Dexter Bowker ’40

Princeton’s Alumni Records office provided us with an obituary reporting Dex’s death Nov. 30, 2011, in Converse, Texas.

He prepared at Roselle Park High School and the Pingry School. At Princeton, he majored in economics and was a member of the Band, ROTC, Triangle Club, Princeton Tiger Orchestra (in which he was a leader), and Key and Seal Club.

For his participation in World War II’s D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach, he was awarded the Bronze Invasion Arrowhead. He took part in four major Army invasions, for which he was decorated for bravery and earned a Bronze Star.

Postwar, Dex and his wife, Margaret, settled in Plainfield, N.J. There, as a captain, he was appointed station commander of the National Guard armored unit. An inveterate musician, he played first violin for the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra while furthering his career in corporate finance. At the time of his retirement in 1977, he was world controller for Sylvania International of GTE.

Retiring to San Antonio, he continued his interest in music as a composer and writer while crafting fine furniture as a hobby.

Predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Margaret Adelaide Quimby, he is survived by his daughter, Margaret Ellen Johnson; son Paul; two grandsons; and three great-grandchildren. To them all, Dexter’s classmates extend deep sympathies.