Dorothy Carpenter Bowman

1897 - 1955

Born too soon to benefit from the liberation of women educationally and professionally, Dorothy C. Bowman lived out her life as a housewife and church volunteer in a small mining community in northeastern Pennsylvania. She devoted her energies to caring for her parents and pinning her aspirations on her only child, a daughter.

My legacy as that daughter was a sound foundation in the qualities of honesty, hard work, and striving for excellence. Although family resources were limited, I was given the opportunity to graduate from Mount Holyoke College, an academically strong liberal arts college for women in New England. As I progressed through graduate study and the establishment of my family and my own career, I learned to appreciate more fully the magnitude of my mother's sacrifices and expectations.

With this granite paver I honor an unsung heroine who molded my life in ways both deliberate and subtle.
Ruth Wildman Swenson Ph.D. '69

7/1/96

Paver Inscription:

"Dorothy Carpenter
Bowman
1897-1955
W. Pittston, PA"