Obituary of Bernard Bowen

Bernard Victor Bowen, CRNA, DSc Bernard Bowen, a man of integrity devoted to his family and community, died at the age of 93 on December 11, 2010. He was the first baby born at the Madison Sanitarium, Madison, Tennessee, on January 16, 1917. He was the elder son of the late Lee V. and Elizabeth Harp Bowen of Madison, Tennessee and Jefferson, Texas. He was married in 1950 to Dollie Sykes of Madison, Tennessee who preceded him in death. He is survived by two daughters, Rita Bowen Walker (Jerry) of Alexander City, Alabama and Mary Davidson Samply (David) of Monterey, Tennessee; four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, eight great-great-grandchildren; three nieces, Vickie Corich Nenner of San Diego, California; Dr. Elizabeth Corich Bradshaw and Paula Corich Susat (George), both of Dallas, Texas, and nephew Chris Corich of Portland, Oregon. Bowen graduated from Paradise Valley School of Nursing in National City, California in 1945 and in 1948 graduated from the Norwegian American Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia in Chicago, Illinois. In September 1950, he came to Madison Hospital and became the Chief Anesthetist and Director of the new School of Nurse Anesthesia, which is now known as Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia (MTSA). He retired as Director in 1980, after training hundreds of nurses to do anesthesia. In 1956, he graduated from the Madison College School of Nursing with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from MTSA in October 1994. He was a lifetime member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists and recently received their Lifetime Achievement Award. He was President of the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 1970. After he retired, he and his wife, Dollie, travelled the world for many years, studying anesthesia practices and providing anesthesia. He was an active member of the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church where he served as an Elder. Visitation will be December 19, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Madison Funeral Home. Visitation will also be at 9:00 a.m. December 20, 2010 at the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church. Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. on December 20, 2010 at the Madison Campus Seventh-day Adventist Church, 607-B Larkin Springs Road, Madison, Tennessee. Interment will be at Spring Hill Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be mailed to: MTSA, P.O. Box 417, Madison, TN 37116.