Featured family stories
The Riots & Rockets Book Launch At The Cliff Dwellers
On March 22, 2024, family and friends, and a host of Members of The Cliff Dwellers, gathered at the Club to celebrate the publication on Amazon of Riots & Rockets, William J. Bowe's memoir of his Army days during the riotous 1960s and '70s, Chicago politics in the 1970s, and his lawyering life dealing with collectors' plates and foundations, the newswire service United Press International, and Encyclopaedia Britannica in the Digital Age.
2023 Katherine Pargellis Bowe (1930-2016) and the Allen Family History
2023 Katherine Pargellis Bowe (1930-2016) and the Allen Family History Editor's Note: When John Edward Bowe (1928-1997) married Katherine ("Kathie") Pargellis (1930-2016), he married into the Allen Family. [...]
The Riboud Family during World War II
After the German Army entered Paris on June 21, 1940, the Riboud family fled occupied France for Baltimore, Maryland, Nancy Riboud's childhood home in the United States. Nancy first left for Portugal with her young daughters Chesley and Betsy, and her infant daughter Olivia. Nancy's husband Jacques soon followed, meeting them in Serta, Portugal before sailing on the SS Excalibur for New York.
Navy Fighter Pilot & Diplomat Will Parish Moves On
Will Parish Has a New Career after the Navy In spring, 2023, Naval Academy graduate Will Parish, finished a distinguished 21-year career in the Navy as a carrier fighter [...]
Higher Education and Encyclopedias
Bill Bowe Editor’s Note: Joshua Kim is Dartmouth College’s Director of Online Programs and Strategy and a Senior Fellow for Academic Transformation, Learning, [...]
France 2022
With the pandemic and lockdown fading fast in the rear view mirror, I proposed to my son Pat that he join me in visiting our cousins in France this summer.
The Full 80th Birthday Party Program
The Full 80th Birthday Party Program Click here to see the party pictures Editor's Note: Thanks to my cousins Tony Bowe and Charley [...]
The Low Density University and Lessons from Britannica for the Digital Age
The Low Density University and Lessons from Britannica for the Digital Age Editor's Note: Following publication of my exchange in Inside Higher Ed with Joshua Kim, Dartmouth College's Director [...]
Richard Lawrence Gwinn, Jr. (1867-1932) (En Francais)
Mon grand-père, Richard Lawrence Gwinn, Jr., est né à Baltimore, Maryland en 1867. Il a fréquenté le Calvert College là-bas et a poursuivi une carrière dans la banque et la fonction publique. Il mourut à Baltimore en 1932 après avoir été victime d'un accident vasculaire cérébral.
Olivia Riboud on Her Riboud and Gwinn Parents and Grandparents
In the spring of 2023, Olivia Cosgrave Riboud discussed her family history with her first cousin Bill Bowe.
Mary Gwinn Bowe, The Kennedys & The Mayors
Daisy Janeway Bowe spotted my mother when our local public television station ran a documentary film on Jane Byrne, Chicago's first woman mayor.
Jean Paul de la Chapelle on the de la Chapelle Family
Jean Paul de la Chapelle In June 2023, I had a chance to talk with Jean Paul de la Chapelle (JPD) who was at his home in Neuville [...]
Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago Botanic Garden Editor's Note: Sunday brought the Reunion crowd another gorgeous, sunny day. The Buehler Enabling Garden was exclusively set aside for the Canavan Reunion group, as [...]
The Hart Family
My earliest recollection of having Hart family cousins came from my mother mentioning James Austin Hart to me. he was then the Dean of the DePaul University business school in Chicago.
Mary Gwinn Bowe (1960): Hosts Sisters of John F. Kennedy During the U.S. Presidential Campaign
Mary Gwinn Bowe (1960): Hosts Dinner for Kennedy Kin, Mrs. Wendall Green & Ms. Helen Touhy On September 16, 1960, shortly before John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon for [...]
2021 The Thompson Chronicles: Don Thompson Talks to Rob Bowe
2021 Don Thompson Talks about the Thompson Family and the Bowes Editor's Note: In the complete 38-minute interview above, Don Thompson answers questions posed by Rob Bowe about Don's [...]
Honesty in Kindness – Augustine J. Bowe, The Poet, Presiding Judge
In this profile of Augustine J. Bowe, Justice Michael B. Hyman paints a portrait of Gus Bowe, the poet, while also noting his other lives as a distinguished lawyer, civic leader and Cook County Presiding Judge.
Richard Lawrence Gwinn, Jr. (1867-1932)
My grandfather, Richard Lawrence Gwinn, Jr., was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1867. He attended Calvert College there and pursued a career in banking and public service. He died in Baltimore in 1932 after suffering a stroke.
1935: The Parishes & Bowes in Palos Park
Editor’s Note: The still picture above was taken in Palos Park, Illinois by my mother Mary Gwinn Bowe in 1935. It shows my father, William John Bowe, Sr., with his arms around his [...]
1981 Julie Anne Bowe Thompson (1931-1981)
Julie Anne Bowe Thompson was the daughter of Augustine Joseph Bowe and Julia Leonie Lecour Bowe. She was born in 1931, three years after her only sibling John Edward Bowe was born. As a young child she often navigated her Chicago block with John in a stroller he had recently outgrown.
1989 Laura Lynch & Hugh MacPherson’s Wedding Reception
The reception following the 1989 wedding of Laura Lynch to Hugh MacPherson was held at Wellers Carriage House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The lawn outside Wellers was the perfect [...]
1989 The Lynch, Heffron, Casey and Bowe Families Celebrate Laura Lynch and Hugh McPherson
Wishing Laura Lynch and Hugh McPherson well, Lynch, Casey, Heffron & Bowe family members travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to celebrate their union. The picnic affair at a Huron River [...]
Ecuadorian Brandy: Its Origin & the Origin of Another Precious Commodity
Editor's Note: When Tony Bowe interviewed me about his grandfather Gus Bowe, I told him that after a meal at my uncle Gus and aunt Julia's apartment, we would usually [...]
The Children of Anthony Canavan and Ann Hughes
Long story short: they quit after 13.
2021 Gus & Julia Bowe: Tony Bowe Interviews Bill Bowe
Introduction to the Gus & Julia Interviews When Gus Bowe died on February 6, 1966, it wasn’t just headline news in the Chicago Tribune. The New York Times [...]
Robert Augustus Gwinn (1827-1911)
Robert Augustus Gwinn, a teacher in Conyers, Georgia at the outset of the Civil War, recounts his service in the Confederate Army and his later capture and internment by General Sherman's Union Army troops.
Mary Gwinn Bowe Before & After Chicago from the Families (1970)
1809 Dixon Hill Road, Mt. Washington, Baltimore, Maryland Left to Right: Mary, Bessie, Tom, "Mama", Mary Cornelia, Betty, Richard & Elizabeth Gwinn Before Chicago [...]
Cathy Parish Skura Remembers her Parents’ Era in Momence, Illinois
Editor's Note: Cathy Parish Skura may have left Momence to live elsewhere as an adult, but she didn't leave fond memories behind. The Paris Bank, founded in 1914, was [...]
1951 Reunion of the James Francis and Anna Canavan Hart Family, Des Moines, IA
Front row: Florence, Annie, Mary Ann, Joe Jr., Denise, Mike, Jimmy, Elizabeth, Maureen;Middle row: Florence (Mrs. Paul) holding Paul, Izzy (Mrs. Pete) holding Katie, Anna Canavan Hart holding John, Donna [...]
The Families Vol. 2 Website Launches
November 29, 2020 Well over 50 people joined the Zoom launch meeting yesterday for The Families: Vol. 2 website. They came from the West Coast, from France and from [...]
2001 John & Roberta Lynch’s 50th Wedding Anniversary Party
Teddy Casey took this video at Jack & Roberta Lynch's 50th Anniversary Party in 2001. It features the receiving line with Jack & Roberta and their children, the 50th [...]
All the Kids of Anthony Canavan and Ann Hughes and Then Some
Editor's Note: If the tome of Descendants of Anthony Canavan and Ann Hughes were in book form and you weren't careful, it would break your coffee [...]
2001-05-27 Anna Victoria Skura Family Index and Parish-Skura Album and Genealogy
2001-05-27 Anna Victoria Skura Family Index and Parish-Skura Album and GenealogyEditor's Note: During high school, Anna Victoria Skura, a Parish family descendant, completed her assignment. To create her family index [...]
1984-03-15 The Parish Family and the Momence, Illinois Sesquicentennial (Momence Progress-Reporter Newspaper Article)
Editor's Note: At 19, William Parish, Sr. travelled from Naples, New York by way of the "Strap Railroad," the Erie Canal, a lake steamer to Chicago and overland. When [...]
Have Your Heard? Ova Parish is Flying to Meet the Queen!
Yes, You Heard it Right: Ova Parish is Flying to The Netherlands to Meet Queen Beatrix on an All Expenses Trip Paid for by the Dutch Government 1982-10-03 [...]
Most recent stories
Bill Bowe on the origins of Riots & Rockets:
“In early 2020, I feared my increased irritability during the ensuing lockdown could be a telltale sign I was descending rapidly into curmudgeonhood. Thinking this would be unfair to the dogs, not to mention my wife, Cathy, I decided I needed a project to keep my head straight. I started thinking and writing about several of the strange periods I had lived through in the years since my graduation from law school in 1967."
Annals of a Bygone Era
Annals of a Bygone Era Bill Bowe, retired Executive Vice President of Encyclopaedia Britannica and a former Club President, gave a short talk about the history of The Cliff Dwellers at the Club's 117th Annual Meeting of [...]
In Other Words
In Other Words Editor's Note: With Cliff Dweller Eddie Torrez, on piano and vocals, and Mark Edler, on trombone, Latin Night At The Cliff Dwellers began with their take on Frank Sinatra's famous Nelson Riddle arrangement of "Fly [...]
Almafuerte (Strong Soul)
Almafuerte (Strong Soul) At The Cliff Dwellers Editor's Note: Triple threat Cliff Dweller director, musician and architect Eddie Torrez produced another special evening at The Cliff Dwellers in celebration of Latin [...]
Indian Summer
Indian Summer Editor's Note: On a hazy, lazy summer day, with the Thunderbird F-16s making a racket above, folks at Navy Pier and on the sightseeing and pleasure boats at the mouth of Chicago Harbor were doing what [...]
Thunderbirds at Work
Thunderbirds at Work Editor's Note: Friday, August 18, 2023 might have been a hazy day for the Air Force Thunderbird pilots to take their F-16 Fighting Falcons out for a practice spin, but they seemed to care less [...]
The Cliff Dwellers from the Sky
Up, Up, and Away The Hoerdemanns Editor's Note: On a hot July day I stepped out on the terrace to snap a few pictures of lakefront goings on. There was one party of four still dining, [...]
Blue and Sentimental & April in Paris
Blue and Sentimental April in Paris Lindsay Huge Basie Editor's Note: Recently At The Cliff Dwellers, it was blue [...]
Smile Awhile
Smile Awhile Viewing Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain in Millennium Park from the terrace of The Cliff Dwellers can easily bring to mind the 1975 Hall & Oates classic, Sara Smile.
Spinouts & Pileups
Spinouts & Pileups Editor's Note: The television commentators had their work cut out for them both on Saturday and Sunday. The torrential rain over the weekend had cut the Saturday race short and then cancelled its carryover [...]
The Inaugural NASCAR Street Race
The Inaugural NASCAR Street Race Street Race in the front yard of The Cliff Dwellers Editor's Note: On July 1 [...]
