Deacon Bowers

Deacon Bowers always Deacon Bowers

on the front line for veterans

18 A rthur “Deacon” Bowers has been a fighter all his life — if not for himself, then for someone else.

Born and raised at Hunter, Bowers, who is now retired and in his 80s, has been a lot of places and done a lot of things. On that list is amateur boxer; a youngster who deceived a lot of people about his age to get into the military; a founding member of the Veterans War Memorial and Veterans Walk of Honor downtown; and through his employment with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has assisted thousands of veterans. In the meantime, he has taken a lot of jabs and punches, both in and out of the ring, that have left him unscarred and more determined than ever to serve on the front line, especially for veterans.

Bowers was 19 or 20 years old before he began boxing at the urging of trainer Don Marshall. “I’d go to the old Teen Town every day and spar for 10 or 15 minutes and then run to the old box factory and back. I was in boxing about three years and had about 56 or 57 bouts,” Bowers shared. His most memorable bout was with Jack Snader at the Bristol VFW. “Jack had knocked out everyone up there. He was really tough, but I knocked him out,” Bowers shared with a grin.

Bowers went on to win the Upper East Tennessee Heavyweight title (he won twice, the first time in 1958, and again in 1959.) He also won the Southern Golden Gloves Heavyweight title in Nashville in 1958 and 1959, and went to the quarterfinals of the National Golden Gloves Championship in Chicago in 1959.

“That same year — 1959 — I was scheduled to fight Cassius Clay in Elizabethton, but he came down with the flu and reneged,” Bowers shared. * Story by Rozella Hardin and Contributed Photos *

In 1960 Bowers began refereeing boxing bouts and continued as a referee until 2005. In 1999 he was inducted into the National Golden Gloves Officials of America Hall of Fame.

Bowers speaks fondly of his time in boxing. “I liked the conditioning and preparing for a bout. Everything I accomplished in boxing was because of Don Marshall. He was the best and taught me a lot about the sport. He became a life-long friend. Also, many of the things I learned in boxing were fundamentals that helped me in life,” Bowers said.

However, long before he became a boxer, Bowers was a fighter with a lot of grit. Big for his age, Bowers at 12-1/2 years of age served with the Tennessee National Guard in Elizabethton. Bowers explained that Jack Carrouth, local commander, lived next door to him. “He let me hang out with them, and later talked to my parents about joining the Guards. At that time, the Guards met in the old A&P building on Elk Avenue. I trained with them. Every time they met, I was there,” said Bowers.

When the local unit — the 278th Regiment — was activated in 1950, Carrouth put Bowers out because of his age. “You talk about disappointed, I was,” Bowers said. “I was out six months when I enlisted in the Marines at the age of 14. I went to basic training, and my mom called and told them how old I was, and they sent me home,” Bowers explained.

However, determined to be a soldier, Bowers six months later enlisted in the Army and went through basic training. He then went to California, and from there to Japan, and on to Korea. “I stayed there about eight months. They never found out about my age. I sort of wished they had because it was rough. I spent my 16th birthday on the front lines in Korea,” Bowers said.

By the time he was 17, Bowers was back home and a short time later went to Detroit, where he worked for a couple of years before coming home and taking up boxing.

“I was in the Army long enough to appreciate the men and women who serve. They don’t have it easy. They deserve every thing this country can do for them.”

—Deacon Bowers

A young Deacon Bowers, when he served in the U.S. Army.

20 “I was in the Army long enough to appreciate the men and women who serve. They don’t have it easy. They deserve every thing this country can do for them,” he said.

In 1959 Bowers married the love of his life, Carol Morgan. The couple was married 56 years when she died in 2015. “Half of me died that day,” said Bowers.

Bowers for 36 years was employed by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. From 1974 to 2004 he served as Regional Veterans Employment Representative. By the time he retired, he had assisted thousands of military veterans. In retirement he continues to build on his volunteer legacy by visiting veterans and their families in the VA Hospital at Mountain Home.

However, the work he is most proud of is his involvement and leadership in helping create the Veterans War Memorial and the Walk of Honor in Elizabethton. “It was a labor of love for me,” Bowers said. “It’s a wonderful tribute to the men and women of Elizabethton who served their country in the military. Some gave their lives fighting for this country and their names are engraved on the memorials at the War Memorial. It’s a sacred place for me and a great way to recognize the

Deacon Bowers was honored as a Hometown Hero by the Carter County Commission.

men and women who served, and I feel honored to have been a part of it,” said Bowers.

Bowers is the father of two daughters, Julie Presnell and Donna Stanton, and a son, the late Paul Bowers. He has four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

He now spends a good part of his days reflecting on the past and visiting with friends, but if there is a need, Bowers is there, ready for the bout at hand and anxious to throw a punch.