On Friday, Oct. 10, community members gathered for a naming ceremony of the hall formerly known as 30Mac, now dedicated in honor of Earl W. Bowman ’50. Attendees included Bowman’s family, current and former Macalester students, faculty and staff, as well as St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
In her speech, President Suzanne Rivera noted Bowman’s special place in Macalester history. During his time as a student, he participated in both football and track and field, becoming co-captain and captain respectively for both teams. For accomplishments in both sports, he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980. In football, he set records for most yards run in a single game, career rushing attempts and total rushing yards. In 1950, his pole vault of 13 feet and 1.75 inches broke the state record. He went on to play semi-professional football with the Minneapolis Bombers in the 1950s, and later centered his career on both education and athletics.
After spending 15 years as faculty at Minneapolis Public Schools, he returned to Macalester in 1969 as Assistant to the President. He later became Director of Development, following as Dean of Students and finally the Vice President of Student Affairs. The Bowman legacy continued to flourish as his son, Wayne Bowman ’75, also went on to attend Macalester.
Despite his heavy involvement in the Mac community, the complexity and depth of Bowman’s character may not be as evident to current students and alumni.
For many, though, his legacy has persisted long beyond his passing. Bowman ’75 says that his father’s moral compass came from being an altar boy at St. Peter’s AME Church in Minneapolis when growing up.
“My father was a real low-key, high intensity person,” he said. “I used to think he was really strict [and] that he was mean because he was my dad and I was a kid cutting up. But I found out he was really a big softie… he would do anything for any student or any non-student.”
During his time working at Macalester, students such as Stephen Payne ’78 noted how involved he was in the campus community. Everyone knew Earl Bowman, and he was always willing to go the extra mile.
“He wasn’t tucked away in an office waiting for you to make a formal appointment,” Payne said. “You knew that if you wanted to talk to him, the chances were pretty good that within a few days, you’d probably see him around campus anyway, so just wait for the opportunity and make sure he had time to talk and he was accessible.”
Bowman always made an effort to make himself available to any member of the Macalester community in any capacity possible. That included him working alongside Macalester College Student Government, administrative positions and a variety of extracurricular activities.
“A lot of us considered him our friend, and in fact, he was an honorary member of an intramural football team that I was on,” Payne said. “It was just a way of showing that he was involved and he was willing to have fun with students.”
Trustee Broderick (Rick) Grubb ’73 noted that the way that Bowman carried himself had a profound effect on several students as well. It was not just Bowman’s actions, but how he portrayed himself that encouraged Macalester community members to be the best version of themselves.
“He taught us how to value history, build relationships, respect and appreciate one another, and if given a chance, make a difference,” Grubb said. “I watched how he carried himself, how he dressed himself, how he entered a room and commanded respect [and] how he brought people together with diverse backgrounds of interest. I saw how he helped so many students and other young people without fanfare, because it was the right thing to do.”
Although students at the time, such as Grubb, noticed the impact that Bowman’s generosity and confident persona he conveyed had upon others, it is not to say that he did not have his own struggles. He was a Black man on a historically white campus, which in itself prompted inherent prejudice within the broader scope of the world.
“Earl Bowman was a trailblazer, despite encountering significant racial discrimination in Minnesota and elsewhere,” Grubb said. “Often, he was the most qualified person for a position [but] was either overlooked or not given a chance because of his race. However, he never allowed discrimination or the prejudice of others to define him or stop him from reaching his goals.”
Bowman, in a way, represented overcoming issues similar to ones faced by many in the current political climate. He put effort into making sure all students could receive the education, athletic experience and the dignity that they desired, challenging the status quo if necessary.
“I think all colleges and universities right now are struggling with questions of, how do you get people not only [of different] ethnic and religious backgrounds, but socioeconomic backgrounds and political backgrounds, to talk to each other and try to find some common humanity,” Payne said. “I think he is the kind of person who every college could use about 10 of him right now in one capacity or another.”
Bowman’s priority was thoroughly supporting students, regardless of their race, background, or identity. For many who interacted with him, that support was what left the biggest impact.
“He was about making sure that young people had scholarships, young people had an education, young people had opportunity,” Carter said. “Young people had mentors; young people had literally anything and everything that they needed to be able to thrive.”
Lee Nystrom ’73, who was a student while Bowman worked at Macalester, agreed with this notion.
“He was willing to talk to anybody and give them his moral support and make them feel wanted and part of the Macalester community in a very special way,” Nystrom said. “I think he did that with everybody, whether you were white, Black, or anybody else. He was a man for everybody.”
His emphasis on treating everyone with equal worth was a way of bringing an entire community together, a direct symbol of Bowman’s lasting impact on not only Macalester, but the greater Twin Cities community. Bowman wanted everyone he came in contact with to succeed, a direct reflection of his selflessness.
Bowman’s impact on the Macalester community has not been lost. In a time of cultural differences within the U.S., divisions are consistently at the forefront of the political landscape for many. With the naming of Bowman Hall, many hope that Bowman’s emphasis on inclusion will continue.
“Earl Bowman brought honor to Macalester as a student, an athlete, an educator, a coach, an administrator, community leader and an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion,” Grubb said. “Long before these words became political buzzwords, he opened doors and created opportunities for others.”
