Thursday, August 16, 2007

In my brother's honor, please consider a donation...

This is not about red or blue,
pro-Bush or anti-Bush,
pro-war or pro-peace or anything political...
This is about honoring a Marine from Idaho
who gave his life in our country's name...

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 Associate Degree at the College of Southern Idaho and his Bachelor Degree at Boise State University, majoring in Political Science.

After his death, one of his professors at CSI started a scholarship fund in Alan's memory and honor: "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.

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:

The College of Southern Idaho Foundation, Inc.
MEMO: Alan Rowe Memorial Scholarship
And mailed to:
CSI Foundation
P.O. Box 1238
Twin Falls, ID 83303-1238

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: