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'''Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr.''' (February 9, 1926 – May 2, 2002) was a three-term [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] mayor of [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]], the fourth largest city in the state. His tenure, which some assessed as distinguished and others as a failure, extended from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1992 to 1996.
'''Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr.''' (February 9, 1926 – May 2, 2002) was a three-term [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] mayor of [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]], the fourth largest city in the state. His tenure, which some assessed as distinguished and others as a failure, extended from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1992 to 1996.
Bowen was Lafayette's first and last mayor under the city's mayor-council form of [[government]], which was used for the 24 years between 1972 and 1996. He was elected mayor with 62 percent of the vote in the 1972 Democratic primary, in which he defeated three opponents, and he was elected again in 1976 and 1992. When Bowen left office in 1996, the City of Lafayette and [[Lafayette|Lafayette Parish]] combined their governments, much as [[Baton Rouge]] and East Baton Rouge Parish had done years earlier. The mayor then became the "president" of the combined government.
==Background==
Bowen was born in [[New Orleans]] to Joseph F. Bowen and the former Hazel McNulty. He served in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]]. On his discharge in November 1945, he relocated to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in [[music]] in 1948. He later received a [[Master of Arts]]" degree from [[Columbia University]] in [[New York City]]. He taught in the Lafayette Parish school system for eleven years and was known for his direction of choral organizations throughout his life. His passion for music, for instance, led him in the 1980s to organize a community singing group called "The Soundwaves."
Bowen was born in [[New Orleans]] to Joseph F. Bowen and the former Hazel McNulty. He served in the [[United States Army]] Air Corps during [[World War II]]. On his discharge in November 1945, he relocated to Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in [[music]] in 1948. He later received a [[Master of Arts]]" degree from [[Columbia University]] in [[New York City]]. He taught in the Lafayette Parish school system for eleven years and was known for his direction of choral organizations throughout his life. His passion for music, for instance, led him in the 1980s to organize a community singing group called "The Soundwaves."
Bowen was once awarded the French Legion of Merit for his work in promoting the use of the [[France|French]] language in Louisiana.
Bowen was once awarded the French Legion of Merit for his work in promoting the use of the [[France|French]] language in Louisiana.
==Three Bowen administrations==
==Three mayoral terms==
Bowen's tenure is remembered for controversy, for he often squabbled with city council members and police chiefs. In the third term, pro-Bowen and anti-Bowen factions clashed so frequently that municipal government was in frequent deadlock. Bowen nevertheless obtained the conversion of the former Evangeline Hotel on Jefferson Street into apartments for senior citizens. There were downtown street improvements too, but cost overruns led to several [[indictment]]s.
Bowen's tenure is remembered for controversy, for he often squabbled with city council members and police chiefs. In the third term, pro-Bowen and anti-Bowen factions clashed so frequently that municipal government was in frequent deadlock. Bowen nevertheless obtained the conversion of the former Evangeline Hotel on Jefferson Street into apartments for senior citizens. There were downtown street improvements too, but cost overruns led to several [[indictment]]s.
At the funeral, his son Kris Bowen recalled his father as "an agent of change" for the city that he loved. "The proof of his efforts -- like the Camellia Boulevard bridge project, the Cajundome (completed in 1985 under Lastrapes), and the Convention Center -- are visible throughout Lafayette. History will treat him well, not for the bricks and mortar he laid, but the lives he changed along the way."
At the funeral, his son Kris Bowen recalled his father as "an agent of change" for the city that he loved. "The proof of his efforts -- like the Camellia Boulevard bridge project, the Cajundome (completed in 1985 under Lastrapes), and the Convention Center -- are visible throughout Lafayette. History will treat him well, not for the bricks and mortar he laid, but the lives he changed along the way."
==References==
==References==
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