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
Settling Down in Life and the Law
Settling Down in Life and the Law Ill-Fated Book Attempt Though I was discharged from the Army in May 1971, I didn’t plan to start work for Roan & Grossman (at [...]
Richard Bowe and the 1968 SDS Days of Rage in Chicago
Richard Bowe's Report on the 1968 SDS Days of Rage Violence in Chicago Editor's Note: In a March 14, 2022 interview Tony and I discussed what kind of content might later be added to the www.wbowe.com website. In [...]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker Comes to Call
As an empty nester living in a cul-de-sac of eight houses in Northbrook, IL, I was hard at work minding my own business Saturday morning. I was reading the newspaper on my living room sofa when Cathy answered a knock on our front door. When her short conversation finished, I asked her who it was. She said the Governor was nearby and would be knocking on our door shortly.
Mark Hersch – Time After Time
Mark Hersch - Time After Time Mark Hersch is know for taking rare, historic photographs of Chicago and other cities and merging them with photographs he takes from the exact same vantage point in the present day. The [...]
Curriculum Vitae
CURRICULUM VITAE WILLIAM J. BOWE wbowe1@gmail.com PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 1986 - 2014, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Chicago, IL Retired as senior legal and administrative officer of multinational Internet, software and print publisher. Substantial time [...]
Jane Byrne Burned – Chicago Politics in the 1970s
An unusually prominent front page story appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Sunday, June 22,1980. It reported details of Mayor Jane Bryne’s transition team report and revealed me to be an author of part of the previously secret study, as well as the immediate source of its startling revelations.
Diet Troubles
Diet Troubles Though a delicate subject for me, I spoke directly about my diet troubles. [Automatically generated subtitles in both English and French can be read or turned off by clicking on the CC (Closed Captions) button on [...]
Earlier Times with the 80th Birthday Guests
Earlier Times with the 80th Birthday Guests The birthday event featured a 9-minute slideshow of the invitees in earlier years. You can take a look at these guests when they were youngin's here.
Turning 80
Turning 80 At my last birthday party, I had a chance to tell family and friends why Turning 80 was no bed of roses. [Automatically generated subtitles in both English and French can be read or turned off [...]
Fête du 80e Anniversaire de Bill Bowe (En Française)
Remarques de William J. Bowe Fête du 80e anniversaire Cliquez ici pour voir les photos de la fête Note de l'éditeur : Grâce à mes cousins Tony Bowe et Charley Bowe, et à leurs épouses Nancy [...]
80th Birthday Party
[Automatically generated subtitles in both English and French can be read or turned off by clicking on the CC (Closed Captions) button on the lower right corner of the video.] Bill Bowe Remarks Remarques de [...]
John Skura
John Skura Editor's Note: John Skura in his brief remarks points to a number of parallels between his life and mine, including our service in the military. John recalls his career in the Naval Intelligence Service and mine [...]
