Captain William J. Bowne, USAF (Retired)

12/28/10 – This is in answer to the e-mail asking for those of us with military experience to post: I attended Belknap from 1972 through its closure, after which I transferred to Lyndon State with most of the rest of the weather classes. Family pressures forced me to drop out of Lyndon State, after which I enlisted in the US Air Force. Thanks to the weather training I received at Belknap, I qualified as an enlisted weather observer. Later, I competed for and won a slot for advanced training leading to a degree in Meteorology from St. Louis University. The Air Force later sent me back to St. Louis University for a Master’s degree, and I was in line for a doctorate’s slot when the Berlin Wall came down and I wound up retiring as a Captain in 1994. A large part of my career aspirations was formed at Belknap. Under the tutelage of professors such as Drs. Derrickson and Woodard (both retired Air Force Colonels), I received nothing but encouragement in my aim to serve my country. I was also in the Belknap College Fire Department, working alongside several other military vets and future military and civilian service members. Just to name a few: Hugh Warner (Viet Nam US Army vet), Curt Osgood (a fellow US Air Force/Mass ANG Weather vet who worked for many years at Westover ANGB), William Geary (National Weather Service). Besides the military aspect, let me talk more about the Fire Department. Anyone who thinks of the students at Belknap as being pot-smoking, worthless hippies needs to talk to the members of the Centre Harbor and Lakes Region Mutual Aid Fire Departments. They’ll tell you of how many times the BCFD members stood alongside them in sub-zero weather, fighting to save someone’s home. Those are some of my proudest experiences. Captain William J. Bowne, USAF (Retired)