Bowdle, Donald N.
"[T]here is a positive correlation between scholarship and wholeness; that one must approach all of learning with a sense of privilege and responsibility under God; that truth is truth wherever it is found, whether the test tube, literary masterpiece, or Holy Scripture; that appropriate integration of truth is both intellectual and behavioral in nature; and that the pursuit and application of truth is, indeed, “ministry.”
Penned by Donald N. Bowdle (1935-2013), this description summarizes the philosophy and mission that has guided Lee University for more than a half-century. Bowdle devoted his life’s vocation to preparing men and women for ministry and engaging their minds.
His former student and faculty colleague, Jerome Boone, wrote, "Donald N. Bowdle is first and foremost, a teacher. He is the best example of what an excellent teacher should be. He started out his career that way and has maintained that level of achievement throughout his 50 years of full-time teaching. A confluence of several things has produced the teacher that is Dr. Bowdle. He has a natural giftedness for relating to people and communicating with others. He possesses a deep love for God and genuine Christian character. He has an insatiable thirst for learning and a passion for sharing that knowledge with others. The matrix of natural ability and divine enablement discovered a fertile place to grow and blossom when he came to Lee College to teach in 1962."
Originally from Maryland and an ordained bishop with the Church of God, Bowdle graduated from Lee and earned four additional degrees, including a Ph.D. from Bob Jones University, Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary, as well as postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and the University of Edinburgh. He authored numerous books, wrote more than 250 articles and book reviews, received Lee’s second Excellence in Teaching faculty award in 1973 and Lee’s first Excellence in Scholarship faculty award in 1986, and taught systematic theology, New Testament Greek, history of Christianity, and numerous other subjects for 51 years (1962–2013) as Distinguished Professor of History and Religion. Bowdle - O'Bannon Hall, a Lee University dormitory, is named for him and his faculty colleague, Robert O'Bannon. His former student and faculty colleague, Jerome Boone, noted, “The fruit of Bowdle’s half century of teaching is the many disciples of Jesus Christ that he has been instrumental in mentoring. Literally, thousands of men and women are engaged in vocational ministry today as a result, in part, of the preparation that they received in his classes.”
Bowdle was first married to Nancy, who died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), in 1992. He later married Jean, who also worked at Lee for several years. Don Bowdle retired from full-time teaching at Lee in May 2012 after completing 50 years as a faculty member. He continued teaching part-time through December 2013. When cleaning out his office over the holiday break after teaching his final class, Bowdle suffered a major heart attack and passed away immediately.
/ L.F. Morgan
Penned by Donald N. Bowdle (1935-2013), this description summarizes the philosophy and mission that has guided Lee University for more than a half-century. Bowdle devoted his life’s vocation to preparing men and women for ministry and engaging their minds.
His former student and faculty colleague, Jerome Boone, wrote, "Donald N. Bowdle is first and foremost, a teacher. He is the best example of what an excellent teacher should be. He started out his career that way and has maintained that level of achievement throughout his 50 years of full-time teaching. A confluence of several things has produced the teacher that is Dr. Bowdle. He has a natural giftedness for relating to people and communicating with others. He possesses a deep love for God and genuine Christian character. He has an insatiable thirst for learning and a passion for sharing that knowledge with others. The matrix of natural ability and divine enablement discovered a fertile place to grow and blossom when he came to Lee College to teach in 1962."
Originally from Maryland and an ordained bishop with the Church of God, Bowdle graduated from Lee and earned four additional degrees, including a Ph.D. from Bob Jones University, Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary, as well as postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and the University of Edinburgh. He authored numerous books, wrote more than 250 articles and book reviews, received Lee’s second Excellence in Teaching faculty award in 1973 and Lee’s first Excellence in Scholarship faculty award in 1986, and taught systematic theology, New Testament Greek, history of Christianity, and numerous other subjects for 51 years (1962–2013) as Distinguished Professor of History and Religion. Bowdle - O'Bannon Hall, a Lee University dormitory, is named for him and his faculty colleague, Robert O'Bannon. His former student and faculty colleague, Jerome Boone, noted, “The fruit of Bowdle’s half century of teaching is the many disciples of Jesus Christ that he has been instrumental in mentoring. Literally, thousands of men and women are engaged in vocational ministry today as a result, in part, of the preparation that they received in his classes.”
Bowdle was first married to Nancy, who died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), in 1992. He later married Jean, who also worked at Lee for several years. Don Bowdle retired from full-time teaching at Lee in May 2012 after completing 50 years as a faculty member. He continued teaching part-time through December 2013. When cleaning out his office over the holiday break after teaching his final class, Bowdle suffered a major heart attack and passed away immediately.
/ L.F. Morgan