A Family Affair
Campaign Newsletter: Summer 2001

Sometimes the most important legacies that people leave behind are the intangibles—the unspoken effects they’ve had on others.  Tom and Jarman Lowder, who will someday leave their daughters the very tangible legacy of a family foundation, will also leave them with the knowledge, confidence, and judgement to use the foundation’s resources wisely.

The Lowders, through the Thomas H. and Jarman F. Lowder Foundation, recently pledged $2 million to the Campaign for UAB. Their gift will be used to create the Jarman F. Lowder Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. The family - Mr. and Mrs. Lowder and their three daughters - holds regular annual meetings to discuss the allocation of foundation resources. “We make decisions as a family,” says Tom Lowder. “It’s a learning experience for my daughters. They are learning the importance of giving back to their community.”  The Lowders feel that, by educating their children now, they are teaching their kids to make responsible decisions in the future. “By giving each of our daughters a voice in these decisions, we hope that we’re showing them the good that comes out of giving to other people, says Jarman Lowder.

Each family member has input when it comes to making decisions, and Mr. Lowder notes that the four females in the family take a great interest in giving to causes that support women and children. The family’s recent gift to the School of Nursing will undoubtedly do just that, since nursing is still a predominantly female field. Mrs. Lowder herself is a graduate of the UAB School of Nursing and knows firsthand how difficult it can be to juggle a demanding curriculum while holding down a job. “Work and financial pressure often interfere with students’ classwork, says Rachel Booth, Ph.D., dean of the school. “People who are training to deal with life or death situations need to be able to devote as much time as possible to their studies.”

Not surprisingly, the Lowders also recognize the important nature of nursing. “We know that so much of the good service in hospitals is derived from nurses, who are often the unsung heroes,” says Mr. Lowder. “Nurses are responsible for a lot of patient care, and they’re generally underpaid and overworked.”

Longtime volunteers and friends of UAB, the Lowders have chosen to support the Campaign for UAB through their foundation because they realize the impact that UAB has, not only on the region’s vital health-care industry, but also on the city of Birmingham. “I believe that UAB is a re-source everyone in this city ought to appreciate,” says Mrs. Lowder. Her husband agrees: “UAB is the shining star of Birmingham,”  he says. “I can’t imagine where we would be as a city without UAB.”

For more information please contact:
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations
218 School of Nursing Building
1701 University Boulevard
Phone: (205) 975-8936
Fax: 205-934-0269