If you can think of a career, chances are that Bob Dowell may have done it.

In his 92 years of life, Dowell has done a lot of different types of work – everything from farming, to selling magazine subscriptions, to being a college student, professor and dean of a college. And, in 2024, despite (or, he argues, because of) his age, he’s still going strong – this time as an author.

Dowell and his wife Nancy are based out of the Golden area. They met at a college dance, when Nancy says she wore a green dress that caught Bob’s eye. 70 years later, they’re still together and happy.

Dowell said that he grew up on a farm in East Texas. However, he says that when he realized that farming wasn’t the life for him, he decided to instead commit to something “I’d rather do.”

“The farm was pretty laborious. Dad said we had to milk cows, because we had to have income. So at that time, (I) had to milk, morning and night, 365 days a year,” he explained. “So I decided, there was something I liked better,” he said with a laugh.

Dowell eventually transitioned into selling magazine subscriptions. However, when campus security told him that he wasn’t allowed to sell subscriptions on a college campus as his job demanded, Dowell quit.

Next, Dowell says he “got a call, that Mobile Oil wanted to interview me to be in Dallas.” So, he booked a bus ticket and rode all the way there; however, he ultimately missed the interview that day.

As it turned out, that one missed interview was the best thing possible for Dowell’s future career.

“I caught a bus that picked me up in Dallas, but I missed the interview. So, I decided, then, I’d have to go to college!” he said dryly.

The decision to go to college worked out well for him: it led him to 45 years of an academic career teaching English, literature and Bible, among other subjects.

In the 1960s, Dowell mentioned, “there was a shortage of PhDs,” so the fact that Dowell had earned his doctorate meant that he could work anywhere that he wanted to. So, Dowell traveled around the country over the next years, teaching wherever he and Nancy (who is also a retired teacher) wanted to live.

However, the academic journey came to an end on the eve of a new millennia – literally – as Dowell retired from teaching on Dec. 31, 1999.

“it was time,” he said. “(But) do I miss it? A lot.”

Once a teacher, always a teacher, however: while Dowell no longer taught the Bible inside a school building, he began to teach it elsewhere. What was the most effective way to get the most people to hear the Gospel, he wondered?

Why, write a book, of course.

Dowell began writing his book in 2001. 10 years later, he had “Understanding the Bible: Head and Heart,” a project he was very proud of (and remains very proud of to this day). The book is a combination of poetry and prose, which Dowell hopes will help illuminate the meaning and emotions of the parts of the Bible he covered.

Never one to sit still, the 79-year-old immediately began writing another book. Then, he did another. Then another. Then, another, another, and yet another.

Finally, in 2024, the retired professor and dean has come out with his eighth book. This one differs from his others in that it is an exploration of foundational America. Through the lens of what he calls “Nudgers,” or the influential person in a certain movement, Dowell explores American’s original foundations and the overall context of its history.

“(It’s) a travelogue through American history,” he said.

Dowell is not finished yet, folks. In fact, he is already formulating plans to write a 9th book, which he may title “Let’s Talk About the Bible.” It will be an overview of the Bible and an exploration of how the narrative is one continuous story throughout the Old and the New Testaments.

Dowell really has done a lot of different occupations in his lifetime.

“I’ve had an interesting life,” he said. “You name it, I’ve done it!”

Dowell’s books are available for purchase on Amazon.com.