Lives of Consequence
Gloria Robinson Lowry '52, L.H.D.'19
Retired Teacher
In a career spanning from the civil rights movement to a new millennium, Gloria Robinson Lowry '52, L.H.D.'19 dedicated herself to the noble calling to educate young people in inclusive environments.
Lowry found education at the center of her life early on. Drawing on her mother’s influence and the encouragement of a high school English teacher, Lowry earned an economics degree at William Smith College, graduating as president of her class and the College’s first African American alumna.
In the years that followed, she devoted herself toward innovative and inclusive educational strategies that, in her words, allowed students to “look at the person next to them and say, ‘We really have more in common than we thought.’” She spent decades as a fifth-grade teacher in Pasadena, Calif., where she taught students from cultures from all over the world. Understanding that education depends as much on a supportive environment as academic lessons, Lowry sought to help her students thrive and connect with each other and with their own stories.
In the face of bureaucratic challenges, she ensured that her students’ needs came first, relying on her own salary to stock her classrooms with supplies when funding was short and reaching out to organizations like NASA, where she found support from the agency’s California research center. When she and her husband John traveled to dozens of countries in six continents, Lowry’s students were never far from her thoughts; she would return with stories of other cultures and artifacts that became object lessons: Egyptian scrolls and parchments were particular favorites for her fifth graders.
Now retired, Lowry serves as a member of the advisory committee for Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, which works with individuals, community organizations and the City to restore, renew and protect Pasadena’s parks, urban forests and public spaces.
Each year, the Colleges celebrate Lowry with an award named in her honor, given to a William Smith student of color who has demonstrated a commitment to justice and inclusivity.
Lowry is a 2019 recipient of an honorary doctorate from the Colleges for her courageous and pioneering legacy at William Smith, her long career devoted to educating generations of young people, and her tenacious belief in the power community and inclusivity.