On my blog, per my family's request, I have deliberately tried to avoid any mention of my brother, especially by name. The following request has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans, but it is to honor my brother, his memory, and one of his passions.
My brother, Major Alan Blake Rowe, was killed in Iraq on Sept. 3, 2004. It was his fourth deployment and he'd been "in country" less than a week. He left behind a wonderful wife and two precious children.
One of my brother's serious interests (along with Broncos!) was Political Science. One of our favorite family stories is about the luncheon Alan attended with my father around age 6, where he sat next to then-Governor of Idaho, Cecil Andrus. From what I've been told, he chatted with Governor Andrus throughout the meal.
In the early 1990s, Alan worked as an intern for Idaho State Senator Laird Noh:
"He was interested in natural resources and natural resources management," Noh said. "He worked under my supervision. He was a marvelous human being and extremely motivated."
"At the time, Idaho was beginning to awaken to the implications of the Endangered Species Act," Noh said. The Legislature and the public didn't have a thorough understanding of the act, he said, so he tasked Rowe with writing a research paper on the potential listing status of various plants and animals in Idaho and what the implications were because of the provisions of the law.
"He just dug into it," Noh said. "He did a very professional job. We circulated it to all the members of the committee and media. I still refer to it periodically."
"He read newspapers and was very interested in the world around him," Noh added. "He was very mature. I was kind of hoping he was looking toward a career in natural resource management. But he was also oriented to a career in the military. He was a class act and a great citizen."
Alan received his Associates at the College of Southern Idaho and his Bachelor's at Boise State University, majoring in Political Science. After his death, one of his professors at CSI started a scholarship fund, "The Alan Rowe Memorial Political Science Scholarship". The only guideline attached at this point is that it will be used to fund a scholarship for a student studying political science at CSI.
No funds have been distributed because we need to raise the balance to a $10,000 endowment level. Since my brother was killed, our first concerns were for the educational fund for the children, then a fundraiser for families of local (Magic Valley) deployed Guard members, and then another fundraiser for TAPS (for families of other KIAs), so this is our first major request for donations.
Please consider supporting this opportunity to continue my brother's memory and honor his commitment to education and Political Science.
Thank you.
Donations should be made out to:
And mailed to:
Thank you so very much,
Diana Rowe Pauls
Very Proud Sister of Major Alan Blake Rowe of Gooding, Idaho
KIA 9-3-2004 in Iraq
No comments:
Post a Comment