Lowe Family Scholarship Fund assists math and physics majors
April 21, 2020 — Sam Lowe ’89 came to Grinnell College from China by way of Faribault, Minnesota, having studied at Shattuck St. Mary’s School. A key factor that allowed him to come to the United States for his education was the encouragement and financial support provided by his uncle Donald M. Lowe and aunt Tani Barlow who were both academics.
In 2018, Lowe decided to establish an endowed scholarship fund in honor of his uncle and aunt and to thank the College for the support he was given as a student. The Lowe Scholarship Fund is awarded to students studying mathematics or physics. The first recipient of the fund was Jacob Steenis ’21, a native of Menasha, Wisconsin.
“The liberal arts education that is so enlightening to me is a foundation of Grinnell,” Lowe says. “I also feel that it is important to advance opportunities for students in math and physics. This is a small way that I may encourage that to happen.”
Lowe was accepted at a number of colleges. He went to Grinnell unseen because it provided the best package. He has many positive and warm memories of his time at Grinnell. His freshman year tutorial was with the then President George Drake ’56. The tutorial covered British politics and history, which would come in handy for Lowe later on.
“It was an outstanding class and an excellent way to get involved academically on a more personal level,” Lowe says.
Lowe has always been interested in math (a subject which does not involve much writing or lab time). He spoke highly of his math professors and his fellow math majors. “There were lots of smart, sharp, interesting people,” he says.
Lowe joined the golf team at Grinnell and looks back fondly on his time with the team. He became lifelong friends with his coach, Edd Bowers ’43, and Edd’s wife, Eleanor, and got to know their family. His friends’ families who came from Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Ohio, also made his feel more at home.
Lowe also spent a semester in London, not knowing he would eventually settle there in 2006.
Following graduation, Lowe took the path of least resistance and attended Penn State where he earned an MBA, MA, and a Ph.D. The degrees he achieved were in statistics and business administration.
Lowe landed a technical staff job with the AT&T labs focusing mainly on technical modelling and business consulting, a firm in which he stayed for 12 years. That was where he met his wife. He was comfortably set mid-career when he was invited by a good friend to join a start-up investment management firm.
Lowe decided it was a chance worth taking. The firm was based in London, and after the birth of their second child they relocated.
—by Judy Mahle Lutter ’61, Alumni Council Member Emerita
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The Lowe Family Scholarship is one example of the many scholarships and financial aid opportunities created by Grinnell alumni and friends of the College.
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