June 21, 2000
'We made Carol's dream a reality'
Interlochen playground dedicated to memory of Carol Bowman
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Just days before she died in a car accident in February of 1998, Carol Bowman shared her dream of having a place like Kid's Kove in the Interlochen area. A member of the Green Lake Township Parks and Recreation Committee, Bowman told other committee members at that meeting she wanted to create a safe and fun place to play for the kids who lived around Interlochen.
After her unexpected death, her family, friends and community rallied to turn her dream into a reality.
Sunday afternoon, two years after their initial fund-raiser and $40,000 later, more than 50 people came to dedicate the Carol Bowman Play Center in her honor at the Green Lake Township Park and Airport. As kids swarmed over the bright and shining equipment, friends remembered Bowman and knew she would be pleased with the result.
"This playground was pretty important to her because she worked with kids and was so involved with kids here," said Terri Maison, a long-time friend of Bowman's who helped spearhead the fundraising efforts. "This is her baby, this is her reality. We did it, we made Carol's dream a reality."
Bowman, a 44-year-old mother of three when she died, worked as a security guard at West High School and, before that, at Traverse City Senior High. Famous and infamous among area youth for her commitment against smoking, she taught Smoker Enders classes at the Traverse City Senior High before the schools split. As a former smoker who picked up the habit in her own youth, she was determined to help other kids avoid the habit. Bowman's nickname was the "Gum Lady," a nod to the hundreds of sticks of gum she passed out encouraging youth to chew gum instead of smoke.
Despite her position of authority at the school as a security guard, Bowman was known for her smile, always having one to share with 'her' kids. She touched so many that hundreds of kids came to her funeral or sent cards to her family, many telling how she helped them stop smoking or never even started because of her.
"She was in security at the high school and anything involving kids, she'd be there," said Rod Bowman, Carol's husband. "Carol lived in Interlochen 30 years and she was so involved in the community, she knew people pretty well."
Closer to home in Interlochen, Bowman coached softball and spent countless hours playing with area youth at the park. She had been a member of the Green Lake Township Parks and Recreation Committee for a few years before she died. During that time, the township upgraded the ball fields and added basketball courts to the Green Lake Township Park.
When committee members wondered what to do next, Bowman suggested the playground. After she died, her friends organized a memorial fund-raiser in May of 1998 at Giovanni's in Interlochen, which netted $2,300. The race was on to keep the money coming in. More fund-raisers, sales of memorial bricks at the playground and some funds from the township netted enough money to purchase the equipment last summer.
Showing their community spirit, volunteers came together to put up the equipment themselves. Since then, the playground has seen heavy use.
"When we assembled it last summer we had hundreds of volunteers," Maison said. "This was a real community effort, we had so many volunteers. People do come together, it's kind of amazing how they did for this."
Longtime Interlochen resident Bill Cayo, who died last week, was also instrumental in the effort to enhance the park. Over the years of his tenure on the Green Lake Township Parks and Recreation Committee, he spearheaded many of the improvements. Unstoppable in his vision of creating a community park, he put up his own money, cajoled money from others and organized work parties to get things done.
Sunday afternoon the community also acknowledged his contributions and highlighted a new sign at the park's entrance declaring the grounds Bill Cayo's Fields of Dreams.
"Bill Cayo was like the founder of this park," said Clark Pomeroy, a member of the Green Lake Township Parks and Recreation Committee. "He got it off the ground at least 15 years ago.