AUGUSTA, Ga. - FOX 54 IS HIGHLIGHTING Black HISTORY mONTH, BY SHINING THE SPOTLIGHT ON PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE CSRA. 

DR. Mac Bowman says he always knew he wanted to be a doctor. He announced his life’s journey when he was just seven years old.

Dr. Bowman told us, “As he left the room I told my Mom, that’s what I want to be. And she could have, in our circumstances, could have said, no, you can’t do that. You’re going to have to do something else. She said very plainly, and at that time, if you do with what you should do, with what God has given you cannot be, you will not be denied.”

He wouldn’t be denied. Dr. Bowman broke through a number of barriers on the way to achieving his goals. He helped integrate the Thomson High football team, leading the Bulldogs to back to back state titles in 1967 and 1968. After winning a football scholarship and starring at Virginia Military Institute, the Green Bay Packers were interested in signing him. Yet, his mother reasoned with him. She told her son that his calling wasn’t in the NFL, but as a cardiologist who would improve the lives of thousands.

“So, I didn’t go to school thinking or hoping I was going to be a physician. I always knew I would be. And that was instilled in me by my Mom.”

The U.S. military paid for his degree at MCG. Then, after 9 years as an Army doctor, Dr. Bowman returned to the CSRA in 1986 to begin his decades of excellence at University Hospital which is now Piedmont Healthcare. We asked him, is your greatest accomplishment in life being a person of service and a great encourager?

“Yes! Unequivocally. 24-7. 365. That’s how I roll. I come to work every day. I love doing what I do. Thank God that he lets me do it.

Dr. Bowman’s mission field extends well beyond the hospital. Dr. Bowman started Heart Cart, a mobile service that allows more people to get screened for cardiovascular issues. Dr. Bowman also set up free health checks for hundreds of athletes, using that time to also mentor the area’s future leaders.

“You tell young folks, you set goals. And the goals are yours. The energy and effort are also yours. And if you mesh or match the two, anything can be achieved or accomplished.”

As if he wasn’t busy enough, Dr. Bowman set up the Horizon Foundation. It funds groups that make a positive difference in the community. This year, the Horizon Foundation raised $25,000 for the Hale Foundation, which helps people recover from drug and alcohol abuse.

“To support. To encourage. To motivate. To uplift. To do those apical things, but also with the goal of uplifting the base. Not just uplifting me but uplifting the base but with the help of others. And, that’s what I try to do.”

The Dr. Mac Bowman Horizon Foundation is also raising money to support Paine College as it tries to renovate the school's dorms.
Dr. Bowman says horizon had to be the name of his foundation "because if you do certain things there are always better things on the horizon."

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