Mrs. Bowditch was a lifelong resident of the Peninsula. She was born in Seaford and grew up with five brothers in Yorktown; the only daughter of the Hornsby family, well-known for their civic involvement in area communities. Years later she would raise her four sons in that same family home, Hornsby House. She was a graduate of Fairfax Hall in Waynesboro, and Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia. She taught school in York County for several years, where she shared her love of history with her students. That love also prompted her to found the "jewel" of her volunteer career, the Watermen's Museum in Yorktown, to honor her Hornsby heritage of the working watermen of this area. She also was a long time member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Bowditch was a member of the Junior League of Hampton Roads, of which she served as President; the Hampton Roads Garden Club where she was an honorary member; and a founder of the Peninsula Fine Arts Association. Her interest in the arts led her to join the Arts Committee of the Yorktown Bicentennial which developed into the Yorktown Arts Foundation. That committee opened On the Hill Cultural Arts Center in 1976, causing her nomination for a Governor's Award for the Arts. She was also a member of the Yorktown Woman's Club. Mrs. Bowditch served for 12 years on the York County School Board, including tenure as chairman, and for a number of years on the Board of Trustees of Mary Baldwin College. Her love of cooking made her kitchen a favorite gathering spot in Yorktown and inspired her to write "From the Kitchen at Hornsby House in Yorktown, Virginia." Proceeds from that cookbook benefit the Watermen's Museum. Other awards and accomplishments include the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Woodmen of the World in 1984, the Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Exchange Club of York in 1988, the Distinguished Virginian Award from the Virginia District Exchange Clubs in 1990, the Emily Smith Outstanding Alumni Award from Mary Baldwin College, and the Hampton Roads Junior League Annual Sustainer's Award. In 1993, the Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads inducted Mrs. Bowditch and her husband, Willits H. Bowditch, founder of Bowditch Ford, into the Hall of Fame for Business Leadership. In 1998, she was honored with her husband, posthumously, by the National Conference of Christians and Jews Annual Awards Dinner for their "significant humanitarian contributions to the community." Mrs. Bowditch was predeceased by her beloved husband of 51 years, Willits Henry Bowditch. (Extracted from Daily Press, August 20, 2006)