2014 lycoming college fall magazine

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Paying it
forward
Lycoming College has been instrumental in the lives of Lynn
(Salmons) Bower ’70 and Gary Bower ’70.
Lynn chose Lycoming because she knew she wanted a
small liberal arts college a few hours from home, but Gary
did not plan on attending Lycoming. His family did not have
the financial resources to send him to Lycoming. However,
Gary’s love of golf led him to connect with Frank Kamus, the
director of admissions at the time, and an avid golfer. It was
through Frank’s encouragement and support that Gary was
able to get the resources he needed to attend Lycoming.
“We met in Dr. Mobberly’s biology course, the only
course we ever took together,” Lynn said. “That’s when
the sparks began to fly.”
Gary was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity
and played on the golf team. Lynn was involved in several
activities with her dorm, including serving as a substitute
dorm mother in Forrest Hall. They also both wrote for the
Lycourier.
After they graduated from Lycoming in 1970, they went
their separate ways. Lynn moved to Maryland to begin her
career as a third grade teacher and a sales job took Gary
to Illinois.
Twenty seven years later, Gary and Lynn had lost
touch and Gary contacted the Lycoming College
Alumni Office to get Lynn’s address. She had since
moved on to a career in corporate business. Several
months after they reconnected, Lynn had a business
trip to Phoenix, Arizona, where Gary was working
for Baxter International. The rest is history.
Lynn and Gary finally decided to get married
in May of 2000, 30 years after they had
graduated from Lycoming. Years later. They have
started the Gary and Lynn (Salmons) Bower
Endowed Scholarship, funding it today, and for
future generations, by naming Lycoming as the
beneficiary on their IRAs.
“Someone had faith in Gary and invested in his
future, which made it possible for him to have the
opportunity to experience Lycoming. We want to
pay it forward and give others the opportunity to
have the Lycoming experience we did.”
To learn how you too can pay it forward,
please visit
or contact Karen Sheaffer ‘74
Director of Planned Giving
or 570-321-4311