He was born in Blythe Ontario Canada, to
William and Mary McDowell, he moved to the US with his mother after his father died in Candada, when he was fourteen years old. In the 1891 census of Canada, his father is 75 yrs old, his mother is 50, he had no siblings at that time.
He finished high school in Faulkton SD and entered the University of Illinois at Urbana and graduated in 1905.
He was president of his graduating class and grand master of the Dental fraternity during his Senior year. A few years ago when the university established a new honorary fraternity Omicron Kappa Epsilon, and seleceted outstanding students of years before for membership, he received a key and membership.
In 1905 he set up private practice at Alexandria SD, where he also me and married Leila Benjamin. In 1910 the family moved to Sturgis, where he practiced until moving to Rapid City in 1913. He had been in practice here continuously since. He had been past president of the Black Hills District Dental society.
Since coming to Rapid City in 1913 Dr McDowell had been active in a variety of things. He had been a memberof the Masonic Lodge for 40 years and had been an Elk. For many years he was active in the Congregational Church especially musical projects and he was well known of his dramatics in many local productions. As recently as Christmas eve he left his home Christmas tree and family to pay the part of a lumber jack in a production at the Rapid City Army Airbase.
He had appeared in good health when he returned from a Masonic dinner and evening's intertainment and he had spent some time joking and visiting with his family and some guests at his home. AT about 2 AM while walking from one room to the other he fell to the floor and with out warning died instantly.
Surviving is his wife, a son Donald C McDowell and two grandchildren Craig and Gary , all of Rapid City. A brother Dr AJ McDowell, also a dentist, and a niece Mrs William Marsh both of Faulkton.m His wife Liela died in 1963.