Margaret Davis Bowen
Margaret Davis Bowen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Davis May 24, 1894 |
| Died | April 20, 1976 (aged 81) |
| Burial place | South-View Cemetery |
| Education | University of Cincinnati, B.S., M.Ed., and Ed.D. |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher and principal |
| Employer(s) | Cincinnati Public Schools Atlanta Public Schools |
| Organization(s) | Alpha Kappa Alpha Just Us (Atlanta) |
| Spouse | John W. E. Bowen Jr. |
| Children | John W. E. Bowen III |
Margaret Davis Bowen (May 24, 1894 – April 20, 1976) was a religious leader, civil rights activist, and educator. She was the first principal of the Gilbert Academy, a private Black preparatory school in New Orleans, during the late 1930s. From 1936 to 1939 she served as the National Basileus of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Early life and education
[edit]Margaret Davis was born on May 24, 1894, in Columbus, Georgia. She was the first African American to attend the National German-American Teachers' Seminary, part of the University of Wisconsin, where she studied German and became one of its first two Black graduates.[1][2][3]
She earned a BS, followed by an M.Ed. in 1935, from the University of Cincinnati.[4][5] While at the university, she formed a chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 1921.[6][2] She received a fellowship from the University of Cincinnati's Teachers College, completing the work for an Ed.D. in 1950.[1][3]
Career
[edit]Bowen became a German teacher and, then, an elementary teacher for the Cincinnati Public Schools, teaching there for eighteen years.[7][1][8]
She was hired to be the first president and principal of the Gilbert Academy, a private Black preparatory school in New Orleans, on November 21, 1940.[7][9] Bowen was a advocate of progressive education, creating a curriculum that led to accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Preparatory Schools in the academy's first.[8]
In November 1948 she resigned from Gilbert and moved to Atlanta where she was taught for the Atlanta Public School.[10][2][11]
She was the first president of the neighborhood association of Just Us, a tiny westside neighborhood of Atlanta near Washington Park,[12] which has dedicated a small park in her honor.
Honors
[edit]In March 1950, she received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Bethune-Cookman College.[1][2] In 1956, she was selected as the teacher of the year at M. M. Bethune Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia.[13]
Just Us, a tiny westside neighborhood of Atlanta dedicated a small park in her honor.[12]
IN 1964, Alpha Kappa Alpha established the Margaret Davis Bowen Award, presented by its Southeast Region.[14]
Personal life
[edit]She was married to John W. E. Bowen Jr., the editor of the Christian Advocate.[7][15] Later, he became a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church.[7][15] Their son, John W. E. Bowen III, became a state senator in Ohio.[7][16] The family moved to Mississippi and Louisiana when her husband was transferred to a conference there.[7]
From 1936 to 1939 she served as the National Basileus or president of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[6] She was also the sorority's national secretary.[1] She was also the president of the Central Jurisdictional Women's Society of Christian Service for eight years.[7] She was the first president of the Just Us Neighbor's Club of the westside neighborhood of Atlanta near Washington Park.[17] She was also a member of the National Council of Negro Women.[1]
She died in April 20, 1976 at the Wesley Glenn Methodist Retirement Center in Columbus, Ohio.[18][7] She was buried in South-View Cemetery in Atlanta.[10][19]
Publications
[edit]- "Youth in a Changing World", The Ivy Leaf, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, March 1939. Vol. 17, No. 1.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Atlantan Among Three Receiving Bethune-Cookman Doctorate Degree". Alabama Tribune. 1950-03-24. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Garnett, Lillian B. (1971-05-08). "A Tribute to Margaret Davis Bowen the Pearl of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority". The Atlanta Voice. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Woolcock, Ozeil Fryer (1949-03-13). "Mrs. Margaret Davis Bowen Honored at Beautiful Reception". Atlanta Daily World. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The American Negro in College, 1934-35". The Crisis. August 1935. p. 235.
- ^ "Former International Presidents". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- ^ a b "Former International Presidents". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Former Orleans Educator's Funeral Held in Atlanta". The Louisiana Weekly. New Orleans, Louisiana. 1976-05-15. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "New Orleans Hi is Prominent". California Eagle. Los Angeles, California. 1936-09-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Margaret Davis Bowen Chosen Head of Gilbert". New Pittsburgh Courier. 1940-11-23. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Obituary for Margaret. Davis BOWEN". The Atlanta Constitution. 1976-04-23. p. 44. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Margaret Davis Bowen Paid Farewell Tribute". New Pittsburgh Courier. 1948-11-27. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Just Us Neighbors site as retrieved 2010-12-07: cached copy[dead link]
- ^ "Bethune Teacher of the Year Honor by Co-Workers". Atlanta Daily World. 1956-03-25. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Highlights of the AKA S.E. Regional Conference". The Atlanta Voice. 1971-05-08. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Cavazos, Mary Kay (1960). Considering What Others Say I Am: African American Women and Foreign Mission (PDF) (Thesis). Drew University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.
- ^ "John W. E. Bowen III". Ohio Statehouse. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
- ^ "Mrs. Margaret Davis Bowen". Atlanta Daily World. 1958-01-11. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Census: Died". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. May 27, 1976. p. 9.
- ^ "Margaret Bowen, Former Teacher, Dies at Age 82". The Cincinnati Post. 1976-04-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-01-25 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- "Award from Alpha-Bettes". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. May 4, 1961. p. 19.
- Margaret Davis Bowen's frozen custard recipe: Sue Bailey Thurman; Anne Bower; National Council of Negro Women (2000). The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-8070-0964-4. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
