Mrs. Dorothy J. Ramp

The Ramp family believes in the power of education and in supporting those who wish to further their studies and as a result, several scholarships bear their name.

Dorothy J. Bowers was born on June 28, 1923, in Peoria, Illinois. She grew up during the Depression years, but her family always valued education and saw to it that she could attend college. She enrolled in Illinois State University, where she earned her license to teach elementary education. (In the War years, it was possible to teach elementary school with only two years of college.)

Following her college years, she taught elementary school in Streator, Illinois, and then in Yates City and Elmwood, Illinois. She married the love of her life, Wayne S. Ramp. They both continued their educations, most of the time while teaching school, and both went to Bradley University where Dorothy received her bachelor’s degree. After spending time in central lllinois, the Ramps moved to Baghdad, Iraq, where Dorothy’s husband set up a vocational training program. This is when the Ramps got the travel bug, which continued throughout their lives.

Following the year in Baghdad, the Ramps moved to Carbondale where Dorothy’s husband joined the faculty at SIU. It was in Carbondale that Dorothy received her master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling and then became an SIU academic advisor for many years. When her youngest child enrolled in high school, Dorothy returned to the elementary classroom in the Carbondale Community School District.

She retired from teaching in 1981. In their retirement, the Ramps lived in North Carolina for several years before moving to Southern Indiana