You probably know Mary Bowden, but did you know she was once a link trainer operator?

And, what’s that? Well, during World War II she operated a simulator that helped train pilots.

There’s a lot more to know about Mary, and here’s another thing: this month, she is in the Vancrest resident spotlight.

Mary is a 1941 graduate of Ada High School. Her favorite food is ham and beans with cornbread. 

She’s a swimmer and was trained to teach swimming. The “crawl,” now called freestyle swimming, was her favorite stroke. 

Mary like to tell about she and her husband, Bob’s, family fishing vacations to Canada. As the family grew they eventually needed two boats on these trips.  She and Bob were married for 34 years and had five children.

She said being a homemaker was her favorite time along with helping Girl Scouts, meals on wheels, lots of volunteering and swimming programs. 

Add to that, she was the 2011 Town and Gown’s distinguished citizen of the year.