{"id":51829,"date":"2023-07-25T16:34:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T20:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=51829"},"modified":"2024-04-04T11:20:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T15:20:43","slug":"bookmarking-the-success-of-the-wilson-college-of-textiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/07\/bookmarking-the-success-of-the-wilson-college-of-textiles\/","title":{"rendered":"Bookmarking the Success of the Wilson College of Textiles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

The story of the Wilson College of Textiles’ bookmark program is intertwined with the remarkable journey of its first designer, Willie Bowen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the vibrant bookmarks that emerged in 1960, Bowen’s life has been woven with various shades of Wolfpack red, symbolizing his unwavering dedication to his alma mater and the textile industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His tale begins in Rhine, Georgia, where the charismatic young man was born. It continues in the humble town of Rockingham, North Carolina, where Bowen was raised from the age of ten in a mill village \u2014 a housing development built by a large textile company specifically for their employees. That upbringing, along with witnessing his parents\u2019 hard work in the mills, ensured that he was no stranger to grit and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating from high school in 1950, Bowen followed in his mother\u2019s and father\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, I began working with fillings in the mill. That\u2019s the thread that goes from east to west on a loom,\u201d Bowen explains while motioning with his hands. \u201cI hauled boxes of those bobbins filled with thread all the way from the spinning department to the weaving department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back and forth he went each day. With time, Bowen\u2019s stamina and strength grew. Even though the work was long and unforgiving, he was determined to make a better life for himself and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the tender age of 19, he left the United States for the first time to serve his country in the Air Force. During those four-and-a-half years in England, Bowen\u2019s wife and their first child, Steven, kept him company. After leaving the service, though, Bowen faced the daunting reality of limited job opportunities. He found himself sewing pattern pieces together at a shirt factory alongside his wife and asking one crucial question: \u201cWhere do I go from here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting his passion for textiles to work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Months of soul searching compelled Bowen to take a leap of faith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1956, he packed up his belongings, hugged his family goodbye and traveled from Statesville, North Carolina, to attend NC State University in Raleigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without the G.I. Bill, Bowen would have never thought that higher education was possible. Using the tenacity he developed during his childhood, the now 23-year-old followed his passion and enrolled in the then School of Textiles<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powering through 160 hours of textile education, including one summer semester, Bowen was on track to graduate in just three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yearbook
Willie Bowen ’59<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrying to get through college with two children was tough,\u201d Bowen shares. \u201cI worked at the School Supply Store\u2019s canteen, which was located in the basement of Syme Hall, to make extra money for our family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thought of his wife and children often. Bowen went as far as hitchhiking to Statesville, where his wife was working in a sewing plant, every Saturday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt would take me until nearly sundown on Saturday to get home,\u201d he says. \u201cThen, I would turn right around each afternoon on Sunday and head back to campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That dedication, combined with his knowledge of dyeing and weaving, would serve him well in his next creative endeavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of the college\u2019s bookmark program<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During Bowen\u2019s final year on campus, in the spring of 1959, the Wilson College of Textiles\u2019 bookmark program was born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all began relatively simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, my roommate came to me with a small cloth keepsake from his father\u2019s automobile dealership, and that bookmark featured all of the months on a calendar,\u201d Bowen explains. \u201cWhen I saw it, I immediately asked him if I could borrow it because I had an idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, Bowen shared that intricate bookmark with Professor Ernest \u201cTex\u201d Berry<\/a>, who taught the college\u2019s advanced-level jacquard weaving class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Professor
In this archival image, Professor Ernest Berry (far right) was demonstrating the threading of yarns to the students in his upholstery course.

Credit: The Agromeck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI presented the bookmark to Professor Berry as a possible project that our class could work on, and he said we\u2019d vote on it,\u201d Bowen says. \u201cThat same day, our class decided to focus on this as the semester\u2019s final exam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Professor Berry and multiple classmates suggested that I do the design work, I made a deal. I\u2019d do it if I got an A in the course. Once Professor Berry agreed, my work began.

\u2014 Willie Bowen ’59<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From there, Bowen\u2019s class \u2014 of only eight students \u2014 had to pick the student who\u2019d create the design for the brand-new bookmark. Guess whose name kept coming up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter Professor Berry and multiple classmates suggested that I do the design work, I made a deal. I\u2019d do it if I got an A in the course,\u201d he says, chuckling. \u201cOnce Professor Berry agreed, my work began.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing the bookmark required at least three four-foot by four-foot designs made by hand. And that was just to weave the NC State logo, which would don the bottom of the bookmark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To say designing the entire bookmark would be time-consuming was a vast understatement. Every design Bowen made had to be punched, by hand, onto a small paper design card. It took him several weeks to visualize the design, make edits and then finally punch each card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feeling of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu was overwhelming: this was so similar to his time in the mills. Again, the work was difficult but rewarding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bowen\u2019s time in the textile mill wasn\u2019t a distant memory, though. He returned each summer to work in the factory \u2014 while also taking classes \u2014 to better support his family. As always, caring for his loved ones was Bowen’s top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The School of Textiles’ woven 1960 bookmark design, which was created by Willie Bowen ’59.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After pulling countless all-nighters and acing his final exams, Bowen was ready to see his bookmark in its final form at last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked on proudly as his design was mounted on the large and clunky jacquard machine at a local textile plant, and the 3-inch by 10-inch calendar bookmark was woven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look closely, you’ll see a surprise in the eye of the bookmark’s wolf: a block \u201cS,\u201d that Bowen refers to as his trademark. The special feature took him countless hours to create. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
In this closeup image of the 1960 bookmark, you\u2019ll see the surprise block \u201cS” within the wolf’s eye.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still my most cherished memory from my time as a student,\u201d shares Bowen, who graduated with his bachelor’s degree in textiles in 1959. \u201cThe rapport I built with the college staff and my classmates was priceless. I didn\u2019t think it then, but it was a very eye-opening experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bookmark program: today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the college\u2019s bookmark program began in 1959, more than 60 woven keepsakes have been created using various shades of red, black, gold, white, gray, green and orange. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 2001, the college decided to no longer feature a calendar on its bookmarks \u2014 instead, the woven designs began to highlight a central message or theme, including these standouts examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n