Artimese Bernice (Northorp) Cowan

Artimese Bernice Northorp Cowan was born in Powhatan, AL, a coal mining town about 26 miles southwest of Birmingham. Her father, Johnson, was a coal miner and her mother, Marie, a stay-at-home mother, taking care of Artimese, her older brother Otis and younger sister Odessa. Times were hard during the Great Depression, yet they managed to live contented lives. These were the days when you played outside until dark, made up your own games and obeyed every grownup in sight.

Artimese started school early – 4 years and 10 months old— and loved every minute of it. She quickly excelled. By age 5 she could read, write and do basic arithmetic. It also had helped that she had aunts to play school with, and one aunt who was a teacher and would allow the young Artimese to come to school with her. Because she was such a good student, when she was 12, Artimese went to live with her grandparents in Birmingham so she could attend a better school. At Parker High School she joined the choir and was surprised to learn she possessed a lovely singing voice. Artimese was one three valedictorians in her class.

While living in Birmingham, Artimese was baptized at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church which years later became internationally known as the site of a bombing by the Klu Klux Klan that claimed the life of four girls.

Artimese is a graduate of Tuskegee University, then known as Tuskegee Institute. Her love for education continued at Tuskegee, where she did well in her coursework, except of course for physical education which included a swim class. Artimese recalled that she worked hard to earn an A for the first half of the class to offset the F she knew she was going to get for skipping the swimming lessons.

At Tuskegee, Artimese joined the choir and had the opportunity to work with William Dawson, famed choir director and composer. Artimese was a member of the choir when it performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. From Mr. Dawson, Artimese learned about self-discipline, order and what was expected of her in terms of behavior.

While at Tuskegee, she also was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated through the Gamma Kappa Chapter in 1949, one year after the chapter was chartered. Her aunt, the late Hazel Turner, had been a charter member of the undergraduate chapter and Artimese was in the first line of initiates.

It was also at Tuskegee that Artimese met Norris Cowan. They dated for two years and married after Artimese’s graduation in 1952. Norris joined the United States Air Force and so began a life of travel. Married for 67 years, they had five children, Denise and Dale who were born in France, and Dean, Dawn and Dina who were born in Texas.

The family settled in Aurora, Colorado in the mid-1960s. Artimese became the first African American teacher in the Aurora Public Schools District when she took a job at Crawford Elementary. She taught mostly the first grade at Crawford for the next 20 years. After her teaching career, she served on the Aurora Public School Board of Directors and later became executive director of what is now the Colorado School and Public Employees Association. She was active in the Colorado Tuskegee University Alumni Club and the local chapter of P.E.O. International.

Artimese served on the advisory board for the Community College of Aurora, and was also on the board for Morning Star Adult Day Care Center. She reactivated with her sorority in the mid-70s, joining the Epsilon Nu Omega Chapter in Denver where she served in several leadership roles, including secretary, recording secretary and scholarship committee chairman. She co-founded the chapter’s Outstanding High School Senior Girls program that recognizes extraordinary students.

Another great commitment in Artimese’s life was to Parkview Congregational Church in Aurora. She served on several board and committees and also as a moderator. Artimese was a longtime member of the church’s choir, and every Christmas sang a solo performance of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.” The friendliness of the people at Parkview made attending a great joy for Artimese.

Artimese is survived by her children, Denise (Bill) Hubbell, Dale (Jane) Cowan, Dawn (Lance) Frazier and Dina (Frank) Berta; seven grandchildren, Meghan Cowan, Adrian (Jamie) Cowan, Paige (Cris) Kumm, Lance (Tonia) Frazier, Jr., Gillian Kumm, Chloe (Christian) Frazier and Dorian (Julia) Bunn; and five great-grandchildren, Liyah, Lexi, Laila, Cade, and Edison, and the sixth, Lilliana, is due in September. Her husband Norris passed away November 28, 2020, and their son, Dean passed away in 2011.

“I have tried to live my life showing respect for my fellow man and I hope that I have succeeded in making my little corner of the world a better place because I was there.”

~Artimese Bernice Northorp Cowan