Clarence A. “Otto” McGowan, Jr.
1935-2021
We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Mr. Clarence “Otto” McGowan, a 54 year Life Member of the Racquet Club.
Clarence Aloysius McGowan, Jr., 85 of Chestnut Hill, died on Tuesday April 6, 2021 due to complications from metastatic melanoma. The eldest of a sister and three brothers, Mr. McGowan was born to Mary Ellen (McKeever) McGowan and Clarence McGowan, Sr. in Philadelphia. He attended St. Athanasius School, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. It was there that he acquired the nickname “Otto” by which so many people knew him.
He enjoyed a long and distinguished career in both the investment and corporate public relations businesses in Philadelphia and New York City. After graduating from Penn, he joined the Army Reserves before embarking on his business career. While his first position was with Hemphill & Noyes & Co., his longest tenures were with New York Securities, W.H. Newbold’s & Sons, Kidder Peabody & Co. and Cameron & Associates. While his work predominately kept him in New York, he chose to raise his family in the Rittenhouse Square and Chestnut Hill sections of Philadelphia.
An avid racket sport enthusiast, he played on many of thee remaining Court Tennis courts in the USA, England, and France. Serving on the Board of Directors of the US Tennis Court Association, he played an active role and stewarded the restoration and preservation of the Georgian Court in Lakewood, NJ. A lifelong University of Pennsylvania Football fan, he held the same seats on the fifty-yard line for over 60 years and was awarded the University of Pennsylvania Football Man of the Year Alumni Award in 2009.
For all who knew him, he was a passionate people person. His friendships ran wide and deep, and he was the consummate connector of people. He had a myriad of interests from Court Tennis, Squash, Crew, the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway, Ivy League Football and the Army Navy Game, to name but a few. A lifelong learner, he was a bibliophile who voraciously continued academic studies that ran the gamut of the world’s religions, cultures and histories. A man of great faith, he became devoted to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal and the Carmelite Monastery, an institution close to his mother’s heart.
He was a lifetime member of The Racquet Club of Philadelphia, The Racquet and Tennis Club (New York), The Philadelphia Cricket Club, University Barge Club and the Athenaeum. While his adored wife, Carole, his children and grandchildren were his greatest loves, the city of Philadelphia was a close second. He knew every corner of the city, each neighborhood, its history and what made it special.
In addition to his wife Carole Millar McGowan, he is survived by his children, Christopher (Kimberly), Daniel (Jillian), Mary Heins (Gregory), Drew (Megan), his grandchildren, Nicholas, Caroline, Oliver, Kate, Saylor, Riley, Katie, James, Lily and Jack, and his sister Sheila (McGowan) Ross, and brothers John, Brian and Gregory.
Due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19, it is unlikely that the funeral will be extended beyond immediate family members.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the RC Fund in Otto’s memory to support the preservation of the Club he loved for over 50 years.
Donations can also be made to the US Court Tennis Preservation Foundation (USCTPF) in honor of Otto’s memory and in support of the game he loved so much.
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