FORT PIERCE FOLKS
The NEWCOMER
BY JERRY SHAW
Choosing a place to retire on
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the east or west coast
of Florida wasn’t hard for
Elizabeth Bowen and her
husband, Dr. Robert Bowen. Their
search ended as soon as they saw
North Hutchinson Island. Elizabeth
had visited Florida since she was
a child, and her uncle lived in St.
Petersburg, but the Bowens
preferred the Atlantic side because
of the breeze.
“We were looking for a nice beach
and community involvement, a real
community,” Elizabeth said. “We
found Fort Pierce was everything
we were looking for. It is diverse
and inclusive.”
The Bowens soon became included
in and valuable to the community.
They bought a condominium on the
beach three years ago, before moving
here from Ithaca, N.Y. Bob retired
in November after 28 years as an
immunologist, but not for long. He
and Elizabeth are preparing to open
a medical clinic on North U.S. 1 near
Avenue I for an immunology practice
to include treatment of allergies,
asthma and sinus issues. Bob will be
the primary doctor and Elizabeth will
manage. The Bowens will recruit employees
while waiting for the practice
to open this summer or fall.
It’s not only the diversity of the
community that Elizabeth enjoys, but
the diverse natural life she finds so
wonderful on the island and throughout
Fort Pierce. In fact, the Bowens
plan to include edible landscaping
on the clinic’s property for clean food
without contamination “because it’s
subtropical here and you can grow
your own local food,” an important
ally in the treatment for immunology
patients. “There are no additives or
chemicals, which is really good for
people,” she notes.
It didn’t take long for Elizabeth’s
community activities to be
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Ed Drondoski