M.S.E. in 1949. However, when he applied to work in the Des Moines School System, he was told to "go down South and teach your own people." Grumbling that Des Moines residents were his own people, Jim procured a job at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas and moved south with his bride. They settled in to have a family; Linda was born in December, 1949 and Gail in July, 1952. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board in 1954, the Bowman family moved back to Des Moines, with Jim happily employed in the public school system as a science teacher.

Over the next few years, Jim enjoyed bowling and learned to play golf while startling his wife (and delighting his daughters) by setting up impromptu science experiments around the house, getting everyone out of bed in the middle of the night to see the aurora borealis, and telling family stories while serving as the primary at-home parent in the summers. His abilities were being noticed in the school system, though, and he was encouraged to return to school to prepare himself to be an administrator. This led to the family living for a year in New York City's Greenwich Village while Jim attended New York University. The risk and the work paid off; in time, after returning to Drake University to complete his Ed.D. (1975), Jim would rise to the level of Assistant Superintendent. His eldest, Linda, was watching closely and became a teacher after receiving her college degree. She then followed her father into education administration. Jim was surprised by joy in middle age when he discovered that he had a half-sister, Shirlee, living in Minneapolis, and they became happy siblings. When Jim retired from the school system in 1989, the newspaper headline read, "Des Moines Schools Loses Biggest Asset."

Jim lost Gloria to death in 1977. A man who appreciated women and supported them in all ways, he did have second marriage that was relatively brief, and a long association as well. A major love in his life was his grandchildren. Cullen James, born in 1974 and nicknamed "CJ" by Gloria and Alicia, born in 1986 were his pride and joy, the constant recipients of his famous generosity, and greatly bragged about.

Jim credited God for every joy that gave him delight, and every challenge that gave him understanding. He was a lifelong member of Corinthian Baptist Church, served on its Trustee Board, and served on the Board of Corinthian Gardens, its housing project. He also served on the Board of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, was a member of Rotary and was a Kappa Man until the end. He was a Bugs Bunny fan, a great teller of jokes, a master in turning a phrase ("don't ever give another man a chance to be more of a gentleman than you are") and an avid reader. He believed in educational opportunity for all children and followed through on that commitment even after he was partially disabled and living in Pittsburgh, attentively appreciating "Dancing Classrooms," an annual dance competition for school children. He left the world better, much better, than he found it.

Left behind to cherish his memory are: his daughters, Linda Susan Bowman Lane and Gail Elizabeth Bowman; his half-sister, Shirlee Callender; his grandchildren, Cullen James Lane and Alicia Erin Lane; his cousin Toby (Frank Robinson, Jr.) and a host of friends ranging from his Corinthian Baptist Church brothers and sisters, his Kappa brothers, his Des Moines Public Schools former colleagues, his walking group (every morning at 7, Merle Hay Mall!), former neighbors and people known and unknown who were glad to know him. Aged 91, Jim died in his sleep just after midnight on the morning of January 13, 2014; he was "blessed and full of years."

Services for Mr. Bowman were held at Corinthian Baptist Church on January 17, 2014 followed by inurnment at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.



Cemetery Details Iowa Veteran's Cemetery

Van Meter, IA,