Rev. Fowler traveled extensively throughout the world as he expanded his horizons and continually learned how God creatively works with people and His Creation.
KINGSTON, TN, October 23, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Rev. William J. Fowler with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Rev. Fowler celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Rev. Fowler was reared in a family of clergy and teachers. He received a public school education in Giles County, Tennessee schools. Rev. Fowler began his career with an Associate of Arts degree from Martin College and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies and Secondary Education from George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University. He matriculated at The University of Tennessee Graduate School and earned a Master of Arts degree with a major in 19th Century American History and a minor in Russian and Soviet History. He wrote "A History of Roane County, Tennessee, 1960-1870," as his Master's thesis.
Throughout these years Rev. Fowler struggled with his vocational calling. He knew God wanted him to work with people, but in what capacity – standing behind a pulpit as a clergy person or standing behind a lectern as a teacher? The upheavals of the 1960s weighed heavily upon his soul. Evil had broken through the apparent calmness of ordinary living with aggressive hostility on multiple fronts. Political assassinations, racial violence, and the Vietnam War exploded everywhere.
Rev. Fowler chose to apply for a position at the Divinity School of Duke University to understand better how Spiritual Realities interface with the Mundane Realities of Life. During his time there, he has the honor of studying the "Theology of Hope" under the tutelage of Visiting Professor Jürgen Moltmann, of Tubingen, Germany. Upon graduating with a Maser of Divinity degree, a committee at Duke Divinity School chose Rev. Fowler to fill their joint clergy position as Assistant Pastor of St. Michael's Parish Church in Dumfries, Scotland. Presently, he serves as an Emeritus member of the Duke Divinity School Board of Visitors.
Upon returning home from his year-long appointment to St. Michael's in Dumfries, Rev. Fowler continued his career under the appointment of a Bishop of the United Methodist Church to congregations in Oak Ridge; Bluff City; Abingdon, Virginia; First United Methodist Church, Bristol, Tennessee; Church Street United Methodist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee from which he retired.
Some of the projects Rev. Fowler helped sponsor while serving in these local churches included encouraging spiritual growth through Bible and Book Studies expanding membership and church worship attendance, actively encouraging local, national, and international mission projects, publishing Scenes from the Bluffs: A Bicentennial Picture History of Bluff City and Piney Flats, supporting the purchase and installation of a pipe organ and massive repair, remodeling, and renovation of church facilities in both Bristol First and Church Street UMCs. Both congregations liquidated their indebtedness in a very short time.
Rev. Fowler traveled extensively throughout the world as he expanded his horizons and continually learned how God creatively works with people and His Creation. In his teens as leader of the Tennessee Conference Methodist Youth Fellowship, he attended a United Nations – Washington Seminar. The following year he served as Youth Delegate to the Tenth World Methodust Conference in Oslo, Norway.
Just a year after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Rev. Fowler had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land. A short time later, he participated with some of the church members in a visit to the places the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, frequented. He also took advantage of a Duke Divinity School-sponsored journey to "Cities of the New Testament." Some years later Rev. Fowler joined a group of Duke Divinity School faculty members and alumni on an extensive tour of the People's Republic of China. The stated purpose of the trip was to observe how the PRC tolerated the religious practices of different congregations. His eyes and understandings were opened widely with this visit.
A lifelong history buff, Rev. Fowler began studying the Civil War when he was eight years old. He was later published in local newspapers during the 1980s, relating to the correspondence soldiers had written during the war. Rev. Fowler lectured about Civil War topics to the Rotary Club of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He also was invited to deliver six devotional messages to participants at the American Civil War Week in Chautauqua, New York. The Oxford University Roundtable in Oxford, England, gave Rev. Fowler the invitation to write and deliver a paper based on the relationship among Education, Government, Tradition, and Religion. He entitled his paper, "Encouraging the Better Angels of Our Nature."
Following retirement from his active appointed ministry career, Rev. Fowler taught Religion, American History, Western Civilization, and Russian-Soviet Union History at Hiwassee College. He also pastored two small United Methodist Churches at Rockwood and Midtown Valley. Finally, Rev. Fowler served on the Board of Directors of the Michael Dunn Center in Kingston, Tennessee. He is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Harriman, Tennessee.
Presently, Rev. Fowler reads voluminously, edits some of his sermons for publication as well as Civil War soldiers' letters, writes book reviews for the local newspaper, and enjoys living with his wife of nearly 60 years, Virginia, in their lake-front home in Kingston, Tennessee. Their sone Shaun along with daughter-in-law, Emily, and grandsons, Cam and Tate live in Cornelius, North Carolina.
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