Kenny Bowen
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr. (February 9, 1926—May 2, 2002) was a three-term Democratic
mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana
, the fourth largest city in the state, according to the 2000 census
. His tenure, which some assessed as distinguished and others as a failure, extended from 1972–1980 and again from 1992-1996.
Bowen was Lafayette's first and last mayor under the city's mayor-council form of government
, which was used for the 24 years between 1972 and 1996. He was elected mayor with 62 percent of the vote in the 1972 Democratic primary, in which he defeated three opponents, and he was elected again in 1976 and 1992. When Bowen left office in 1996, the City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish combined their governments, much as Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish had done years earlier. The mayor then became the "president" of the combined government.
. On his discharge in November 1945, he relocated to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute). He obtained a bachelor of arts
degree in music
in 1948. He later received a Master of Arts
degree from Columbia University
in New York City
. He taught in the Lafayette Parish school system for eleven years and was known for his direction of choral organizations throughout his life. His passion for music, for instance, led him in the 1980s
to organize a community singing group called the Soundwaves.
From 1955-1961, Bowen was executive vice president of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
. In 1961, with a large family to support, he joined Robert Angers
, then publisher of the Franklin Banner-Tribune
of Franklin
in St. Mary Parish
in the opening of their own advertising firm, Angers, Bowen and Associates. Angers sold out his interest in the company to Bowen in 1962.
Bowen was once awarded the French Legion of Merit
for his work in promoting the use of French
in Louisiana.
s.
In actuality, the third term almost did not happen. In the primary held on March 10, 1992, in conjunction with the presidential primaries in Louisiana, Bowen trailed his fellow Democrat, former State Representative
Ronald J. "Ron" Gomez, Sr.
, 10,301 (34 percent) to 12,127 (40 percent). Two other candidates also ran, Democrat Kathy Ashworth, with 7,344 (24 percent) and Republican Emile Vidrine, with 603 votes (2 percent). In an all-Democratic general election
allowed under the Louisiana jungle primary
system and held on April 11, Bowen defeated Gomez, a former journalist
, by 166 votes. The tabulation in 78 Lafayette precincts was 14,677 for Bowen and 14,511 for Gomez. Whereas Bowen was a former Republican, Gomez later switched his party affiliation and served on the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee.
A year later, the former chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party
, Charles deGravelles
(1913–2008), who had labored with Bowen in the GOP
vineyard in the 1960s, launched an unsuccessful recall
effort against the mayor. DeGravelles said that he tried to recall Bowen because of the mayor's "micromanagement" of city affairs.
Many of the construction projects in early 21st century Lafayette were conceived by Bowen. Elmo Laborde, who served on the council during Bowen's final term, cited the fruits of Bowen's work as the Camellia Bridge and the Lafayette Convention Center, which opened the week of Bowen's death. Urban renewal and the expansion of the city utilities system were other Bowen accomplishments, Laborde said.
Former Democratic State Senator
Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., of Lafayette said that Bowen was not "concerned about reelection. He was concerned about serving." In the funeral service, Mouton quipped that "Kenny will now rest in peace with the Lord, But I'm not so sure the Lord will have much peace," referring to Bowen's passion for politics. Mouton and fellow Democrat Edmund Reggie
of Lafayette (formerly of Crowley
) were among honorary pallbearers at Bowen's funeral. Reggie is the father-in-law of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
.
Bowen hired the first blacks to work in professional capacities in Lafayette City Hall. "When he came to office, no people of color were working for the City of Lafayette other than on the back of garbage trucks, in public works, and the police department. The only black person working in City Hall was a janitor," said Anthony Navarre, a former city police officer who was a frequent guest on Bowen's Let's Talk television
program. Bowen, and his Republican successor, William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr.
, encouraged women to reach the higher ranks in city administration.
Tommy Gilbeau, another former councilman and Bowen friend, recalled the former mayor as having a caring and feeling side that identified with the underdog and ordinary citizen: "He had a zest for life and a love of politics that was unmatched as mayor of Lafayette."
As mayor, Bowen served a term as president of the Louisiana Municipal Association from 1977-1978. He was also active in the National League of Cities
and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
to Democratic incumbent
J. Rayburn Bertrand
(October 1, 1918 - March 6, 2005). Bowen had been a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
, where he cast his ballot for the party's nominee, then Senator Barry M. Goldwater.
Ironically, Bowen was defeated by a conservative
Republican Lastrapes in 1980. In that election, Bowen barely polled a fourth of the ballots cast. A Lafayette insurance agent, Lastrapes would serve three consecutive four-year terms through 1992. Lastrapes also defeated Bowen in 1988.
Before his death, Bowen fought liver cancer
. A longtime friend Stanley Brosky told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser
that the illness made Bowen more spiritual . . . and ready for the end. . . . People would be surprised in the end how spiritual he had become and what an inspiration he was."
At the time of his death, Bowen was married to the former Ann Humphries. He had fifteen children with his first wife Ruth Butcher Bowen. Thirteen of those survived their father. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, and the namesake son, Kenneth F. "Kip" Bowen, Jr., and daughter Kamille. Bowen had forty grandchildren, two of whom have autism
, and one great-grandchild at the time of his death.
Services were held on May 4, 2002, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension Columbarium on Johnston Street in Lafayette, with the Reverend Russell J. Levenson, Jr., the church rector, officiating.
Four months prior to his death, Bowen was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
In the funeral, his son Kris Bowen recalled his father as "an agent of change" for the city that he loved. "The proof of his efforts -- like the Camellia Boulevard bridge
project, the Cajundome
(completed in 1985 under Lastrapes), and the Convention Center -- are visible throughout Lafayette. History will treat him well, not for the bricks and mortar he laid, but the lives he changed along the way."
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, the fourth largest city in the state, according to the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. His tenure, which some assessed as distinguished and others as a failure, extended from 1972–1980 and again from 1992-1996.
Bowen was Lafayette's first and last mayor under the city's mayor-council form of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, which was used for the 24 years between 1972 and 1996. He was elected mayor with 62 percent of the vote in the 1972 Democratic primary, in which he defeated three opponents, and he was elected again in 1976 and 1992. When Bowen left office in 1996, the City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish combined their governments, much as Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish had done years earlier. The mayor then became the "president" of the combined government.
Early years, education, military
Bowen was born in New Orleans to Joseph F. Bowen and the former Hazel McNulty. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. On his discharge in November 1945, he relocated to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute). He obtained a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
in 1948. He later received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He taught in the Lafayette Parish school system for eleven years and was known for his direction of choral organizations throughout his life. His passion for music, for instance, led him in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
to organize a community singing group called the Soundwaves.
From 1955-1961, Bowen was executive vice president of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. In 1961, with a large family to support, he joined Robert Angers
Robert Angers
Robert John Angers, Jr. , was an American journalist, businessman, and conservative politician. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana region, and free enterprise."-Early years, education, military:Angers was born...
, then publisher of the Franklin Banner-Tribune
Franklin Banner-Tribune
The Franklin Banner-Tribune is a small daily newspaper which circulates in Franklin, the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. It has approximately 3,350 paid subscribers and is owned by Morgan City Newspapers LLC....
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
in the opening of their own advertising firm, Angers, Bowen and Associates. Angers sold out his interest in the company to Bowen in 1962.
Bowen was once awarded the French Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
for his work in promoting the use of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Louisiana.
Three Bowen administrations
Bowen's tenure is remembered for controversy, for he often squabbled with city council members and police chiefs. In the third term, pro-Bowen and anti-Bowen factions clashed so frequently that municipal government was in frequent deadlock. Bowen nevertheless obtained the conversion of the former Evangeline Hotel on Jefferson Street into apartments for senior citizens. There were downtown street improvements too, but cost overruns led to several indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s.
In actuality, the third term almost did not happen. In the primary held on March 10, 1992, in conjunction with the presidential primaries in Louisiana, Bowen trailed his fellow Democrat, former State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Ronald J. "Ron" Gomez, Sr.
Ron Gomez
Ronald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
, 10,301 (34 percent) to 12,127 (40 percent). Two other candidates also ran, Democrat Kathy Ashworth, with 7,344 (24 percent) and Republican Emile Vidrine, with 603 votes (2 percent). In an all-Democratic general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
allowed under the Louisiana jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
system and held on April 11, Bowen defeated Gomez, a former journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, by 166 votes. The tabulation in 78 Lafayette precincts was 14,677 for Bowen and 14,511 for Gomez. Whereas Bowen was a former Republican, Gomez later switched his party affiliation and served on the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee.
A year later, the former chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Charles deGravelles
Charles deGravelles
Charles Camille deGravelles, Jr., known as Charlie deGravelles , was a Lafayette oil and gas landman who was a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party in the formerly historically Democratic state of Louisiana. Known as the “Mr...
(1913–2008), who had labored with Bowen in the GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
vineyard in the 1960s, launched an unsuccessful recall
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
effort against the mayor. DeGravelles said that he tried to recall Bowen because of the mayor's "micromanagement" of city affairs.
Many of the construction projects in early 21st century Lafayette were conceived by Bowen. Elmo Laborde, who served on the council during Bowen's final term, cited the fruits of Bowen's work as the Camellia Bridge and the Lafayette Convention Center, which opened the week of Bowen's death. Urban renewal and the expansion of the city utilities system were other Bowen accomplishments, Laborde said.
Former Democratic State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., of Lafayette said that Bowen was not "concerned about reelection. He was concerned about serving." In the funeral service, Mouton quipped that "Kenny will now rest in peace with the Lord, But I'm not so sure the Lord will have much peace," referring to Bowen's passion for politics. Mouton and fellow Democrat Edmund Reggie
Edmund Reggie
Edmund M. Reggie, Sr. , is a Democratic politician and former city judge from Louisiana. Reggie is originally from the rice-growing city of Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, but resides in Lafayette. He still claims that he maintains the record of being the youngest person to serve as a judge in...
of Lafayette (formerly of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
) were among honorary pallbearers at Bowen's funeral. Reggie is the father-in-law of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Bowen hired the first blacks to work in professional capacities in Lafayette City Hall. "When he came to office, no people of color were working for the City of Lafayette other than on the back of garbage trucks, in public works, and the police department. The only black person working in City Hall was a janitor," said Anthony Navarre, a former city police officer who was a frequent guest on Bowen's Let's Talk television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program. Bowen, and his Republican successor, William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr.
Dud Lastrapes
William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr. , is a Lafayette, businessman, who was the first Republican since Reconstruction to have been elected mayor of his city, the fourth largest in Louisiana, according to the 2000 census. Lastrapes was mayor for three terms, having served from 1980-1992. Previously,...
, encouraged women to reach the higher ranks in city administration.
Tommy Gilbeau, another former councilman and Bowen friend, recalled the former mayor as having a caring and feeling side that identified with the underdog and ordinary citizen: "He had a zest for life and a love of politics that was unmatched as mayor of Lafayette."
As mayor, Bowen served a term as president of the Louisiana Municipal Association from 1977-1978. He was also active in the National League of Cities
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....
and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Bowen and the GOP
Bowen had been the Republican mayoral nominee in 1968, the last in Lafayette under the commission form of government. He lost the general electionGeneral election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
to Democratic incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
J. Rayburn Bertrand
J. Rayburn Bertrand
J. Rayburn "Ray" Bertrand was a businessman, civic leader, and decorated World War II veteran who served as the Democratic mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, from 1960 to 1972. During Bertrand's three terms, the city nearly doubled in population, having grown from 40,000 to 75,000, and the corporate...
(October 1, 1918 - March 6, 2005). Bowen had been a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one national Republican convention on the West Coast...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he cast his ballot for the party's nominee, then Senator Barry M. Goldwater.
Ironically, Bowen was defeated by a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Republican Lastrapes in 1980. In that election, Bowen barely polled a fourth of the ballots cast. A Lafayette insurance agent, Lastrapes would serve three consecutive four-year terms through 1992. Lastrapes also defeated Bowen in 1988.
Bowen's obituary and legacy
Bowen did not run for the mayor-presidency in the elections held in the fall of 1995, which corresponded with the statewide officers, but the new post went to his fellow Democrat, Walter Comeaux .Before his death, Bowen fought liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
. A longtime friend Stanley Brosky told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
The Daily Advertiser is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Lafayette, the fourth largest city in Louisiana. The Daily Advertiser covers international, national, state, and local news in the six parishes of Lafayette, Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion. The publication circulates...
that the illness made Bowen more spiritual . . . and ready for the end. . . . People would be surprised in the end how spiritual he had become and what an inspiration he was."
At the time of his death, Bowen was married to the former Ann Humphries. He had fifteen children with his first wife Ruth Butcher Bowen. Thirteen of those survived their father. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, and the namesake son, Kenneth F. "Kip" Bowen, Jr., and daughter Kamille. Bowen had forty grandchildren, two of whom have autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, and one great-grandchild at the time of his death.
Services were held on May 4, 2002, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension Columbarium on Johnston Street in Lafayette, with the Reverend Russell J. Levenson, Jr., the church rector, officiating.
Four months prior to his death, Bowen was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.
In the funeral, his son Kris Bowen recalled his father as "an agent of change" for the city that he loved. "The proof of his efforts -- like the Camellia Boulevard bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
project, the Cajundome
Cajundome
The Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...
(completed in 1985 under Lastrapes), and the Convention Center -- are visible throughout Lafayette. History will treat him well, not for the bricks and mortar he laid, but the lives he changed along the way."