SUNDAY SERVICE SPEAKER

The Rev. Dr. Gail E. Bowman is a native Iowan, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science, with Honors in History, from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She then earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and began her legal career in Washington, D.C. After a few years working at a private firm, Bowman became interested legislative work and was able to join the legal staff of the Senate Judicial Committee, Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure. In 1981 she moved to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice. The Subcommittee was chaired by John Conyers (D-MI), who was also an ardent proponent of the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Bowman was working for Conyers’ Subcommittee when the legislation initiating the holiday was passed; she received an award for her work from the Congressional Black Caucus.

After six years of practicing law, Bowman returned to school, beginning work on a Master’s of Divinity degree at Howard University. She was valedictorian of her graduating class, then moved to Pittsburgh where she was Director of Admissions and Student Relations at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Following that work, she moved to Spelman College in Atlanta to become College Minister. She came to Dillard as the University’s first female chaplain in 1998.

Rev. Bowman has several published articles, papers and sermons to her credit. The sermon she preached in the memorial service held at Dillard on Friday, September 14, 2001 is included in the book, 9/11/01: African American Leaders Respond to an American Tragedy. A book on the fine art of offering public prayer, Praying the Sacred in Secular Settings, was published by Chalice Press. Rev. Bowman also maintains a presence in the legal community by serving on the Board of Ethics for the State of Louisiana.

She was the 2007 Baccalaureate speaker at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the 2008 Baccalaureate speaker at Augustana College in Illinois and the 2009 Baccalaureate speaker on her “home” turf: Dillard University.