Dr. Terry Lydell Bowser, Sr., (born October 18, 1963), is an African-American minister, social entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, and a spiritual and life coach, currently residing in St. Marys, Georgia. He was licensed as a minister by the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida, in 1985, and he was ordained by the Ministry of Salvation Church (a Non-denominational, Christian church) of Chula Vista, California, in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Theology (1995), a Master of Divinity (2000), and a Doctor of Divinity (2005), all from Canterbury University. Bowser served in both the U.S. Marine Corps and later, the U.S. Army.


Early Life

Terry Lydell Bowser, Sr., was born on October 18, 1963, in Pensacola, Florida, the son of James H. Bowser and Shirley (Hollis) Bowser. Bowser was raised along with his older sister, Sherry (Scott) Anderson, in Pensacola, during the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and as a young African-American man, he experienced many of the effects of racism on a daily basis, witnessing the waving of confederate flags and enduring racial slurs tossed at him by strangers. Bowser was once even dragged in by police for questioning as a suspect, when a store was burglarized by a black man, later apprehended by police, who did not resemble him in any physical respect, other than his ethnicity.

Bowser was not defeated by the racial injustice that surrounded him as a youth. Instead, his experiences and observations were the impetus that began to form Bowser’s determination to become an agent for progressive change and for unification of the races, a goal he viewed as the only chance for salvation from the destructive racial division that threatened a country he loved.

Bowser’s love for his country led him to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps before he even came of age. In 1980, having convinced his parents to sign a consent allowing him to enter the Marines under a Delayed Enlisted Program, he literally tossed his Pine Forest High School graduation cap, then jumped into a car with a recruiter, bound for Parris Island and bound for a different life.


Family Life

Bowser married Angela Renay Jones on September 19, 1985. Defying medical predictions that they would never have children, the couple produced three: Angel Bowser (born on Mother’s Day of 1988), Terria Bowser (born on Thanksgiving Day 1989), and Terry L. Bowser, Jr. Bowser’s youngest daughter, Terria, is currently studying to become the second doctor in the family, seeking a PhD in Psychology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.


Military Life

From 1981-1985, Bowser served in the United States Marine Corps, first as an Infantry Rifle Man, later becoming a Recon Marine, and serving also as an Administrative Clerk before receiving an honorable discharge. After working as a correctional officer for three years, he later re-enlisted in the military, this time serving in the United States Army. In 1991, Bowser served in the first Gulf War, “Desert Shield/Desert Storm,” and served also in the second Gulf War, “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”


Post-Military Career and Publications

Bowser received a medical discharge from the U.S. Army while stationed in Virginia, a circumstance that left him living in the location where slavery began in America. It was at that point that he began to do the research on slavery that led to his doctoral thesis, and ultimately, to his book, “From Slavery to the Presidency,” which was published both in paperback and electronically in 2009 by On-Demand Publishing, LLC, DBA CreateSpace.

With a stirring Foreword by Richard Jarman, the white adoptive parent of black children, “From Slavery to the Presidency” deals with the question of healing race relations, one that has finally been brought to the forefront of society’s attention by the election of President Barack Obama. Bowser describes “the beginnings of the black African-American story … a story of great evil and great courage, a story of the kind of self-determination and commitment that turns obstacles into opportunities.”

“From Slavery …” examines the history of slavery, both worldwide and also the peculiar institution that developed in America. Rather than bemoan these events, Rev. Bowser surprisingly concludes by focusing on the positive effects of slavery in the United States, including the development of a close-knit, strong African-American community. The book interweaves Christian spiritualism with social activism, exhorting African Americans and all Americans to turn “obstacles into opportunities,” by adopting a positive, proactive attitude toward both personal achievement and cooperative social change. While strongly imbued with Christian spiritualism, Bowser’s message is directed to anyone, of any faith, and it calls on all members of American society to move forward together.

In addition to writing, Bowser currently works as a motivational speaker and master coach, and he has conducted workshops in Korea, Germany, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, California and many other cities and states. Bowser has been nicknamed “The Life Changer,” by participants of his workshops, and his motivational message has been hailed as a vital part of the “Voice of Change,” in modern American race relations. Bowser’s message of take-charge activism is aimed at assisting both religious and secular groups and individuals, empowering people to take control of their lives and to move forward with their personal ambitions. Currently, Bowser is working on his second book, and he is also designing a course of motivational classes.