April 16, 2007 shootings]]> University History]]> University Archives]]> Oral histories (document genres)]]> Swanson, Daniel]]> 2015-10-23]]> http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/]]> University History]]>
Determined to break the pattern, Bowling spent a summer studying at the University of Tennessee. It only took one summer for him to realize the school was not the right fit for him. He applied to Tech last minute that Fall and was placed in a three-person room in Pritchard. Once another room opened up, he moved to Vawter, which he liked more than Pritchard.

Between his sophomore and junior years, Bowling gave tours during a summer session at Virginia Tech — something he says was a “predecessor” to Hokie Camp, which is held every year to introduce freshmen to the Virginia Tech campus. It was through giving these tours that Bowling stumbled into the opportunity to become an RA, an experience that, he says, benefitted him greatly during his four years at the University.

Bowling’s main concern during his time in undergrad, other than his tendency to procrastinate on assignments, arose during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. As an RA, he would have been responsible for protecting students from any potential unrest.

Thankfully, nothing came of the student’s plans to protest, and Bowling was saved the trouble of mediating the anticipated riot.

Bowling graduated from Tech with a B.S. in Finance in June of 1980. He then earned his MBA from Virginia Tech, only a semester later, in December 1981. Throughout the years, he has gone on to work for many different companies, mostly around Baltimore, Maryland.

The former RA has fond memories of his time at Virginia Tech, and even though it has been over thirty years since he crossed the stage to accept his degree, the alum occasionally has bizarre dreams that throw him back to his time as a student.
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2015-10-23]]> Oral histories]]>