Harley Bowers, sports columnist, dies at 81

MACON - Harley Bowers, longtime sports editor and columnist at the Macon Telegraph, died at his home Tuesday night. He was 81. <br> <br> Bowers, who wrote more than 11,000 columns for the newspaper between 1959-1996, died around 6:30 p.m., the Macon Telegraph reported Wednesday. <br> <br> ``We were about to sit down and have dinner,&#39;&#39; his daughter Martha Claire Bowers said. ``He had gone to sleep watching TV in his chair, and he never woke up.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Moreland native&#39;s career spanned 54 years at five newspapers. In 1991, Bowers&#39; right arm was amputated due to cancer. He continued to work until he retired in 1996. <br> <br> ``Harley was an important part of this community and this newspaper,&#39;&#39; said Barbara Stinson, Macon Telegraph editorial page editor. ``His columns ranged from local ball players to the biggest national events. He was a great figure, and he will be missed.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> During his career, Bowers covered such athletes as Pete Rose, who played for the 1962 Macon Peaches. He helped launch the Macon Sports Commission and, in 1986, was inducted in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He also played a key role in getting the Atlanta Braves to put a Class A baseball team in Macon. <br> <br> Bowers initially received a tennis scholarship at West Georgia College but transferred to the University of Georgia, where he was named the school&#39;s most outstanding journalism graduate in 1942. <br> <br> He also served in the Army Air Corps during WWII as an engineer-gunner on B-24 bombers. He began his newspaper career at The Atlanta Constitution, then worked at The Columbus Enquirer and The Albany Herald. In Albany, he served as public relations director for the St. Louis Cardinals, which had its training complex there. <br> <br> Bowers also is survived by his wife, Joyce; and two sons, Cliff and Jack Bowers. <br> <br> Funeral arrangements were unavailable late Tuesday.

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