In Memoriam

Helen B. Bowers Memorial
(1906 - 2009)

Mary and baby Lake

Grandma Helen with Beth

 

Helen Bowers, beloved wife and mother of two sons, died at the age of 103, after living a full, long life.    Raised in New York City, the daughter of German immigrants, she was the first in her family to acquire a higher education.    Her goal was "just to be normal," just to fit into the urban community and nurture her family.   The key to this goal was education.

Education was one of Helen's strongest values.  Her two boys, following her lead, went on to earn their PhD's in English and Psychology.   She would always say, "just do your best at school, and that will be fine."   Thirty years after retiring, she was still giving advice to others about the importance of education as well as tips on how to teach.
           
Helen was an independent, strong, dependable and well-organized woman who came of age in the 1920's when the options available to women were few.   For almost forty years, Helen taught second and third grade classes in New York City's P.S. 125, a Harlem elementary school.   During those years and after her retirement, Helen exercised her independence by traveling many times to Germany to visit relatives, as well as to other countries around the world.   Helen always enjoyed travel.

Her career in teaching gave her an income and a self-sufficiency which served as a foundation for raising her family and helping others.  Before she was married, Helen's income as a teacher made it possible for her parents and sister to survive the worst of the depression.  After she was married, she became the primary provider and inspiration for the Bowers household.

After her retirement, Helen's support for EBZEF made possible the education of Beth’s Girls in the village of Lumwana West, Zambia, as well as the building of the Elizabeth Bowers Memorial Library in the same community.    If the girls of Lumwana West could have known "Grandma Helen," they would have enjoyed her cheerful independence and found her to be an authentic role model for anyone hoping to succeed in life through education.