Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Biography

Harley T. Bowling

HARLEY TUCKER BOWLING was born April 4, 1930, the fifth of eleven children born to Leo and Elizabeth Herald Bowling of Arnett, Cow Creek, Owsley County, Kentucky. He Attended school in Arnett until age 10 when in 1940 his family moved to a farm in Franklin County, Indiana. He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1947. During the period of 1954 to November, 1969 he served with the Department of the Army unit directly subordinate to the Secretary of Defense. The unit’s assignment was to support the Army’s Cryptographic mission by providing highly qualified crypto technicians to the United States Defense Attaché Offices in American Embassies around the world. Harley worked in this capacity with the Defense Attaché Offices with the American Embassies in Tehran, Iran; Saigon, Vietnam; Beirut, Lebanon; New Delhi, India; Paris, France; La Paz, Bolivia; Baghdad, Iraq; Bangkok, Thailand. He retired from the U. S. Army as Master Sergeant E8 in November 1969.

After retirement he was employed with the State of Ohio directing activities for the Concentrated Employment Training Program for the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, Cincinnati, Ohio. He retired from the State of Ohio in 1989.

Harley became interested in genealogy in 1970 when going through family information from a deceased brother, Homer Bowling. This led to a great deal of research on family and related lines. He spent a great deal of time researching family lines from Owsley County including Bowling, Baker, Turner, Herald, Eversole, Amis and others. When Sherry L. Baker formed the Owsley County Historical Society, it was only natural that he would become a strong supporter.