Lowell Parker Dabbs, a resident of Santa Barbara for 36 years, died in Riverside, California this past Memorial Day, May 25. He was 95 years old. Lowell was a creative man with a poet’s heart and a lifelong commitment to service. He also was a beloved father, uncle, and friend. Lowell believed in “passing it along,” by which he meant helping others. Fellow Santa Barbara resident Fred Gamble said, “Someone told Lowell life was for giving, and he never forgot it. He was the sweetest, most generous, gentle man I have ever known.”
Lowell was born in Burlington, North Carolina in 1924 and as a boy earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy V-12 College Training program and attended Arkansas A & M College and then Tulane University, in New Orleans. Ensign Dabbs was assigned to a destroyer and was in the Pacific awaiting what he expected would be his role in the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland when the war ended. He was stationed in Japan until returning to the U.S. in late 1945. He then completed his bachelor’s degree and earned his master’s degree at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles before joining the faculty of Bakersfield College in 1955.
At Bakersfield College, he taught English and literature, served as English Department chair, and was faculty editor for Campus Arts. He co-authored textbooks Modern English Practice and Improving College English Skills. He also wrote plays, poems, and professional articles. It was in Bakersfield where he met fellow BC teacher, Phyllis Selby. They married in 1956. Together they pursued their careers in public education and raised their daughter, who was born in 1957. In childhood, Lowell had resolved to design and build his own home, which he did with his wife in the early 1960s. The home was included in a September 2019 symposium and tour of notable mid-century modern structures in Bakersfield.
In 1979, Lowell retired from Bakersfield College and moved to Santa Barbara. He built a wonderful life, enjoying and photographing the beautiful surroundings, making new and dear friends, and serving as a writing coach for a time at Santa Barbara City College. He attended Brooks Institute of Photography, joined the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and volunteered for many organizations, including the Braille Institute. Many of his photographs hang in the homes of family and friends, as well as in businesses and organizations in Santa Barbara. Some of his plays and poems were produced or read locally. A poem he wrote, called “Amazing Place,” was set to the tune of “Amazing Grace” and performed at the Unitarian Society.
In 2014, Lowell moved to an assisted living center in Riverside to be near his daughter and son-in-law. He died at a Riverside hospital after contracting COVID-19 in mid-May while receiving care at a nursing home. He is survived by his daughter, Ellen Parker; son-in-law, David Boyles; nieces Jewel Smith (Wayne), Sharon Culpepper (Steve), and Marliss Miller Bombardier; nephews Steve Dabbs (Jackie) and Carlo Dabbs. There are no plans for a celebration of life at this time. For anyone who would like to do something in his honor, please “pass it along.”
