REMEMBERING GIL BOWEN: IN HIS OWN WORDS Rev. Dr. Gilbert Bowen was a gift…a gracious, thoughtful, insightful, and caring gift. Gil was a pastor with purpose, a pastor who didn’t just preach about big things, but did big things and motivated others to do the same. He made us all better and he and his wife of 63 years, Marlene, made this world a much kinder and caring place and their legacy lives on through generous gifts to McCormick and other important ministries. Rather than share details here of Gil’s and Marlene’s wonderful life and ministry or o昀昀er a personal re昀氀ection, we wanted to share Gil with you in his own words from interviews he did at Kenilworth Union Church. We also wanted to highlight how Gil viewed McCormick in his formation.* We start after Dr. Bowen describes growing up in a modest Baptist church and heading o昀昀, at the urging of his church choir director, to Wheaton College, the “West Point of Fundamentalism,” as Gil described it: “If you Rev. Dr. Gilbert Bowen have to go to an evangelical school, that’s the one to go to.” He starts with a discussion of the evangelicalism he grew up with and witnessed at Wheaton and contrasts that education with what he learned at McCormick. One cannot help but consider how that contrast plays out in so many ways in con昀氀icts across the country and around the world today. We o昀昀er our thanks to the congregation of Kenilworth Union Church and their Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. William A. Evertsberg for their long-time support and permission to share the words and pictures here, and o昀昀er a special thank you to the Bowen family for their kindness and support. David H. Crawford, President (Editor’s Note: we have made minor edits for clarity and added occasional emphasis to the transcripts of Dr. Bowen’s interview.) I went to McCormick Seminary and “ entered a whole new world.” —Rev. Dr. Gilbert Bowen 2023 ANNUAL REPORT 23