Fairman C. Cowan

Fairman C. Cowan, age 93, died in his sleep at home in Worcester on October 14. He was born in Wellesley Hills, Mass., on April 22, 1915, son of James F. Cowan and Hortense Fairman Cowan. He was grateful that, even during the depression, his parents made it possible for him to go to Amherst College, from which he graduated in 1937 magna cum laude, and a member of Alpha Delta Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1940 he graduated from Harvard Law School and became an associate at the Boston Law Firm of Goodwin, Proctor, and Hoar, becoming a partner in 1952.

Although he had met his wife, Martha Allis, while in college, the relationship with Polly blossomed in Boston, and they were married in 1943. They enjoyed a 65-year devotion to each other, and their life together focused on friends and public service. They have three sons: Douglas Fairman Cowan, M.D. of Blue Hill, Maine, husband of Posie Sides Cowan; Frederick Allis Cowan of Gloucester, Mass., life partner of Richard C. Gardner, MD; and The Rev. Leonard C. Cowan of Northborough, Mass., husband of Hallie Marshall Cowan; and five grandchildren.

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Fairman joined the Navy, and served as a naval intelligence officer. He helped plan the Normandy invasion, and served on the command ship USS Augusta on D-Day. He participated in the Allied occupation force in Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany, and was involved with the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Though their Boston friends thought they might fall off the edge of the earth, in 1955 the Cowans moved to Worcester, where Fairman became General Counsel of the Norton Company, and later Vice President, Secretary and Clerk of the Corporation. He was a Director of Mechanics Bank from 1958 to 1986. He retired from Norton in 1979 and, for the next eleven years, was Of Counsel for the law firm of Bowditch and Dewey.

He became passionately committed to Worcester and its people. He was a founder of the Plan E / City Manager form of government, and was an ardent supporter of first-time city politicians, particularly those committed to social justice. Often in his later years, he could be found on election day, holding a sign. From the 1940s, he believed in reproductive health and choice, and was a formative influence in Planned Parenthood's total pregnancy clinic in Worcester. He was committed to equal access to quality public education, and maintained an interest in the world of students and young people. Fairman was an incorporator of: the Alliance for Education, which gave him an award as "an outstanding friend of education"; and Advocates for Excellence in Public Education. He was appointed by Governor Dukakis to be a member of the State Job Training Coordinating Council, and was appointed Vice Chairman of the initial Civic Center Commission by the Worcester City Manager. He received a number of honors, including the Isaiah Thomas Award in 1995, the establishment of a fund in his name at the Worcester Regional Research Bureau in 2005, and the "Good Guys" award from the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus in 2005. He was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Clark University, interfacing between administration and students. When a student once asked another, "who's that old guy with the bow tie?" he was told, "oh, that's Fairman. He's for us". The Cowans hosted foreign students living in their home over 50 years.

Fair and Polly loved to travel abroad, and as an amateur pianist, Fair earned his first trip to Europe in 1932 playing in a band aboard a French ocean liner. He was an avid patron of the arts, including Boston and Worcester symphonies, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Foothills Theatre. At age 40 he became an enthusiastic downhill skier, and continued to ski through age 92, when his doctor threatened to cut up his skis. Ever since he was a boy, he spent summers at East Falmouth on Cape Cod, and enjoyed sailing and windsurfing, and swam every day. After retirement, he drove over 6000 miles on his moped.

Though he was a generous contributor to a number of causes, he nonetheless relished skiing free in his old age, and was one of Spag's most frequent customers. As a final charitable contribution, he donated his body to the UMass Medical School. Memorial contributions may be made in his name at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation (370 Main Street, Worcester 10608) or the Worcester Regional Research Bureau (319 Main Street, Worcester 10608).

Friends and family will celebrate his life on Friday, October 24 at 4 P.M. at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.