Sadly, we lost our friend, Dan Stowers last week. His legacy will long survive him.
We met Dan Stowers in 2013 when he gave us a twenty year lease to the building his father had built it in 1960, a building that housed their architecture firm for many decades. EBS were the first outsiders to occupy it. He welcomed us. We were grateful.
Before we moved in, Dan modified the building for us: he added a ramp at the front entry, expanded the bathrooms for ADA compliance, and installed bamboo flooring in our main hall. His was a kind and generous landlord.
We grew comfortable and started asking if we could buy the building. Dan kept giving us the same answer, it was not for sale. He was emotionally attached to it. We asked and he told us stories about it. For example, he said there used to be a collapsible wall between the shoe room and the small meditation room. Years ago, a burglar tried to burn down the building but that one wall – the only non-brick wall in the whole building – was the only thing that burned. Dan replaced the burnt wall with brick and paneled over both sides of it with walnut. You can still see the empty space where the collapsable wall used to go.
We took Dan out to lunch. Invited him over to tell us about his architecture career and about the building. We spent more time with him than people usually spend with their landlords because honestly, we liked him. He was a wonderful man.
Several years into the lease, we formed a search committee, engaged a realtor, and started looking for properties to buy. We looked at several, but nothing suited us as well as this place. So we decided to make an offer to Dan, despite his not-for-sale stance. Happily, he accepted because he liked EBS. And he liked knowing that we would cherish the property and treat it well. We closed the deal in 2021.
For a few years, Dan stayed in touch with us. We called him or he called us. Just to chat. He always had a fresh angle, a good story, a wry comment.
Dan Stowers was a kind and generous person. A real friend to EBS. As the board considers ways to honor Dan Stowers, we invite you to chime in. Send an email.
Here is a link to Dan’s obituary. https://www.arkansasonline.com/obituaries/2026/nov/01/dan-stowers-jr-2026-11-01/
Here is a link to a video from the Arkansas Historic Society about the building https://www.arkansasonline.com/obituaries/2026/nov/01/dan-stowers-jr-2026-11-01/