Note from Ryndi

http://www.eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=55&AdId=3262

This is an ad that I just ran in our local newspaper. I wanted to be sure you guys saw it as well. Just a drop in the ocean for the gratitude I have for you guys and W&L as a whole.
Thank you,
Ryndi

Catching up in LA

Travis and I were lucky enough to catch up in El Segundo last week (which is Spanish for big beers). It was good to share some stories and some tears. Travis seems to be doing as well as could be and I enjoyed the hospitality. I will say that his roommate put together an awesome T shirt remembering Bowe for the upcoming Hood to Coast race - Travis, my size is Large if you're wondering :)

I'm heading to Portland next week and looking forward to a side trip to Pendleton. After Ben and my inaugural trip out for the wedding, I think I'll stay away from the Rainbow room and Crabby's this time but I am looking forward to catching up with Ryndi and little Bowe. I will definitely post some pictures once I'm back.

As we move forward, I was wondering if anyone has a good idea for getting together on the East Coast sometime soon. With little Pfeifer arriving, it might be good to plan on somewhere within driving distance of Charlotte (anyone for Myrtle Beach?).

my tribute to Bowe

I feel terrible that it has taken me this long to respond to the news of Bowe's death. I have been incredibly busy with school and other work during the past few weeks, but have been following the updates closely. Ryan was a pledge brother of mine and a good friend. Even though we hadn't spoken in years, I did think of him regularly. I often think of the "freestyle" video we made on campus and wonder what happened to it. I think Bowe's obsession with "freestyle" (which is basically skateboarding without a skateboard for those who don't know) sums up Bowe in a way because it shows his creativity and his quirky, understated, hilarious sense of humor. What it doesn't show is his sincerity. He was the nicest guy I knew. He truly cared about others. He enjoyed his life, but he also wanted others to be able to enjoy their lives, too. He was quiet, but extremly intelligent, passionate, and dedicated.

As sad as this was for me, a person who hasn't seen Bowe in a long time, I can't imagine how hard it is on those closest to him, Ryndi, Vicki, Larry and the rest of his family. My sincerest condolences go out to all of you.

As a father of a 3-year-old girl and a second child due in November, it hit me especially hard to find out about the pregnancy. However, I find the birth of Ryan Jr. extremely comforting. All I hear about on the news is celebrated junkies having babies (ala Anna Nicole Smith (no relation), Brittney Spears and Nikki whoever). In the face of this self-centered hedonism it is really nice to know that a child was born to Ryan Bowe, because a child of Ryan's will have a sincerity, a humility, a self-sacrificing character that will help make the world of my children a place worth living. I might even hope that my children will be able to befriend Ryan Jr. at W&L. (Unfortunately, unlike Ryan Jr., my children will have to deny being related to me to get into W&L as my conduct at the University might have left a little to be desired.)

I was proud, but not suprised, to read of Ryan's accomplishments since he left W&L - he has done much for many people - but I think I am proudest to know he left us a little piece of himself behind, a little piece who I am sure will one day pick up where his dad left off.

I would like to do more than write about Bowe, but as a student who lacked the dedication of Bowe in college at W&L, I am now back in college and borrowing mucho dineros to support my family. I love the idea being discussed of the relay, but cannot afford the trip out there. If someone has an idea for a fundraiser in the southeastern area (I live in West Tennessee), I would be interested. With no training, I ran three miles at St. Jude 5k in Memphis last Dec. in 33 minutes (trying to keep pace with the 11-year-old I was running with was more difficult than expected), so I think I could run a sub-10 minute mile with a little practice (my H.S. x-country coach would be so proud). Anyway, I would love to help raise money since I don't have any at the moment to give; just let me know what I can do. I would love to help in any way possible.

I also want to say that it has been good seeing some other familiar names posting and emailing. I want to apologize to everyone for being such a loser and not keeping in touch with reality during my days at W&L or with any of you since.

May God bless you all,

The Smiths

Micah, Amy, Ella, and ?

More on Hood To Coast

Long story on the Hood to Coast (and relay races, in general) in today's NYT:

Turning a Beer Run Into a Relay Event

Assuming my balky back can hold up, I am in. Sounds like it would be absolutely incredible and a great way to honor R Bowe.

Hood to Coast Relay Team

Some of us have discussed putting together a team to run the Hood to Coast Relay next August, in honor of R. Bowe, and possibly with a fundraising aspect (through sponsorship of runners, e.g.). Ryan apparently first participated in this race when he was 12 years old, and it seems a fitting and fun way to pay some tribute to him, given that running had been and still was an important part of his daily life.

Hood to Coast (www.hoodtocoast.com) is a 200 mile race from Mt. Hood through Portland to the Oregon coast, run in 36 legs of 3.7 to 7.4 miles by teams of 8 to 12 runners. The race can last up to 31 hours (the cutoff time limit), and has been described as a “planes, trains and automobiles” kind of experience in which teams use vans to keep runners moving to the next stage, eating and sleeping on the fly.

Although the race is held on the last full weekend in August, registration begins in October and usually closes out on the first day (the race is one of the largest relays in the world, with a limit of 1,000 teams). Thus, we wanted to go ahead and put this idea out there to see if we can form a nucleus of interested runners. We would need a minimum of eight people for registration, although it is possible to add or substitute team members up until mid-August, so that commitment now is not absolutely binding. However, an entry fee of between $90-$135 per person (depending on the number of runners splitting the $1080 total entry fee) would have to be paid at registration. The entry fee is non-refundable by the race organizers, but clearly would be exchangeable among individuals subbing on or off the team before race day. Additional expenses for travel to Portland, outfitting two vans, etc. should also be considered.

If you have any interest in running Hood to Coast (or questions, etc.), leave a comment or contact me at markhamt9@yahoo.com, and we will go from there!

A Promise

While Ryan Bowe and I certainly shared our fair share of good times at W&L, I admit that I was not as close to him as many of you. Nonetheless, perhaps because I am a new father myself, or maybe because I have such great memories of all my friends from W&L, I cannot help but feel a deep responsibility to Bowe’s wife and new son.

I hereby make a promise to Bowe’s family and I know that all of you will join me in this promise: I will not forget my friend or his family. I will do whatever I can to ensure that they do not want for any of life’s necessities. It is all too easy to help once and satisfy your conscience. But whether it be remembering him on the coming anniversaries of his passing or in some other way, I pledge regularly to reaffirm my support for his family (whether financially, emotionally, or in whatever form they may need).

Bowe’s passing has been a tragedy, but it has also reminded us of the value of the friendships we formed at W&L. Your response to this tragedy has assured me of one thing: I am proud to call all of you my friends.

P.S. That is a very handsome boy you have there Ryndi - congratulations!

Baby Is Here!

I do not have the details at the moment, but I do have some photos to share courtesy of Travis Bowe. It appears that Ryan Parker Stuart Bowe arrived into the world healthy as can be!

UPDATE - The details courtesy of Travis:
Ryan Parker Stuart Bowe was born August 1, 2007 in Pendleton, Oregon.
7 pounds 8 ounces
20 inches long
4:40 pm
Mother Ryndi and baby doing great.

Bowe Family Fund Update

The following email was recently sent from me to a W&L distribution

***************************************************************
I am sending out this email in the interest of ensuring we are all on the same page with regard to giving to the Bowe Family Fund. There had been some question as to the appropriate giving approach within the W&L community and I think we all agree that direct support to this fund is the best immediate course. We will continue to evaluate fund raising events in the future to support the college fund of Ryan Parker Stuart Bowe and ideas and suggestions for this effort are welcomed. Additionally, I will contact the W&L Alumni Association today to determine how best we can ensure the word is appropriately spread to our community.

I will post this information to the blog at http://ryanbowe.blogspot.com. Hopefully everyone on this distribution will forward to friends and family and take a moment to add a personal thought or two to the site. I can assure you his family is enjoying the comments from everyone as they learn of the tremendous impact Ryan had not just on his immediate pledge class, but to all those who had the fortune of being a part of his life while in Lexington.

And to reiterate here is the information on the Bowe Family Fund:
Bank of America - OR2-135-01-01
Bowe Family Memorial Fund
301 S. Main
Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 276-3421

You may also send electronic donations directly to the account:
4850 0123 6074
Oregon account

New Donation Information

The University of Oregon Law School posted a nice note about Ryan and also some very concise directions regarding contributions to the Bowe Family Fund. I think most are in agreement that this is the best immediate channel for all donations with fundraisers in consideration to support the college fund of Ryan Parker Stuart Bowe.

http://www.law.uoregon.edu/news/article.php?show=270

Bowe Family Memorial Fund

Ryan Bowe, University of Oregon School of Law grad from the class of 2002, passed away July 24. He's was working at the Umatilla County DA's Office in Pendleton. His wife is pregnant and is due to have their first child in about two weeks. The Umatilla County DA has set up a fund to help support the family. Any support you can give would be much appreciated.

Support can be sent to:

Bank of America - OR2-135-01-01
Bowe Family Memorial Fund
301 S. Main
Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 276-3421

You may also send electronic donations directly to the account:
4850 0123 6074
Oregon account

To everyone who knew Ryan, we just lost a truly great person and friend.

The funeral will be held this Saturday, July 28th at 10:00am at the Vert Auditorium in Pendleton, Oregon. The address is 500 SW Dorion Ave, Pendleton. The burial will be private and limited to family members.

Senior year formal

You could imagine my disappointment 8 years ago when I asked my future wife on what was supposed to be our first date and she said she was already going with Ryan Bowe. While they were just going as friends, I was still a little frustrated that I had to take Pam’s sister, Angie to our Fraternity formal. Little did I know what a great night we would have and I am not ashamed to admit that Pam and my first kiss was that night.

Below are a few good pics of that night (a little embarrassing, I admit).

Photos!

Included in the comments for the pictures at the site listed below, I added some color commentary as well the settings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10574438@N05/

We also have JPEGs now, but at the moment we are going to use FLICKR and the blog to display them.

Message from Ryndi

I recieved this email from Ryndi at around noon today and this message is clearly directed at all of us in the W&L community.

*******************************************************************

I didn't know how else to contact you, but through Ryan's email. As his wife of less than 2 years, I'm not sure what else to say but thank you for your generousity and kind words through the blog that you have created with fellow W&L alumni. Ryan means the absolute world to me and I had know idea until the last couple days how many people he has truly touched and left his mark with. I thank you and I know Ryan does, too. His son will have a tough name to live up to, but I can only hope that he becomes half the man that Ryan had become. I'm so sorry. I can't say enough amazing things about Ryan, but I guess I'm not alone.

Thank you,
Ryndi Bowe

Markham's Memories

Jbo, the cross-country drive was one of the first things I thought of as well. Bowe sort of inducted us into all these little habits he'd developed doing that drive back and forth to school each year - beef jerky, cigarettes, an endless supply of Bruce Springsteen tapes . . ."Get in the car, Tina, we're goin' for it!"
July 27, 2007 8:40 AM

You've got to love the Beastie Boys and dip straight for a 21 hour drive.

Good Memories

Whether you knew him as Deputy DA, Beaker, or The Quiet Rage, I found comfort that his friends in Pendleton knew him well enough to make the following comment about his sense of humor "It's sort of a subtle, understated sense of humor...It was so quick and sharp, half the time you'd be laughing before you realized what you were laughing about."


One of my favorite memories is driving across the country with Markham and Bowe in his Ranger truck. Senior year, as we discussed February break plans on the Tuesday before break, we decided that we would meet the rest of the guys out in Breckenridge the following week. Bowe and Markham picked me up from my last midterm and we started off from Lexington at 4pm on Friday and arrived in Breckenridge late the next day, only a few hours after the rest of the guys (we took turns sleeping as two of us would ride in the truck while the other slept under the gem top). We spent the following week cramped into a 3 bedroom condo, drinking the nights away and admiring Bowe’s freestyle skills during the day.

Have A Story To Share? Need Permission to Post?

If you do not wish to post and would like simply to add comments please feel free to use this post to as a forum to share your memories and stories. And if you wish to post and have not yet been invited to do so please email me at bpdidier@gmail.com and I will add you to the permission list.

Donations?

An account has been created for Ryndi Bowe at the Bank of America in Pendleton, OR, to help with funeral and other expenses in the wake of Ryan's death. The account is named the Bowe Family Fund and is accessible by contacting the bank directly.

In addition to this channel many have suggested creating an account or fund exclusively for Washington and Lee alumni, Kappa Sigmas especially, who wish to help financially with the obvious challenges resulting from his unexpected departure and his limited life insurance (~$10K). The goal would be to demonstrate the collective impact Ryan had on the W&L community throughout his four years in Lexington.

We were also considering a golf outing fundraiser later this year or early next where we all might have the opportunity to remember Ryan while possibly donating money to a college fund for his son.

I would like to open the forum to comments regarding (1) if it makes sense to create a separate fund for W&L contributions and (2) what type of accounts/funds would make the most sense.

Family Addresses

His wife:
Ryndi Bowe
3127 SW Isaac Ave
Pendleton, OR 97801

His mom:
Vicki Bebb
560 Toms Dr
Hood River, OR 97031

His dad:
Larry Bowe
16950 SW Richen Park Circle
Sherwood, OR 97140
larry.bowe@providence.org
503-317-3964 cell
503-925-0841 home
503-537-1701 work

Ryan Bowe Leaves His Mark at DA's Office (from the East Oregonian)

Ryan Bowe leaves his mark at DA's office
Colleagues remember, mourn young attorney

By Samantha Bates of the East Oregonian
July 25, 2007

PENDLETON - The death of Ryan Bowe left a visible mark on the Umatilla County District Attorney's office Tuesday. Employees were subdued and there was a quiet laying over the usually busy office.

Bowe, who has worked at the office on and off for about three years as a deputy district attorney, died of natural causes around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. He was 30 years old, married and expecting his first child.

"The biggest blow to me is - I considered Ryan my friend and that's the hardest thing," District Attorney Dean Gushwa said. "To lose him as an employee is secondary."

"He was incredibly fair, very compassionate," said fellow deputy district attorney Simonne Weyand as she fought back tears.

"This was his home. He fell in love with a hometown girl. He came here thinking he'd be here two years, but he made a life for himself." Weyand said Bowe and his wife, Ryndi, were expecting a son in August.

Weyand knew Bowe since they both attended the University of Oregon Law School and graduated in 2002. Though they didn't intend to, they both ended up working in the same office in Umatilla County.

Bowe began there in September 2003, Gushwa said.

Starting on the same day was Deputy District Attorney Daniel Wendel.

"We kind of had this sibling rivalry thing going," Wendel said in a slightly cheerful voice. But at the same time, Wendel said he and Bowe were always ready to drop everything to help the other when needed.

"I trust him to the ends of the earth," Wendel said.

Gushwa said Bowe always was ready for whatever came his way on the job.

"I was extremely pleased and happy he could take a case of any kind without any trepidation or undue concern," Gushwa said. "And he would handle it well. His technical skills were professional at any case we gave him."

In the office, Amber Gilbert, who worked as his secretary since January, said he was very professional.

"Every morning he'd come and say, 'Hi, how are you?' " Gilbert said. It was his daily courtesies like that she would remember.

Gushwa said Bowe also was more than competent in the courtroom.

"At trial he was able to take complicated issues and explain them in terms every juror would understand," he said.

"We had really different styles," Wendel said. "He's very sincere and reasonable. Through that he was able to talk not just to jurors, but the defense."

"He was an incredibly sincere person and that came across in the courtroom," Weyand said. "He loved the work - he did."

She added he was level-headed and capable of balancing his work with his personal and family life.

"We were a close crew," she said. Many of the deputy district attorneys are around the same age and Weyand said they often spent time together outside of work.

"We all hung out, like a family," she added.

In addition, Wendel and Weyand said Bowe had a good sense of humor, although quiet.

"It's sort of a subtle, understated sense of humor," Wendel said. "It was so quick and sharp, half the time you'd be laughing before you realized what you were laughing about."

Gushwa said he believed Bowe intended to be a career prosecutor. Weyand guessed he could have been the next district attorney after Gushwa. Gushwa remembered a recent conversation he'd had with Weyand when they agreed he could have gone as far as to become a senator.

"With his demeanor and his amiability he could have gone anywhere," Gushwa said.

Bowe left the District Attorney's office in April 2006 to work civil law at Corey, Byler, Rew Lorenzen & Hojem LLP.

"On behalf of our law firm I was saddened to learn of his death," said Steven Corey in an official statement. "Ryan was a bright, young attorney, who loved to do prosecutorial work. He briefly worked at our law firm and made many friends through his work here. ... He was dedicated and hard working. Our law office was stunned to learn that he had passed away and at such a young age. We offer our sympathies to his family, including his wife, Ryndi."

After Gushwa became district attorney in January, he invited Bowe back and Bowe returned in February. Since that time he was deeply involved with many complicated cases, including the Rill trial dealing with alleged sheep neglect and the recent Summerfield murder case.

Tuesday afternoon, Gushwa set up an account for Bowe's wife and family, called the Bowe Family Fund, at Bank of America. He said the account is to help with funeral costs and to help Bowe's wife with the new baby when he arrives.

Welcome

This site is dedicated to preserving the memory of Ryan Bowe. He was a friend to many and I encourage everyone to post stories, photos, and any other tidbits of information that will help us all remember the content of his character. At the moment I feel tremendous grief over the loss of a friend and the family he has left behind, but I am comforted reminiscing about all the wonderful moments we had together. Bowe (at W&L as he was known...or was it the Quiet Rage...I digress) was a man of extraordinary integrity and I like to think that his friendship made us all a little more compassionate and caring as individuals.

J-bo Wall and I had the idea for this forum and we are in the process of converting our W&L photographs of Bowe (at Kinko's) into JPEGs for posting on to this site. It would be great if others could do the same as photographs containing him are seldom without humor and emotion.

Additionally, we will also use this site for information regarding the fund that has been established for Ryndi and her soon-to-be arriving son. The baby is to be named Ryan Parker Stuart Bowe.

Words cannot describe the sadness and vacancy his passing leaves behind in all of us, but I am excited that technology allows us to remember more vividly why we loved him so much.