Jane Bowman, born Jane Ellen Piper, in Olney, Illinois, retired from teaching after 35 years. Jane and her husband Garry moved to Texas in 2003 to live close to their daughter and four granddaughters, who now range from ages 18 to 31.
Jane was the first intern to certify in her Master Gardener training class of 2012. She served as JMG Coordinator, WCMGA President in 2016-2017 and Past-President in 2018, whereupon she was asked to work at the state level. Jane was a delegate in 2016, then Secretary of the TMGA Board of Directors for two years, and a member of the TMGA Audit Committee for five years.
In the Williamson County Association, Bowman worked in the vegetable demonstration garden, participated in numerous JMG projects, rose demonstration garden, as a plant sale volunteer, a help desk volunteer and faithfully shared recipes in our monthly newsletter. She was the plant sale chairperson for two years and started the community education project of Hands-On-In-The- Garden. Already a gifted educator when she came to us, Jane led the speaker’s bureau for years teaching the public vegetable gardening, vermiculture, ornamental trees, bulbs, ornamental native and adaptive plants.
Jane’s favorite MG project was speaking because she was seldom nervous and really enjoyed sharing the information to an audience who wanted to learn. A close second was working on scientific trials in the vegetable demonstration gardens.
If Jane Bowman was stranded on a desert island (okay, let’s pretend it’s lush), her chosen surrounding plant would be blueberries!
Wise words from Jane Bowman: “Gardening enriches the whole person—body, mind and soul.” She says the garden is therapy!