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July 29, 1926 to January 16, 2018 Cedric was born and grew up in Pasadena, California. His father George Cecil Cowing, a newspaperman, wrote a daily column for the Pasadena Star-News, "The Boulevardier," often featuring the antics and comments of young Cedric, whom George dubbed "the Major." Just out of high school Cedric entered naval officers' training, but then the Second World War ended and he was discharged. The G.I. Bill made it possible for him to enter Stanford and become the first in his family to graduate from college. Back in high school he had developed what would be a lifelong interest in the stock market, and he studied economics at Stanford. When he went to the University of Wisconsin for his PHD work, however, he switched to social and intellectual history and studied with the noted Progressive historian Merle Curti. His PhD thesis later became his first book: Populists, Plungers, and Progressives, a Social History of Stocks and Commodity Speculation, 1828-1932. After teaching for two years at UC Santa Barbara, he accepted a position in the History Department at the University of Hawaii and moved to Hawaii in 1957, two years before statehood. He would teach U.S. History at UH for the next forty years, and he helped bring fellow Wisconsin graduates to the department, including Herbert F. Margulies and James McCutcheon. Cedric learned from his journalist father to value vivid and succinct language and encouraged the same in his students. His scholarly interests and research turned increasingly toward American religion, particularly of the Colonial period. His two books in the field are The Great Awakening and the American Revolution: Colonial Thought in the 18th Century and The Saving Remnant: Religion and the Settling of New England, which the American Historical Review called "a major reinterpretation of the Puritan story." The theories, interpretations, and documentation he developed in these books have been widely cited and accepted in the field. After his retirement in 1997, Cedric was active as a judge in Hawaii History Day and enjoyed interviewing intermediate and high school students about their essays each year at district and state level competitions. He also served as Program Chairman and sometime president of the Faculty Retirees at University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM). To the end of his life, he keep abreast of American political and social developments and wrote letters to the editor on local issues or Island Voices pieces giving historical background to current topics. He hoped to write one more piece, speaking to the popular misconceptions these days about the 1st Amendment, the religious diversity of the colonial population, and what the Founding Fathers meant by freedom of religion. Cedric was a train buff and a decades-long fan of UH men's and women's athletic teams. Friends new and old, near and far, remember him for his integrity, his generosity of judgment, his boyish and British-like sense of humor and word play, and for his interest in learning everyone's story. He enjoyed gathering friends and their families at his home for Sunday suppers and conversation. Cedric is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sue Brown Cowing, and his son James Robertson Cowing of Portland. Private services. Those who wish to honor Cedric may make donations to Hawaii History Day, in care of The Hawaii Committee for the Humanities. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
July 29, 1926 to January 16, 2018 Cedric was born and grew up in Pasadena, California. His father George Cecil Cowing, a newspaperman, wrote a daily column for the Pasadena Star-News, "The Boulevardier," often featuring the antics and comments of young Cedric, whom George dubbed "the Major." Just out of high school Cedric entered naval officers' training, but then the Second World War ended and he was discharged. The G.I. Bill made it possible for him to enter Stanford and become the first in his family to graduate from college. Back in high school he had developed what would be a lifelong interest in the stock market, and he studied economics at Stanford. When he went to the University of Wisconsin for his PHD work, however, he switched to social and intellectual history and studied with the noted Progressive historian Merle Curti. His PhD thesis later became his first book: Populists, Plungers, and Progressives, a Social History of Stocks and Commodity Speculation, 1828-1932. After teaching for two years at UC Santa Barbara, he accepted a position in the History Department at the University of Hawaii and moved to Hawaii in 1957, two years before statehood. He would teach U.S. History at UH for the next forty years, and he helped bring fellow Wisconsin graduates to the department, including Herbert F. Margulies and James McCutcheon. Cedric learned from his journalist father to value vivid and succinct language and encouraged the same in his students. His scholarly interests and research turned increasingly toward American religion, particularly of the Colonial period. His two books in the field are The Great Awakening and the American Revolution: Colonial Thought in the 18th Century and The Saving Remnant: Religion and the Settling of New England, which the American Historical Review called "a major reinterpretation of the Puritan story." The theories, interpretations, and documentation he developed in these books have been widely cited and accepted in the field. After his retirement in 1997, Cedric was active as a judge in Hawaii History Day and enjoyed interviewing intermediate and high school students about their essays each year at district and state level competitions. He also served as Program Chairman and sometime president of the Faculty Retirees at University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM). To the end of his life, he keep abreast of American political and social developments and wrote letters to the editor on local issues or Island Voices pieces giving historical background to current topics. He hoped to write one more piece, speaking to the popular misconceptions these days about the 1st Amendment, the religious diversity of the colonial population, and what the Founding Fathers meant by freedom of religion. Cedric was a train buff and a decades-long fan of UH men's and women's athletic teams. Friends new and old, near and far, remember him for his integrity, his generosity of judgment, his boyish and British-like sense of humor and word play, and for his interest in learning everyone's story. He enjoyed gathering friends and their families at his home for Sunday suppers and conversation. Cedric is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sue Brown Cowing, and his son James Robertson Cowing of Portland. Private services. Those who wish to honor Cedric may make donations to Hawaii History Day, in care of The Hawaii Committee for the Humanities. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
