Colonel Jerry W. Bowen ROTC Scholarship

Out of devotion to their alma mater and a desire to assist aspiring Army officers at Arkansas State University, Jerry and Connie Bowen established a scholarship endowment for military science students at A-State.
Jerry was a leader in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program and received a Regular Army commission along with his degree in agriculture education and designation as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
The Arkansas State University Alumni Association recognized Bowen as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1997. Last year he worked with a group of ROTC alumni to assist in the formation of an alumni battalion that is a chapter of the Alumni Association.
A graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, Bowen’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and Senior Parachutist Badge.
After a five-year assignment as chief of the Army Protocol Office in the Pentagon, he retired from the Army in 1989 and the couple settled in Jonesboro. He soon went back to work as a civilian, appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate, to serve five years as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and director of the National Cemetery System.