Honoring a Legacy: The John Henry Rowe Endowed Scholarship Fund
“John cultivated the art of self-motivation and sterling work ethic many years ago. These qualities and commitment to excellence were the mainstay for him as he dealt with many personal and financial challenges in pursuing physics and astronomy as a career. John would get no greater pleasure than knowing we were contributing to an endeavor which provides financial support for young aspiring physicists and astronomers”. -Laura Rowe
Dr. John Henry Rowe
The Rowe Family
The John Henry Rowe Endowed Scholarship is a tribute to the remarkable career and enduring legacy of John Henry Rowe. This new scholarship provides essential support to students in the TEAM-UP Together program that will remove financial barriers for students pursuing degrees in physics and astronomy who face the starkest barriers
Established in 2024, the Rowe Scholarship will offer critical resources to TEAM-UP Together scholars, helping them to overcome economic challenges and thrive in their academic journeys. Through this scholarship, Mr. Rowe’s impact on the field of physics will live on in the achievements of student scholars for years to come.
John Henry Rowe’s own story is one of perseverance, talent, and deep moral conviction. Born in 1946 into a working-class family, he was shaped by the values instilled by his parents during an era marked by economic hardship. His exceptional aptitude for physics emerged early—so much so that his high school physics teacher at Booker T. Washington High School (now El Dorado High School in El Dorado, Arkansas) often entrusted him to serve as a substitute teacher.
John went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Arkansas in 1968, followed by a master’s degree (1971), and was very close to completing his Ph.D. (1973) in physics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His professional career included work as a geophysicist for two major oil companies in Houston, Texas. Beyond his professional achievements, John was a devoted husband to his high school sweetheart, Laura, and father to two children.
Through the John Henry Rowe Endowed Scholarship, his legacy of resilience, brilliance, and commitment to science will inspire and uplift future scholars for generations to come.
