According to her daughter, Cindy Poole, her mother was an inspiration, raising three children as a single parent while working full-time and completing her college education.
“We were always very proud of our mother,” Poole said. “Though she was a single mother, she showered love and affection on her children and later her grandchildren.
“This memorial scholarship will be directed toward women like my mother, to give them an opportunity to succeed while facing the challenge of raising children alone.”
Lowry, a native of Monterey Park, attended high school in Whittier. As a single parent with three children to raise, she set her sights on a career and began working at Chapman College. She spent three months in 1971 as a clerk in the World Campus Afloat program, touring the southern hemisphere on a ship for three months. Soon after arriving home, she moved her family to Merced and immediately started working at Merced College.
While working and raising her children, she earned her associate of arts degree Merced College, then moved on to get her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and her master’s degree in Human Resources from Chapman College.
“My mother was very happy to be part of the Merced College family for so long,” Poole said. “She enjoyed working with the students, and she gave her time and talent to many community organizations.”
Lowry worked at Merced College for 35 years. She passed away on June 24, 2015.
Contributions to the Penny Lowry Memorial Scholarship Fund can be directed to the Merced College Foundation, 3600 M Street, Merced, CA 95348- 2898.
Source: Merced College
