SUNY Cortland Athletics

For the past 30 years, Shirley Bowen has been an influential figure in the administration of women's athletics in Western New York. Bowen has served as both president and board of directors chair of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAHPERD). Between 1967 and 1985, she devoted three terms as president of the Central Western New York Board of Officials for Women's Sports and chaired that organization's basketball and volleyball committees. From 1964 to 1986, Bowen was an area chair, area representative and area secretary for the Association for Women in Physical Education in New York State (AWPENYS).

Since the early 1980's Bowen has served on the Eligibility Committee and chaired the Constitution Committee for Section Five of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHAA). She has received numerous awards for her work from NYSAHPERD. Bowen was a charter member of both the National Association of Interscholastic Athletic Administrators and the New York State Association of Women Administrators.

A graduate of Moravia (N.Y.) Central School, she came to SUNY Cortland in 1960. She participated on the College's basketball and volleyball honor teams, was a Wickwire Hall resident assistant and dorm counselor as an upperclassman, and was a three-year member of the Officials Club. Bowen earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from SUNY Cortland and a Master of Science from SUNY Brockport.

She began her professional career in 1964 as a health and physical education teacher at Churchville-Chili (N.Y.) Senior High. During the 1970's, she was a physical education teacher at Fairbanks Road Elementary School in Churchville, N.Y., and director of health, physical education and athletics at East Irondequoit (N.Y.) Schools. From 1980-92, she held a similar position at Brighton Central Schools.

Over the years, Bowen has been active with the Genesee Valley Sports Medicine Council, the American Heart Association of the Genesee Valley Region, the Brighton Little League Baseball Board of Directors, the New York State Special Olympics, and the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association in the Rochester area. Since 1983, she has been on the Female Athletic Awards Selection Committee for the Rochester Press-Radio Club. Bowen is a past president of the Association of Brighton Administrators as well as the Women in Education Network.