Barbara Erickson Bowman
is honored with a Medium Paver from Philip Bowman.
With love from her family.
From her son Marc: It is impossible to list all of my mother's accomplishments; from academia to social causes, from family management to professional endeavors, she has enriched so many lives. She has served numerous important roles in her lifetime, most of them simultaneously, and has succeeded in all of them.
Perhaps her most important contribution has been as a role model. By her example and through her encouragement, she taught my siblings and me to believe in ourselves, to believe that we can reach the most difficult goals in our lives. Her boundless energy and joy for life are contagious; spend time with her and you'll feel you can accomplish anything. My mother gave us life, of course, but she gave us so much more than that. She helped us learn, helped us grow, and provided a shining example of what we can accomplish with our own lives. Most of all, she gave us hope and inspiration, and for that we can never thank her enough.
From her daughter Brenda: I suppose all little girls hope to grow up to be just like their mothers. I was no exception; however, I'm now thirty-six years old, and I still hope to grow up to be just like my mother! She defies simple description or categorization. She is an educator, role model, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, partner, administrator, and leader: all at the same time! She is funny, caring, loyal, supportive, sweet, honest, strong, adventurous, beautiful, brainy, perceptive, and generally amazing. But these lists don't tell the whole story. It was easy to take for granted all that my mother did while we were growing up. There weren't nearly as many "working" mothers then, but my mom carried it off so easily I never noticed she wasn't like all the other moms. She brought cookies to school, sewed glamorous dance costumes, listened to spellbinding tales of seventh grade social life, and logged millions of carpool miles, all while performing routine, thankless jobs like organizing, cooking, cleaning, and laundering. She even became a Girl Scout troop leader when no one else stepped forward. And she did all this while teaching and researching full-time as a university professor and earning three graduate degrees. Now that I have two children of my own I am coming to appreciate all that she did for her family, her community, and the university, often at great personal sacrifice and always without complaint. She sets the standard by which I try to live my life. I am so proud of her and I love her very much.
From her son Andy: My mother raised us during a time when mainstream society viewed latchkey children with suspicion. Some people did not think that a woman could succeed both in a career and as a mother. Her efforts as a professional paid dividends in raising children. A mother who sets examples in perseverance, resourcefulness, and integrity does not have to teach those values to her children. Several times I've met people who recognize my last name because they already know my mother. When they tell me what a remarkable person she is and how much they admire her, I enjoy responding that I know all that because I've been lucky enough to have her as my Mom.
From her husband Phil: Simply put, she made me what I am. She worked while I was in school to support us and our children. She helped me to believe in my ability to succeed in my profession. Then she went forward with her own career. She was a full-time academician, serving WSU as a biology professor, assistant dean of engineering and director of affirmative action, but her children never wanted for her attention. She nurtured, educated, loved and protected them while completing graduate work at WSU (Masters in Science Education) and KU (Ph.D. in Education). She continues her support, encouraging and advising them in their careers and helping with their children. As a recent card from her daughter said: "Just when a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a Grandmother."
June 2, 1998 (for Barbara Erickson Bowman)
