The Bowen I Knew (Chuck Jones Feedback)

Gwen Moritz’s use of the word “privilege” (Editor’s Note, Nov. 17) in referencing personal encounters with Bill Bowen was certainly appropriate.

I had the great privilege of getting to know Mr. Bowen both as a reporter and later as his agency’s public relations account executive.

He was still the chairman of Commercial National Bank when I rose to become business editor of the old Arkansas Democrat. I was present when Bill Bowen and Bill Cravens announced the merger of their two banks at Trapnall Hall. The stories that sprang from the ensuing battle with the Stephens brothers for control of the newly merged First Commercial Bank produced some of the highest points and largest headlines of my media career.

Shortly thereafter, I joined the Cranford Johnson & Hunt agency and found myself serving Mr. Bowen as First Commercial’s PR account executive. I then became privileged to work with him on the production of both the bank’s annual report and, much more importantly, on the National Advisory Board report.

Each year, Mr. Bowen assembled an esteemed collection of Arkansas’ all-time best and brightest — such notables as Walton, Tyson, Murphy and others — for an in-depth study of a topic of importance as identified by Mr. Bowen. This one-day collaboration would result each year in the publication of an insightful and exhaustive report (penned by the late Carol Griffee, formerly of the Arkansas Gazette) on that topic of study, and it almost always resulted in the passage of legislation intended to make the National Advisory Board’s conclusions become reality.

Bill Bowen was a friend and a mentor, and the finest example I will ever be able to cite of esprit de corps — a term which he introduced to me, but which he embodied to the end. I will miss him, but I will think of him often as, ironically, I now work in banking.

Chuck Jones

Batesville