Skidmore Spotlight: Harold Dowen

Harold Dowen works as a lead facilitator and groundskeeper for the grounds department of facilities services. Dowen joined Skidmore 28 years ago and says he’s done everything from plowing snow to planting flowers and raking leaves.

Dowen also oversees the growing of Skidmore’s flowers, nurturing them from tiny transplants in late February to full pots for planting in the spring. “Working in our greenhouse, which is kept at about 75 degrees all winter, we prepare about 10 to 15 thousand flowers to be planted each summer season,” said Dowen. “And that’s not counting the nearly 1,000 mums and 500 tulip and daffodil bulbs in the fall.”

Dowen first heard of Skidmore through a friend and says he joined to pursue steady employment. He credits creativity in his work and nice people for why he’s stayed.

“I love what I do. In the greenhouse, I get to use my imagination to create flower beds. Many are my own creation, like an American flag made from wax begonias and dusty miller,” said Dowen. “There are also a lot of nice people here who enjoy seeing me do what I do for the campus. I get a lot of compliments from people who work here. One person even calls me a rock star.”

Outside of Skidmore, Dowen says he loves three things: golf, his Camaro and his vegetable garden where he grows everything from squash and potatoes to carrots, beans and peas. After Skidmore, Dowen says he dreams of working part time at a golf course so he can enjoy his hobby for free.