Obituary – Malcolm Alfred Lowther


Malcolm Alfred Lowther, professor emeritus of education, died at home on October 7 after a short illness.

Malcolm Alfred Lowther

He was born August 19, 1924 in Detroit, the son of Alfred H. Lowther and Joyce Scribner Lowther. In 1949, he married Mary Louise Young, with whom he had two surviving children: Barbara Lowther Shipman (John) and Carolyn Ann Lowther, both of Ann Arbor. He is also survived by two grandsons, Andrew Shipman (Toni Dallas) and Timothy Shipman. In 1981 he married Joan S. Stark, who also survives.

Other survivors include stepchildren Eugene W. Stark (Michelle) of Port Jefferson, New York; Susan E. Edwards of Sarasota, Florida; Linda A. Thiel of Stillwater, Minnesota; and Ellen S. McKeown (Michael) of Ann Arbor. 12 step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren will also survive. Lowther was predeceased by his parents and a brother, H. Vaughn Lowther.

He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1946, majoring in zoology, and received an MA from Wayne State University in 1951 and a doctorate. in Education from UM in 1961. Lowther taught science in Detroit schools from 1947 to 1949 and from 1949 to 1959 he led the development of educational and advertising programs for General Motors, The Jam Handy Organization, Ford Motor Co. and McCann-Erickson. Advertising.

In 1959 he entered UM as an instructor in education, became an assistant professor in 1961, associate professor in 1965, and professor of education in 1969. He retired in 1995 as professor emeritus of ‘education.

He has been active in the academic community, frequently serving on the executive committee of the School of Education and as chair of several departments, including teacher education and programs and teaching, as well as vice-dean for teaching.

Lowther was a generous teacher and student advisor, teaching postgraduate courses in curriculum, curriculum theory, and adult education. He has also served and chaired numerous doctoral committees. He was an avid and disciplined reader in many disciplines and his students benefited greatly from his knowledge.

His research and publications included federally funded studies on teacher education and the professional life of teachers.

A great joy in his life has been the research together with his wife, Joan, on several projects focused on education in the professions, as well as teaching and learning in higher education. In this work, they have co-authored books, articles and monographs, facilitated workshops and given presentations at conferences.

Lowther was an active member of the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, Ann Arbor Golf & Outing Club, and Meadows Country Club in Sarasota, Florida. He has volunteered for years at Ann Arbor schools as a student mentor and has also served as a peer counselor with Mended Hearts at the University Hospital.

He and Joan traveled extensively around the world, and years later spent the winter months at their home in Sarasota, Florida. Upon retirement, he continued his studies and volunteer work. In Ann Arbor he taught ESL to recent immigrants and in Sarasota he taught a caregiver course.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on November 19 at Nie Family Funeral Homes, 2400 Carpenter Road, Ann Arbor. Friends and family are invited to meet at 2:30 pm Contributions can be made to the Glacier Hills Foundation or the First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor.

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