Albert C. Bowen

Albert C. (Sonny) Bowen Jr. passed away on the 8th day of May 2015 at the age of 82. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Betty Ann Mote Bowen. When Al married Betty, he became a beloved member of the Walter Mote family, and is survived by a large extended family who loved him greatly. Preceding him in death were his father, Albert C. Bowen Sr., his mother Julia Spratlin Bowen, and his sister Celia Bowen Martin. Al graduate from the University of Alabama in 1958, after serving several years in the United States Air Force. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree in 1963. After prosecuting in the Jefferson County District Attorney's office for several years, Al became an assistant U.S Attorney and prosecuted criminal cases in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and elsewhere until January of 1975. In 1975 he became a partner in the Beddow, Embry and Beddow law firm, which eventually became the firm Beddow, Erben and Bowen. Fort thirty five years Al's primary practice was defending high profile white collar criminal cases in the federal courts. He was a member of the Alabama State Bar, the American Bar, and the Birmingham Bar Associations. He was licensed to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Alabama, the Middle District of Alabama, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Al was president of the Birmingham Criminal Lawyers Association and served numerous terms on the Alabama Supreme Court Committee on Rules of Criminal Procedure. He also taught criminal law at The Birmingham School of Law for several years, and was a faculty member of the Alabama Bar Institute for continuing legal education. After his retirement in 2010, Al enjoyed golf with his "Blue Tee" golf group buddies at Vestavia Country Club, bass fishing in Lay Lake, attending his beloved University of Alabama football games, and the Birmingham Red Elephant Club meetings. Most of all, Al enjoyed attending his church, Mountain Brook Baptist Church, and his Sunday school class, the Dotson Nelson Bible Study. The family will receive friends for visitation Tuesday May 12th at 10:00 AM at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, with a memorial service following at 11:00. Honorary Pall Bearers are members of the Dotson Nelson Bible Study class and members of the Blue Tee Golf Group at Vestavia Country Club. The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to Mountain Brook Baptist Church