Dr. Bill Cowart
was appointed interim president
of Western Oregon State College
(WOSC) by the state Board
of Higher Education in 1994,
after the resignation of Richard
Meyers. Dr. Cowart had
recently retired as Provost
of WOSC, a position he had
held since 1984. He served
as interim president until
Betty
Youngblood was hired in
1995.
Dr. Cowart was born in a
small Texas border town in
August 1932. He grew up on
his family’s ranch and
attended Texas A&I University
in Kingsville, Texas, where
he received a degree in Agriculture.
Dr. Cowart was involved in
the ROTC program, which took
him and his family to Germany
after graduation. Dr. Cowart
returned to school after his
military service in Germany,
and earned a Masters in Education
ion 1959. Cowart taught public
school for two years, before
returning to school to earn
a PhD from the University
of Texas. Dr. Cowart joined
the faculty of Texas A&I,
after completing his doctorate,
and was director of the Texas
A&I Upward Bound. In 1969,
he was offered a national
position with Upward Bound,
but declined in order to accept
the office of president at
a new college, Laredo State
University. From 1969 until
1984, Dr. Cowart worked hard
to help build the new school.
Dr. Cowart was ready for
a new challenge, and accepted
the position of Provost at
WOSC in 1984. Dr. Cowart’s
passion for music grew during
his time in Monmouth, and
he joined the Luckiamute River
String Band in 1987 where
he played the bass fiddle
for the old-time string music
band. He retired as Provost
in 1994, but agreed to serve
as interim president until
a permanent one could be found.
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