DOWELL, DORSEY MAXFIELD (28 Apr. 1903-3 Apr. 1964) was rector (1942-64) of Christ Episcopal Church in SHAKER HTS. He was affiliated with the Church of the Epiphany, St. Mark's Church, the Church of the Redeemer, and St. Thomas Church. Dowell was born in Clarksburg, W.Va., the son of Olive A. and Creetus A. Dowell, an Episcopal clergyman. He received a degree from Kenyon College and then attended Bexley Hall, graduating in 1928. Ordained a priest in 1929, Dowell, except for a stint in Piqua, Ohio, spent his entire life in the Cleveland area. Reflecting his times, he was concerned about racial and religious harmony within the church and community. As a counselor for Alcoholics Anonymous, Dowell saw the AA unit at Christ Episcopal develop 12 sister units. He was also known as a builder of churches, organizing the Church of the Epiphany in EUCLID (1928-29), leading St. Mark's and the Church of the Redeemer's unification to form a new St. Mark's, and serving as rector of St. Thomas in BEREA (1938-42). He guided Christ Episcopal through a disastrous fire and the flooding of its replacement as the church's congregation grew from 125 to 1,100 families. At the time of his death, he was president of the standing committee of the diocese.
Dowell married Elizabeth Hubbard in 1928. They had no children. Dowell died in Shaker Hts. and was buried in Chestnut Grove Cemetery, Ashtabula, OH.
Clergy Records, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio Archives.