Throughout its 130 years, the story of Epworth has really been a collection of stories – thousands of them – about children whose lives were forever changed at Epworth. Here is one of them, about two young brothers from Union, South Carolina.
Even before the onset of the Great Depression, Paughnee Fowler of Union, South Carolina, struggled to feed and care for her seven children. When her husband died in 1922, she was left without the means to adequately support the family because she could not read, write, or inherit her husband’s business. By 1929, three of her children had dropped out of elementary school to work and help support the family.
A Methodist, Paughnee knew about Epworth Children’s Home in Columbia. It occurred to her that she might be able to use her cooking skills to work at Epworth and take the four younger children with her to live on campus. She applied, and Epworth gratefully accepted her offer but told her she would only be allowed to bring two of her children with her. Epworth had to limit admission during the Depression as charitable donations plunged and applications spiked to unprecedented levels.
It had to have broken Paughnee’s heart, but she decided that she would send her two youngest boys to live at Epworth so that at least they could receive the food, clothing, education, and care they needed. She would stay in Union with the other children.
The day that 7-year-old Dennis and 9-yearold Jim were taken to the Union depot to catch a Southern Railway train to Columbia, their mom sent them on their way with a suitcase and a basket of food. Seven-year-old Dennis was so distressed at having to leave home, he ran away while waiting for the train. It took a search party to find him hiding in the ravine next to the train tracks. Jim coaxed him back and promised everything would be OK.
When they arrived in Columbia, the brothers were assigned rooms in separate age-based cottages and each given a Bible. Many years later, even after an elderly Dennis Fowler developed dementia, he remembered that difficult day, along with many happier Epworth experiences, said his children Gordon and Kathryn Fowler.
“He ended up grateful for all that he received there,” said Gordon Fowler, a retired trusts and estates attorney living on Amelia Island, Florida. “Epworth was life changing for my dad and uncle, and looking back on my life, I can see that it was lifechanging for me too.”
Gordon and Kathryn are first-generation college graduates, something Gordon believes would never have happened had their father not had the benefit of getting a high school education at Epworth.
“The two children from my father’s family that went to Epworth were the only ones not to end up dropping out of school to work,” he said. “Both my dad and uncle graduated from high school, and both went on to have careers with corporations. Their other siblings did not finish high school, and some got no more than a third-grade education. In turn, that affected some of the choices their children made.”
At Epworth, the Fowler brothers excelled in sports and leadership, serving as team captains of championship Epworth football, basketball and baseball teams.
Steve Fowler, a retired Air Force veteran and teacher in Columbia, said his father Jim also learned important skills working in the Epworth print shop. Jim’s son Ben Fowler, who retired after a career as a golf pro and home remodeler in Myrtle Beach, said his dad sometimes talked about the 800-acre Epworth farm and how the boys could eat their fill of fresh-picked vegetables.
“All he could eat seemed like a pretty good deal at that time,” Ben said.
Gordon said Dennis, too, had good memories of the farm, especially the time he spent plowing fields behind the Epworth mules Thelma and Molly. He loved playing saxophone in the Epworth band and fondly recalled the annual Maypole dance and the time President Franklin Roosevelt visited Columbia and ate sausages that came from Epworth’s farm. The year Jim graduated from high school was especially memorable
“The story goes that Dad was in coveralls, barefoot, and he saw what looked like money on the ground,” Gordon said. “He tucked his toes around it and it turned out to be a $20 bill. In his child’s mind, he thought it was OK to keep it, and he gave it to Jim to buy a suit to graduate in. When Dad graduated, Jim returned the favor by giving him a suit.”
After leaving Epworth, both brothers served their country with distinction. Jim Fowler served in World War II with General Patton and came home a Captain with a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, and a French Croix de Guerre for heroism in combat. Dennis served in the Marines stateside. Both men ended up moving back to Columbia after their military careers and both married young women from Columbia.
Dennis spent his career working for Burroughs Corporation, which made business equipment and, later, computers, while Jim Fowler spent his career in the printing field. Jim even spent seven years printing The Methodist Advocate.
Kathryn said that although her father Dennis grieved for having missed the time with his mother, he grew into a strong, kind man who worked hard and valued family and faith above all else. Throughout his life, he taught Sunday School and sang in the church choir.
“After he and my Uncle Jim came out of their childhoods, they never stopped trying to help people,” said Kathryn, who retired 12 years ago after a career as state director of the Georgia Council on Aging. “The joke we used to share is that we didn’t have two nickels to rub together because they were always giving one away.”
Steve said his father Jim also became a very principled and focused man.
“I think that going to Epworth taught him accountability and responsibility,” Steve said. “I have always tried to emulate my dad as much as possible because he was a strong man who always took responsibility for his actions.”
Ben Fowler said that while it was sad that the brothers could not grow up with their siblings and mom, Epworth “was a marvelous opportunity for
them.”
“They grew up fine, learned how to deal with adversity, learned how to work, and got an education,” Ben said. “Both were very successful.”
For the rest of their lives, the Fowler brothers not only helped their mother Paughnee and other family members, but they also supported Epworth.
Their children have also lived lives of service. Kathryn helped pass legislation in Georgia to protect elderly people from financial exploitation. Gordon served for several years as the staff attorney for the Dekalb County (Georgia) Probate Court which oversaw guardianship of minor children. Steve served his country in the Air Force for decades, and Ben and his wife Gwen, a newspaper editor and professor, are spending their retirement as kinship parents.
All cherish their fathers’ photos and the memories they shared. Dennis’s high school baseball glove has pride of place in Gordon’s home. Steve and Ben proudly display Jim’s war medals. And Kathryn treasures a book she found on her father’s bedside table following his death.
It was the Bible he was given his first day at Epworth.
