Dr. Dorcas Lucretia Davis Bowles

Obituary

Dr. Dorcas Lucretia Davis Bowles

December 19, 1936 – November 15, 2025

Dr. Dorcas Lucretia Davis Bowles was born on December 19, 1936 in Eufaula, Alabama to Rev. Jordan Davis and Mary Emma Wright Davis. She was the seventh of nine children born to this union. She accepted Christ at age seven at First Baptist Church in Eufaula, Alabama where her father, who was pastor, baptized her. The family moved to Tuskegee when Dorcas was age 8 and in the third grade. The family move was made because her parents wanted their children to live in a community where there was a college and where education was valued. All nine children were college graduates and received graduate and/or professional degrees. It was at Tuskegee that Dorcas' love of reading blossomed, and while her siblings and friends played ball and other games in a vacant lot across from her home, she would be found devouring books in her room or on the front porch. She felt that reading transported her to new worlds, was intellectually stimulating, improved her vocabulary and memory, strengthened her analytical skills, and allowed her to see beyond her own boundaries and views. Reading remained her lifelong passion.

Dorcas attended Lewis Adams Elementary School and Tuskegee Institute High School. She received her B.S degree as class valedictorian from Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama in 1958; her MSW degree from Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass in 1960; and her Ed.D. degree in Mental Health Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. in 1983. She was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority while a student at Tuskegee University.

Dorcas was married to the late Paul Lawrence Bowles and to this union, two cherished daughters were born: Adriene Bowles and Anita Bowles.

Dorcas' employment experiences were primarily in the areas of social work practice, and as a faculty member and administrator in higher education. After receiving her MSW degree, Dorcas worked at the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago, Ill. for two years when she was asked by the president of Tuskegee University to serve as Dean of Women where she served from 1962-1964. She subsequently married and returned to Chicago, Ill. Dorcas served as Program Director of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Center and later as Director of the Child Development Center of the Infant Welfare Society, both located in Chicago. She became a member of the faculty of Smith College School for Social Work where she was Director of Special Programs, full professor, Associate Dean, and Interim Dean, from 1972 – 1986.

The Director of Special Programs supervised the Smith College Bridge Program which brought students of color, especially Black students, to campus for six (6) weeks prior to the opening of the academic year. The program was designed to ease their transition to college. Dorcas made sure that the program was not seen as remedial because Black students. who were accepted, met the criteria for admission to Smith College. Under the Bridge Program, Smith's enrollment of Black students was the largest it had ever been up to that time. The students who participated in the Bridge Program graduated in 4 years, many with honors, and most moved on to complete graduate and professional education at some of the top universities in the country. The Bridge Program was very successful and was one of Dorcas' proudest achievements.

Dorcas left Smith College to serve as Dean of Atlanta University School of Social Work from 1986- 1987 and as Interim President of Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) from 1987-1988. Under her leadership as Dean, the school's clinical focus and programs were strengthened. Additionally, under the leadership of President Thomas W. Cole, Jr. and Dr. Bowles, the school was renamed Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work at its 80th Anniversary Celebration.

Dorcas served on the University Committee that led to the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865), and Clark College (1869) which became Clark Atlanta University (1988). She served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Clark Atlanta University from 2003-2008 when she retired. Upon her retirement from Clark Atlanta University, Dorcas was invited to serve as Distinguished Scholar of Social Work in the Department of Social Work and Human Services at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA. from 2008-2015. She was asked to return to Clark Atlanta University to serve as Interim Dean of Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work from August 2015-June 2016. She was asked to return to Clark Atlanta University to serve as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from January 2019 – December 2020.

Dr. Bowles made many contributions to the social work profession. Her major theoretical contribution was her expansion of research on the development of the self to incorporate what she termed "the ethnic sense of self" for Black children. She noted that theories on the development of the self were incomplete without an understanding of "an ethnic sense of self" which is essential for the healthy development of a Black Child. Once the self is formed, Black parents must provide the Black child with positive attributes about their "being Black" given the racial climate that exists in this country. She saw the Black child's development of an "ethnic sense of self" as critical for their healthy development and ability to navigate racism and maximize their potential.

Dorcas' value system, which was shaped by her family, the Black church and community, espoused that "those to whom much is given, much is expected". Her life touched many young people and made a difference. She saw her greatest role as that of being a mother to her two daughters, Adriene and Anita. They always came first because she recognized that by being a good mother to them, she could serve as a loving example and mentor to others. Those with whom she worked felt she was refreshingly free of the need for adulation which, combined with her capacity for empathy, compassion and social justice, enhanced her ability to mentor and inspire others.

Dorcas gave generously and freely to her friends and to anyone who knew her. To those she leaves behind, she would say: "Celebrate the full life that I lived; carry the many memories you have of me inside you always; and honor me by transforming the lives of young people, and through these acts, my legacy will live."

Dorcas is survived by her daughter, Adriene Bowles and her partner, Robert Tyler Kaufman; daughter, Anita Bowles; two brothers: Dr. Abraham Davis and Mr. Walter S. Wright Davis; sister-in-law, Ms. Marian Davis; nieces, Jacqueline Harris, Marian Davis, Lynetta Chisolm and Natasha Feaster; nephews, Hillis Dwight Davis, Jr., Patrick Harris, Martin Harris and Thomas Harris; many grand nieces and nephews and a host of extended family and loving friends.

In lieu of flowers, family and friends are asked to make a donation to Whitney M. Young, Jr., School for Social Work Scholarship Fund: 223 James P. Brawley Drive, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30314