Dr. Carla LOWRY

LOWRY, Dr. Carla
Dr. Carla d'Estelle Lowry, 76, a preeminent scholar, college professor, athletics administrator and coach, passed away early Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Georgetown, Texas, where she had been retired since 2001. She touched and positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students, coaches and athletics officials throughout her life. She became the first female athletics director at Southwestern University in 1984 and also served SU as associate dean of students, chair and professor of kinesiology, and director of wellness and leisure. Her tenure there was highlighted by moving a NAIA athletics program into NCAA Division III, overseeing sports expansion and construction of the Corbin J. Robertson Center.
Dr. Lowry promoted wellness and fitness throughout her career. She taught physical education at The University of Texas at Arlington (1972-84) was graduate assistant women's basketball coach at Texas Woman's University (1969-71), coached Texas AIAW state championship teams in basketball and volleyball and taught at Sam Houston State University (1967-69) and coached at Southwest Preparatory Conference Championship girls basketball squad in her final year at Houston's Kincaid High School (1963-67). She earned the AMOCO Foundation Teaching Excellence Award at UTA in 1975. She also was president of the Texas AIAW, a NAIA District Chair, Women's Sports Development Committee Chair, National Executive Committee Chair and Administrator of the Year in 1987-88. She authored two books: Pictorial Basketball and Women's Basketball along with numerous research articles.

A native of Forest, Miss., Dr. Lowry was an elite All-American basketball player, leading the vaunted Wayland Baptist College (now University) Flying Queens from 1957-61. WB players from 1953-58 won 131 consecutive games and were cited in 2013 as Trailblazers of the Game by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. Dr. Lowry led WBU to AAU championships in 1959 and 1961. She earned a 1959 Pan American Games gold medal in the U. S. national women's team and played in Russia with the U. S. Department Cultural Exchange Program squad. She received Bachelor of Arts degree at Wayland Baptist in 1961 and earned a Master of Arts degree (1963) and doctorate (1972) at TWU.

Her honors included a National Association of Girls and Women in Sports Pathfinder Award and a National Associations of Collegiate Athletics Administrator Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

She was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1985, the Wayland Baptist Athletics Hall of Honor (1999), the Sam Houston State University Athletics Hall of Honor (2011) and the Southwestern University Hall of Honor (2012).

She is survived by her beloved life partner Dr. Dot Lovett of Georgetown, and her sister Louise Lawrence of Ethelville, Alabama. A Heartfelt thanks go to Autumn Leaves of Georgetown staff that provided Carla with compassionate care. The support provided Dot and all of Carla's friends was greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the Harbor Hospice.

A service celebrating the life of Carla will be held on Thursday, July 30th at 11AM in Corbin J. Robertson Center on the campus of Southwestern University. A reception will immediately follow the service in the Robertson Center. Memorial gifts may be made to the Southwestern University Athletic Department, P.O. Box 770, Georgetown, TX 78627-0770.