[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 32291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE OF RICHARD ``DICK'' BOWERS, FORMER ASSOCIATE DEAN, 
 PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND 
      FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2007

  Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to herald the life and 
philanthropic contributions of Richard ``Dick'' Bowers, and to express 
our gratitude for his achievements at the University of South Florida 
as well as in all of Florida.
  Bowers, a native of Tennessee, served in the United States Army and 
retired with the rank of captain. He received his bachelor's and 
master's degrees from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate in 
education from Vanderbilt-Peabody College. Bowers taught at various 
institutions ranging from King College in Bristol, TN, to the 
University of Rangoon, in Burma, on a Fulbright scholarship.
  In 1963, Bowers moved to the Tampa area, where he assumed the 
University of South Florida's first ever athletics director position. 
During his tenure, Bowers oversaw the creation of the university's 
baseball field, golf course, and SunDome basketball arena. He was 
honored in 1982 for his Outstanding Contribution to the Sunbelt 
Conference, which he helped form. After 17 years, Bowers moved from the 
athletic director position and became involved in the University of 
South Florida's college of business, where he was associate dean, 
professor, and director of development.
  Bowers was also very influential in the Tampa Bay area through his 
philanthropic work. He served as president of the Gold Shield 
Foundation for 18 years, which raises money for families of fallen 
police officers and firefighters. In addition, Bowers took leadership 
roles in numerous other community organizations including the United 
Way, the National Youth Sports Program, the Tampa Chapter National 
Football Foundation, the Hall of Fame Bowl Selection Committee, the 
Northside Bank Board, the Florida State Department of Education Task 
Force in Physical Education, the American Heart Association, the 
American Cancer Society, the Tampa Sports Club, and the Hispanic 
Business Institute.
  We honor the life of Richard ``Dick'' Bowers for his outstanding 
contribution to our wonderful Tampa Bay community, the University of 
South Florida and the entire State of Florida. Dick Bowers' life serves 
as an inspiration to all who knew him and his contributions and 
achievements will impact the lives of all Floridians in the future.

                          ____________________