Honorary Alumna Award 2007
Linny Fowler is about as close to being irreplaceable to the Lehigh Valley as one person can be. For over 30 years Linny has given her support in her time and donations to long lists of non-profit organizations; so long that, if we simply mentioned each one we would have to add several pages to this program.
Linny's passions for the arts include her involvement with: ArtsQuest, Musikfest,
The Banana Factory, Christkindlmarkt, Zoellner Arts Center, The State Theatre Center for the Arts, The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Allentown Symphony, Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, and on – and on.
Her caring goes deep; were it not for Linny's creation of a matching gift program for Touchstone Theatre, that venue may well not be open today. She has also helped create unique programs such as the Allentown Art Museum's “Free Sundays” to provide free admission to the public on Sundays (along with funding many youth programs); and “The Linny Fowler WillPower Tour” to bring Shakespeare performances to children; or the “Linny’s Kids,” a children’s program at the Baum School of Art. This list, too, goes on and on.
As the mother of four children and grandmother to 12, kids are high on Linny's people to care for; and this list is as long as the others. In addition to the programs mentioned above, her benevolence and public spirit are evident in her work and generosity with such worthwhile organizations as: the Lehigh Childcare Center, Valley Youth House, Da Vinci Discovery Center, Cops n’ Kids, and the Community Services for Children Donley Center. She is president of the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of the Lehigh Valley where she helps see to it that children in the Hispanic community find education and access to the arts (her concern for exposure to the arts extends also to at-risk youth and to the general public).
Education, in its broad sense of importance to the individual and to the community itself, is another item high on Linny's passions list. She has benefited Northampton Community College with, of course, her donations to the Fowler Family Southside Center, as only one important area. But again, her generosity can be seen across the Lehigh Valley; from Lehigh Carbon Community College to Lehigh University and their Linderman Library restoration, to serving as honorary chair of the Steel Stax project for the redevelopment of Bethlehem Steel's brownfields. And so much in between.
Education and the arts are a big part of Linny's personal life as well. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in biology from Skidmore College; and is married to Dr. W. Beall Fowler, retired physics professor of Lehigh University. Her honorary degrees include an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lehigh University, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from DeSales University.
Along with being a founder, patron and teacher (as a resident stained glass artist) in the Banana Factory, Linny owns and manages Fowler & Peña Creations in Bethlehem, a stained glass business creating commercial work and pieces for private collections, churches, and institutions.
The many – many – awards Linny has been honored with include the Baum School of Art Star Award, Allentown Art Museum Award, Allentown Human Relations Award, Arts Ovation Award, Bethlehem Area School District Friend of BASD Award, the Banana Factory Cabaret Award, Philanthropist of the Year, Community Services for Children Award, the (Bethlehem) Mayor’s First Tribute to Arts Award, and Northampton Community College's 1997 Community Fabric Award. Once again, the list goes on and the awards are stellar.
Tonight, the honor is truly ours, as Northampton's Alumni Association proudly welcomes Linny Fowler as one of our own with our Honorary Alumna Award.
