Posted on August 29, 2010 October 18, 2013 by Yolanda Gilliam
William Carey Dowd III '47
William Carey Dowd III '47, of Charlotte, N.C., died Aug. 29 at Sardis Oaks in Charlotte. Dowd was born in Fort Worth, Tex., on March 22, 1919, the son of William Carey Dowd, Jr. and Ann Rogers Dowd. He grew up in Charlotte and received a B.S. in physics from Davidson. He did graduate work in physics at Northwestern University and taught physics at both Davidson and Northwestern. Dowd was a lifetime seeker of knowledge and dedicated educator. He was a tutor at First Ward Elementary School and an instructor in management development at the executive program of business administration at UNC Chapel Hill. Although officially serving in the Army during WWII, Dowd also worked for the other services as needed. He fought in four amphibious invasions-North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, and southern France with the 74th Signal Corps Special as a first lieutenant. Dowd spent his career in the printing industry-part of the family's business interest. His grandfather, William Carey Dowd, Sr., owned both the Charlotte News and the News Printing House, a quality commercial printing company. Carey Dowd, Jr. sold the Charlotte News after WWII. Upon his father's death, Dowd took over the printing operation and renamed it The Dowd Press, Inc. Dowd married Gail Elizabeth Griffith in 1949, daughter of Thelma and Brodie Shepard Griffith, who retired as associate publisher of both the Charlotte News and the Charlotte Observer. Dowd was a leader in the printing industry in the Carolinas and the country. He served the Printing Industries of the Carolinas (PICA) as president and was instrumental in merging the Printing Industries of Charlotte with PICA. He served on the board of directors of the Printing Industries of America (PIA) and its executive committee. He was president of the Master Printers of America and chaired many of its committees. In 1970, he was the first member of PICA to be inducted into PIA's prestigious Ash Khan Crew (The Benjamin Franklin Society) and was a proud member of the Pied Pica Club. Following his retirement, he researched insurance fraud for the Printers Group Insurance Trust with the Master Printers of America. Dowd was a member of the Charlotte Kiwanis Club. He was a longtime supporter of the Salvation Army. Dowd was a choir member for over two decades, life deacon, and former chair of the board of deacons at Myers Park Baptist Church, where his parents were founding members. Dowd took pride in his military service, his contributions to the printing industry, his wife's charitable and civic contributions, and the Dowd family's important role in the development of North Carolina and the city of Charlotte. He was known for his powerful intellect and strong sense of duty to his family, friends, church, community, and country. Dowd was preceded in death by his loving wife, Gail Griffith Dowd, who died in 1996 after a long illness, and a daughter-in-law, JoAnn Sloan Dowd, who died in 2009. He is survived by his sister, Marie Dowd Latimer; his children, William Carey Dowd IV (fiancé, Charlotte Gore), 3182 Heathstead Pl., Charlotte, NC 28210-7187, Brodie Griffith Dowd, Eloise Dowd Miller (companion, Robert T. Monson), and Melissa Ann Dowd (Curtis Seltzer); his grandchildren, William Christenbury Dowd, Jennifer Dowd Gomes (Jeremy Gomes), Jessica Lauren Dowd, Katherine Elizabeth Dowd, Parker Griffith Dowd (fiancé, Whitney Keane), and Mary Rebecca Wilkinson Seltzer; Sara H. Ellison, who has been a special loving friend to Dowd and his family for over 50 years; and his beloved and devoted friend and confidante, Betty Chambers.
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