John Mcgowan
Age - 89
November 20, 2023
Father, Brother, Husband, Oilman, Snow Skier, Sailor, Builder, Musician, Painter, Inventor, True Renaissance Man died peacefully November 16, 2023, just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. John was born December 29, 1933 in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the son of Mary Helen Howie McGowan and Judge Milton Mabry McGowan. John's love for adventure began at an early age from raising chickens in his parents' backyard to often hunting in the Pearl River swamps with his many cousins and friends, often returning late into the night much to his parents' concern. Being born only 18 months apart, John's oldest sister Helen, remembers many stories of growing up with John. As children during WWII, she said almost every facet of their lives was colored by the fact that they were living in a world at war. John was captivated with news about the war, so most childhood games were war-themed. A neighbor's son, who was overseas, sent home a German helmet and gave it to John. He wore that helmet while playing with friends in games of "Germans and Americans" and would not share. Their mother also knitted for the Red Cross during that time and taught the children to knit, John included. John was small but feisty and would sit outside knitting waiting for a derogatory comment, so he could pick a fight. During that time, baby chicks were often dyed for Easter, and John was given three baby chicks. He promptly named them Douglas MacArthur, Ike Eisenhower, and George Patton. This began the nucleus of John's chicken enterprise. It turned out that Douglas MacArthur was a hen and was rechristened "Bessie MacArthur". From the three generals, the flock grew. John bought more and more chickens, fenced in a vacant lot next to our house, and raised his ever-growing flock. He was able to supply eggs to family, neighbors, and friends. . . all they could eat. But not fried chicken, because you cannot eat anything that has a name, and all of John's chickens were pets and had names. Ike Eisenhower, who ran free, grew to be a huge rooster and terrorized anyone who came into their yard. Some families had guard dogs, but the McGowans had a guard rooster! In the late 1940's, John's father bought a lot on Crane Boulevard with the intent to build a family home. John somehow devised a system to acquire the brick from the Mississippi State Insane Asylum, which was being torn down (the present day UMMC). He spent an entire summer chipping away old mortar off the bricks so they could be used for the family home that was to be built. He was educated in the Jackson Public Schools and graduated from Central High School. John attended Southern College (now University of Southern Mississippi) for two years and transferred to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, earning a degree in Geology. While at LSU he was a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity and the Army ROTC. One summer between college semesters, John continued his sense of adventure by going with friends to Mexico to earn money by hunting panthers and mining for gold. Upon graduation, John was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Barnwell in North Carolina. After completing his required two years active military duty, he left the army as a Commissioned Captain in the Army Reserves. Shortly after, he married Helen Parker and needing a civilian job, he left for Midland, Texas. There he was hired as a geophysicist and worked on a seismograph crew traveling throughout the Southwest. With the encouragement of his father, he returned home to Jackson with his small family. His father helped him purchase an oil lease in Pickens, Mississippi. From this humble beginning, his illustrious oil business career began as John McGowan Oil Company. After having successfully drilled some wells, John quickly learned that reworking old wells increased his odds of success. While John developed techniques to efficiently produce low oil cut/high water cut mature oil wells, his unique and somewhat unconventional approach to life was a theme throughout his professional and personal life. He became a master at reinjecting saltwater, which is produced along with the oil, back into the ground. This allowed him to produce several times as much fluid out of a well, often increasing the oil production by multiples. When he was denied a permit for a type of oilfield completion that he knew was grounded in provable science, he used the legal system to have his permits approved both from a federal and state standpoint. For his use of the courts to attempt to reign in regulatory excess, The Lincoln Heritage Institute honored him in 1997 with their Individual Medal of Freedom Award in Washington, D. C. John loved teaching and sharing his knowledge with others. As his oil business expanded, he realized that making his employees his business partners would yield positive results. As a result, all of John's employees owned an interest in the oil fields he operated. This concept led to the formation of McGowan Working Partners (MWP) which is the operating company that oversees oil production today. In 1976, John married Diane West Herrington from Monroe, Louisiana. Combining their families, they raised 5 children together. She introduced John to many new and exciting adventures, showing him that there were other things in life besides the oilfield. They enjoyed many wonderful trips together, including Christmas vacations and Spring Breaks skiing in Colorado, to numerous sailing regattas across the Southeast. Together they enjoyed countless Supper Clubs and dinners with numerous friends. Being a longstanding member of the Jackson Yacht Club, John was an avid sailor and competed in numerous Sunday races at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, as well as across the Southeast in many different sailboat classes. He often won, as evidenced by a bookcase filled with many winning trophies. In 2019, in his honor, the John McGowan School of Sailing was established and endowed in his name at the Jackson Yacht Club. It enables young people to become involved with sailing and enjoy the sport that John loved so much. John had such a great love of music. He loved playing his guitar in homes with other musicians at what he called "pickin' sessions". John had taught himself how to play the guitar while recuperating from an oilfield accident. He had been injured when a piece of equipment damaged his knee and surgery was required. This rendered him incapable of walking for several weeks, so he used that time to teach himself to play. One of his numerous accomplishments was the building of the freestanding staircase in his home. The spiral staircase was constructed without a center support, with engineering created by John using specially designed tools to cut the supportive pieces of wood and steel encircling the staircase. It was a truly amazing accomplishment. He enjoyed showing any new visitors his album of photographs of the step-by-step process associated with its construction. Along with being a geologist, John had a knack for physics which allowed him to create the machinery and tools that he used in his business. It also gave him an understanding of how things worked in the physical world around him. One of these things was flood control. He used his understanding of the flow of fluid to design pipe systems in the oil field. John also applied it to the many drainage systems constructed on the facilities and roads associated with the oilfields. He later used the same logic in designing and building several lakes with subdivisions surrounding them in North Jackson and Rankin County. He realized that lakes provide the ability to maintain very efficient flow characteristics, causing stable water levels both around the lake and slightly upstream. John always thought big and outside of the box, so he took this idea and applied it to Jackson's flooding caused by the Pearl River. The initial proposal was the Two Lake Flood Control Plan, which would have lowered the 1979 flood levels in Jackson by around 10 feet. The plan would solve the flooding problem and add value in a way that would pay for the plan. The project has since evolved into a smaller One Lake Plan which still lowers flood levels and significantly reduces flooding in the Jackson area. The One Lake Plan is currently in the last stages of getting the necessary permits approved. John's goal and desire was for the City of Jackson and its citizens to benefit from this plan. While John would give credit to those employees working with him for the success of his ideas, it was his vision that created the opportunities. His other great strength was allowing those around him to use their skills to improve his ideas. John had an inability to say NO to anyone. He was extremely generous, but never wanted to be recognized. He contributed to many groups and organizations such as 100 Black Men, Boys and Girls Club, Mississippi Crime Commission, Jackson Prep, Jackson Academy, Natchez Children's Society, Water Wells in Africa, Jackson Yacht Club, and quietly many more. Late in life, John embarked on another new passion as a portrait artist. What began as simple charcoal sketches evolved into finding another hidden talent. He taught himself to paint with oils and created gorgeous oil portraits for family and friends. He was very excited that he could share his creations with others and make them happy. He kept an album of photographs of all the portraits he had painted, and he so enjoyed showing them to everyone. John was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Tally McGowan Phyfer of Jackson; his son, John David McGowan of Jackson; his daughter, Charmaine McGowan of Vicksburg; his brother-in-law, Theodore (Ted) French of Atlanta, Georgia; his sister-in-law, Ann West LeDoux of Monroe, Louisiana. He is survived by his loving and dedicated wife of 47 years, Diane West McGowan; his sisters, Helen McGowan French of Atlanta, Georgia and Adele McGowan Hudgins (Jim) of Dallas, Texas; his brother, David Kent McGowan (Ginna) of Brandon; his children, Joseph Parker McGowan (Amy) of Jackson; Suzannah McGowan Thames (John) of Jackson; Nannette McGowan of Destin, Florida; his daughter-in-law, Tara McGowan Pitts (Brian) of Jackson; his stepchildren, Michael Woods Herrington of Madison and Leslie Herrington Wells (Trip) of Jackson; his grandchildren, John McGowan (Jordan) of Jackson, William McGowan of Ponchatoula, Louisiana and Anna McGowan of New Orleans, Louisiana; Mollie McGowan Cole (Patrick) of Jackson and Parker McGowan of Jackson; Kathleen Johnson of Jackson, Graham Johnson (Lauren) of Eugene, Oregon, Ethan Johnson of Prague, Czech Republic, Nathaniel Johnson of Kanazawa, Japan and Tristen Baroni of Pritchett, Colorado; Sean McGowan (Mary) of Nashville, Tennessee and Keri McGowan Vandevender of Clinton; Melissa Johnson Conlee (Nathan) of Madison; his step-grandchildren, West Wells (Ann Morgan) of Nashville, Tennessee, Ellie Wells of Dallas, Texas and Nevin Wells of Dallas, Texas; Trey Herrington of Jackson; sixteen great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Jan West Brockman (Ralph) and his brother-in-law, C. Joseph LeDoux of Monroe, Louisiana; along with their children and grandchildren. The family would like to express a special thank you for the care, concern, and compassion shown to John by Earnestine Willis, Dorothy Walker, Annie Walker, Ebony Cornelius, Ezella Lewis, Mardena Lewis and the kind staff at McGowan Working Partners during his illness. John will be laid to rest at his Rankin County Lake near his son, John David, in a private graveside service for his immediate family only. Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home of Flowood is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials in John's name may be made to: The Burn Center Baptist Health Foundation (1225 N. State Street, Jackson, MS 39202); Stewpot Community Services (1100 W Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39203); The John McGowan School of Sailing at the Jackson Yacht Club (700 Yacht Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157). John's legacy will be his overwhelming generosity to family, friends and employees. "I've sailed away and crossed the finish line. " JWMShow more
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