UA B N u r s i n g S c h o l a r s h i p s : a F i t t i n g
to BY ANITA SMITH
“W
Jarman Lowder
hen I think of Jarman, I think of her beautiful smile. There’s a photograph of her from her nursing-school days – wearing the nursing uniform, cape, and hat – that really shows off her unbelievable million-dollar smile.” Thomas H. “Tom” Lowder was speaking of his late wife, Jarman Fearing Lowder, who, at age 60, died March 29, 2011, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2001, Jarman’s nursing career and her membership on the UAB School of Nursing’s Board of Visitors became the inspiration for Tom and Jarman, through the Thomas H. and Jarman F. Lowder Foundation, to add the UAB School of Nursing to the list of their foundation grant recipients. As part of a Jarman Lowder, UAB School of Nursing Alumna 1973 larger gift to UAB, the Lowders designated a $500,000 commitment to create and support the Jarman F. Lowder Endowed Scholarship in Nursing at UAB’s nursing school. Today, the Lowder Endowed Scholarship totals more than $2 million. Scholarships awarded to UAB nursing students serve as a memorial to Jarman, a 6 | UAB School of Nursing
1973 graduate of the UAB School of Nursing. Tom said that for him, and for his and Jarman’s daughters Brooke, Heather, and Kelly, these scholarships are a source of satisfaction. “We have experienced the value of great nursing,” said Tom. “When Jarman was hospitalized, we saw that the difference between good care and great care is all about nursing!” The inspiration for the Lowder nursing scholarships was bright, bubbly Jarman, selected in high school as “best all around,” cheerleader, and homecoming queen. The Jarman that Tom recalls also was an endearing woman grounded in her Catholic faith and deeply caring of people and animals. Too, Tom remembers Jarman as his physically active wife who ran and biked and scuba-dived with him. Jarman retired from her nursing career early to be a full-time homemaker, mother, and strong supporter of the career of husband Tom, currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Properties Trust. But, noted Tom, Jarman didn’t stop being a nurse just because she no longer was employed as a nurse. “When our daughters were young, Jarman volunteered in Crestline Elementary School’s Health Room,” said Tom. “Since Jarman had trained and worked as a real nurse, she could tell the difference between when kids were really sick or when Little Johnny came in faking it because he wanted to get out of the classroom.” Jarman was a person that friends called on for healthcare advice. “She got calls from people wanting to know about this or that regarding their family members’ health,” said Tom.