William D. Bowman, 1944
William D. Bowman, Class of 1944
William Dabney Bowman '44 earned his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering (Course II) in 1944.
1939: When William Dabney Bowman entered Chaney High School in 1932, he made up his mind to enter Massachusetts Institute of Technology after finishing high school. Three years after graduating from Chaney, Bowman has saved enough by working at the Ohio Works of Carnegie-Illinois Steel to finance his education and has been accepted at MIT.
William Bowman Fund
MIT has received a $1 million gift, its largest ever from an African-American alumnus, which will provide an endowment for research in cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
President Charles M. Vest announced the gift at the Institute's annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The late Charlotte Nowak Bowman, who died in December, established the William Bowman Fund in memory of her late husband and in honor of his admiration of MIT, Dr. Vest said.
Mr. Bowman, a member of the Class of 1944, spent most of his career as a pioneer in aerodynamic design at Ford Motor Co. and headed that section at his retirement. In his 50th reunion class notes in 1994, Dr. Vest said, Mr. Bowman listed as his life's highlights being admitted to MIT, receiving his degree and marrying Charlotte.
This "magnificent leadership gift" reflects "the vision of an MIT graduate who made a big difference in the world and is now making a big difference in MIT," Dr. Vest said.