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Stephen, left, and Jerry Bowen stand next to the main entrance of Whitings Neck Cave in West Virginia. The father-and-son cavers have been inside many caves together. (By Rowan Copley/Special to The Herald-Mail / June 15, 2012) |
Jerry Bowen's lessons for life come from solid foundations — his father's example, his church's teachings and from the living geology of Earth.
Bowen, 60, of Hagerstown, is a caver, something he picked from his father.
"My love for caving was instilled at a young age, when my dad took us out when we were kids. I was 10, 11, 12 years old, somewhere in that neighborhood," he said. "My dad had three boys and a daughter, and we were all geared for adventure. He took us caving with flashlights and tennis shoes."
Bowen's father died four years ago. Jerry Bowen shared caving with his wife, Mary, son, Stephen, and daughter, Melissa. Together, they have explored caves near and far. But now that Melissa has two children, Nowen said, she and Mary stay closer to home.
Stephen, 33, and Jerry still climb into caves. Jerry keeps a log with hundreds of entries describing cave trips in 32 states. Later this month, the father and son plan to attend a regional caving convention with 1,500 or more attendees near Lewiston, W.Va.
Stephen and Jerry sat down with The Herald-Mail earlier this week and talked about caving, love for life and doing things as a family.
Learn from Dad:
Jerry Bowen: "When I was growing up, my dad had polio. So I shoot my bow and arrow left-handed — that was the only way my dad could hold a bow. He could never play football, shoot passes, throw baseballs or catch, because he had a lame arm.
"Because of that, I was never much into sports. But we try to make up for it in other ways, by doing weekend things as a family — different kinds of love of life."
Show kids that church is important:
Jerry Bowen: "Going to church — it was all improtant to me. We are Seventh-day Adventists. I was raised that way, and my kids were raised that way. When you have values (connected with) going to church, you want to pass that off to your kids. So mostly that would be the first thing to pass on. And then this other thing —about love for life — that is like gravy."
Do things outdoors as a family:
Stephen Bowen: "(I remember going on family) camping trips. Throw on a pack, and walk into the woods for a while. Usually to a cabin. Sometimes to a shelter, or something else. In college, we took a week and walked the Appalachian Trail — all of Maryland."
Jerry Bowen: "We started hiking at Harpers Ferry and walked up to Caledonia. Took a week."
Cherish time with your family:
Stephen Bowen: "I moved away in '98 to go to college. I went to Southern Adventist University, near Chattanooga (Tenn.). I was down there for about six years. And then the school had a program which sent us overseas, so I was in Guyana another 12 months. And then I came back from there and I went to Utah (for work) and was there for three years. So you can't take (time with your son) for granted."
Help connect sons to work:
Jerry Bowen: "I worked at about four gas stations when I was a teenager. Learned how to change tires, take off carbeurators and put starters on.
Stephen Bowen: "Back when they did stuff at gas stations."
Bowen, 60, of Hagerstown, is a caver, something he picked from his father.
"My love for caving was instilled at a young age, when my dad took us out when we were kids. I was 10, 11, 12 years old, somewhere in that neighborhood," he said. "My dad had three boys and a daughter, and we were all geared for adventure. He took us caving with flashlights and tennis shoes."
Bowen's father died four years ago. Jerry Bowen shared caving with his wife, Mary, son, Stephen, and daughter, Melissa. Together, they have explored caves near and far. But now that Melissa has two children, Nowen said, she and Mary stay closer to home.
Stephen, 33, and Jerry still climb into caves. Jerry keeps a log with hundreds of entries describing cave trips in 32 states. Later this month, the father and son plan to attend a regional caving convention with 1,500 or more attendees near Lewiston, W.Va.
Stephen and Jerry sat down with The Herald-Mail earlier this week and talked about caving, love for life and doing things as a family.
Learn from Dad:
Jerry Bowen: "When I was growing up, my dad had polio. So I shoot my bow and arrow left-handed — that was the only way my dad could hold a bow. He could never play football, shoot passes, throw baseballs or catch, because he had a lame arm.
"Because of that, I was never much into sports. But we try to make up for it in other ways, by doing weekend things as a family — different kinds of love of life."
Show kids that church is important:
Jerry Bowen: "Going to church — it was all improtant to me. We are Seventh-day Adventists. I was raised that way, and my kids were raised that way. When you have values (connected with) going to church, you want to pass that off to your kids. So mostly that would be the first thing to pass on. And then this other thing —about love for life — that is like gravy."
Do things outdoors as a family:
Stephen Bowen: "(I remember going on family) camping trips. Throw on a pack, and walk into the woods for a while. Usually to a cabin. Sometimes to a shelter, or something else. In college, we took a week and walked the Appalachian Trail — all of Maryland."
Jerry Bowen: "We started hiking at Harpers Ferry and walked up to Caledonia. Took a week."
Cherish time with your family:
Stephen Bowen: "I moved away in '98 to go to college. I went to Southern Adventist University, near Chattanooga (Tenn.). I was down there for about six years. And then the school had a program which sent us overseas, so I was in Guyana another 12 months. And then I came back from there and I went to Utah (for work) and was there for three years. So you can't take (time with your son) for granted."
Help connect sons to work:
Jerry Bowen: "I worked at about four gas stations when I was a teenager. Learned how to change tires, take off carbeurators and put starters on.
Stephen Bowen: "Back when they did stuff at gas stations."
