Fred Bowman Ph.D.

Honorary Alumni

Fred Bowman retired from the CLU faculty in the spring of 1990 after 23 years of service.  He joined the faculty as an associate professor of speech and head of the speech department in 1966.  Prior to coming to Cal Lutheran, Dr. Bowman taught 14 years at Middlebury College in Vermont and four years at the University of Southern California.

Fred was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio; and after serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three years, he returned to Wooster to attend college.  He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Wooster and continued his education at the University of Southern California where he earned his master’s and doctorate in speech.

He is a member of Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha honorary societies and of the Speech Communication Association.

In 1972, Bowman and CLU alumni F. Scott Hewes ’64 wrote and published “Communication: Living Challenge,” which then became the textbook for CLU’s introductory speech classes.

Dr. Bowman always participated in the talent shows, played a “mean” game of tennis, drove many celebrities in the back of his ’68 Mustang convertible at Homecoming, and even starred in a few drama productions.  In addition, he has cooked thousands of ablescevers (Danish pancakes) for his students and for hundreds of visitors at various University functions.  With all this, probably his most notable attribute was his willingness to host classes in his home and to open his home to students, both past and present.

To honor his years of service, alumni and friends solicited gifts to name the kitchen of the Pederson Ranch House/Alumni House the Dr. Fred Bowman Kitchen.