 Miriam Hardge picks up an envelope full of letters. “Daddy got so many,” she says,
smiling.
The signatures are impressive: Ray
E. Barnes, Governor of Georgia; Max Cleland, U.S. Senator; John Lewis, U.S.
Representative; and Bill and Hillary Clinton. They’re all addressed to Mr. Sandy A.
Cowan. “Congratulations on your 100th birthday,” they read.
“I guess it’s an
accomplishment,” laughs Hardge.
Certainly, turning 100 is. But the
accomplishments Sandy Cowan will always be remembered for are his contributions to Allen
Temple Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, a church his grandfather helped found almost 120
years ago.
Members honored Cowan at the
church earlier this month as Allen Temple’s oldest member. The group of nearly 100
gathered to share testimonies, laughs and memories.
Throughout the celebration, church
members stood and related their favorite anecdotes. One member recalled that Cowan was
hired to mow the lawn for Third Creek Presbyterian Church and R.A. Clement High School,
now West Rowan YMCA. But, Hardge says, Cowan hired his own nephews and other little boys
to do the mowing, putting a little change in their pockets if they did a good job.
A few people mentioned Christmas
at the church. “Every Christmas, he’d go out and get a big Christmas tree and
the children would decorate it. We’d put it in the corner of the church,” says
Hardge.
“But the thing they looked
forward to the most was the candy,” laughs Cowan. Cowan would give brown bags to the
children filled with oranges, apples, candy and nuts, and the whole group would go
caroling.
And who could forget Jersey the
cow? Hardge says several people remembered using Cowan’s cow for their 4-H projects.
“A lot of kids had to do projects, but they didn’t have anything they could do
so they’d come and borrow Daddy’s cow,” she says. “That cow won many
awards for some kids.”
Sandy Cowan has been a member of
Allen Temple all his life. He can remember watching churchmen tear down the original
church, which stood next to where the West Rowan YMCA stands today, and carry it piece by
piece to where it stands now. “I remember that pretty good. That was when I was
8,” Cowan says. He grins. “That was a real long time ago.”
Through the years, Cowan held many
offices at the church. He served as superintendent of Sunday school, trustee, deacon,
ruling elder, custodian and anything else that was needed. “I held every one that
could be held,” Cowan says.
Virginia Mott, Cowan’s niece,
says that today, people are paid to do what her uncle took it upon himself to do for free
every year. “The thing people will most remember him for is his dedication,”
says Mott. “He was very dedicated, and he was always there to talk to anytime you
needed him.”
Theodore Rankin, a longtime
neighbor and friend, says Cowan has always been like a father to him and everyone else in
the church and neighborhood. “He always called me his boy. I don’t know anything
but good about him,” Rankin says.
And when he says that Cowan was
like a father, he means it in every way. “If we did wrong, he’d straighten us
out,” laughs Rankin. “He kept us in line.”
Born in Cleveland in 1899, Cowan
has always called West Rowan his home. At 18, he started work for Norfolk and Western
Railroad, making 90 cents an hour. In 1930, he went to work for Southern Railway and
stayed there for 29 years.
In 1922, Cowan married Annie
Avery, and they had four children. Miriam, the youngest, is the only surviving child. But
there were always children around. The Cowans raised their 2-year-old niece as their own
and served as foster parents for any nieces, nephews or cousins needing a place to stay
while they pursued their education at nearby R.A. Clement.
Hardge says her father always
provided for the family, even in the toughest times. “To tell you the truth, I
didn’t even know I was poor until I left home,” she says.
Today, Cowan is a grandfather of
five and great-grandfather of seven. He stays with Hardge in Atlanta but comes back to
visit his home often. “I’ve been here all my life, and I’ve enjoyed it.
I’ve enjoyed this town and this church,” says Cowan. “This will always be
my home.” |
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