Bowler, Charles “Charlie”

About Charlie Bowler

An American holly is dedicated to Charles “Charlie” Bowler, the former Manager of Facilities Drawing & Infrastructure in the Department of Facilities Planning. Through his role, Mr. Bowler was heavily involved in the spatial development of campus.¹ Mr. Bowler was from Silver Spring, and he passed away on November 16, 2008, at the age of 73.²

About the American Holly

The memorial tree dedicated to Charlie Bowler is located just to the north of the main doors of the Main Administration Building. It is an American Holly (Ilex opaca) of the Satyr Hill variety, a female holly that grows at a moderate rate and has a compact, pyramidal shape. The tree is an evergreen (doesn’t lose its leaves in the winter) that has large, dark olive green leaves, white flowers and bright red berries that appear in late October and last all winter and into the spring. The Satyr Hill American holly grows to 30-40 feet tall with a spread of 15-25 feet.³ It is a very slow-growing tree with light gray bark. The berries of the tree attract many songbirds and mammals, but they are poisonous to humans. American holly branches are popularly used for winter holiday decorations.⁴

Written by Joanna Barton