Interview with Billy J. Bower, January 18, 1993

Interview Summary

Billy Francis Jackson Bower was born in 1919 in Lexington, Kentucky, but was raised in Jessamine County. She attended Picadome Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, and Henry Clay High School. Bower states that she had an early interest in horses, and helped her father on his farm. In 1936, she graduated from high school and entered the University of Kentucky with a major in Agriculture.

Bower discusses her decision to enter a male-dominated field of study. She describes some of the women present in her college career including Francis Jewell McVey, the wife of UK President Frank McVey, and Sarah Blanding, the Dean of Women. While at UK, Bower was a member of the Chi Omega sorority, Xi Chi, the Pep organization, a university representative for the June Dairy Month, and an associate member of Block and Bridle honorary agriculture fraternity. She explains that she was only an associate member of Block and Bridle because she was a woman. She remembers that on January 17th, 1941 an article ran in The Kernel, UK's student newspaper, which recognized her and two other women for their pursuit of a major outside the accepted social realm of the time period. After graduating with her Bachelor's degree, Bower started training horses. She later opened two barns of her own. She married Alex Bower, the sports columnist for The Leader. The Bowers have four children and own a farm in Jessamine County.

Interview LC Subject

Bower, Billy Francis Jackson Bower, Billy Francis Jackson--Interviews McVey, Frances Jewell, 1889-1945 University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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