Interview with Billy J. Bower, January 18, 1993
Project: University of Kentucky Oral History Project
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 Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Bower, Billy J. Interview by Terry L. Birdwhistell. 18 Jan. 1993. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Bower, B.J. (1993, January 18). Interview by T. L. Birdwhistell. University of Kentucky Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Bower, Billy J., interview by Terry L. Birdwhistell. January 18, 1993, University of Kentucky Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7sqv3c2k6b