John Bowdish awarded FVCC alumni award

Flathead Valley Community College honored John Bowdish this month with the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award after his decades of work to support the college.

Bowdish, a Flathead Valley farmer and rancher, graduated from FVCC as a non-traditional student in 1986.

Jesse Mahugh, the 2016 recipient of the award, introduced Bowdish at the March 22 Annual FVCC Alumni & Friends Luncheon.

“This individual’s love of FVCC and commitment to the mission is exemplified in 30 years of continued involvement and support,” said Mahugh.

As an FVCC Foundation board member for 30 years, Bowdish has served as chair of the board and on all of the Foundation’s committees. He was also one of the members who helped establish the Endowment Fund.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to an individual whose career achievements, service to others and passion for FVCC rise above the rest, according to a press release issued last week.

When introducing Bowdish as this year’s award winner, Mahugh described the time Bowdish and his late wife Shirley — a former FVCC trustee — recycled more than 100,000 pounds of paper over three years to raise money for the college.

He was one of the voices that advocated for the college relocation from downtown Kalispell to its current campus, a project that broke ground in May 1989.

He and his wife also donated the use of their family’s land to support hands-on educational opportunities in the college’s forestry and natural resources programs.

To this day, Bowdish supports the FVCC logger sports program, according to the college.

For more information on FVCC’s Alumni & Friends program, call Heidi Hickethier at the FVCC Foundation at 406-756-4388 or visit www.fvcc.edu/alumni.