Alumni Spotlight: Darryl D. Bowman ‘82 Publishes Action/Thriller Novel, The Last of the Titans
With over 30 years of experience working at the CIA, Darryl D. Bowman ‘82 lived a life of unexpected opportunities, resulting in travel abroad and the publication of his own novel, The Last of the Titans.
When Darryl D. Bowman ‘82 graduated from York College of Pennsylvania, he took a position with a cable television company. However, after a few years, he found that the work was not for him and bounced between a few short-term jobs.
It was then that Bowman made a decision that would change the trajectory of his life. He made a career change to work in the federal government. Over time, he advanced through progressive positions, resulting in over 30 years of service both within the United States and on trips abroad.
By the time he had reached the end of his working career, he had utilized his creative talents by authoring a high-stakes action/adventure novel, The Last of the Titans.
Establishing Solid Groundwork
Having just graduated from high school in northern New Jersey, Bowman turned his sights to college programs that were relatively close to home. His search led him to Pennsylvania, where York College appealed to him due to its smaller size and solid business program.
Bowman chose a Business major because he felt it was a well-rounded degree that would provide him with a range of skills and possibilities to pursue after graduation. College also played a major role in teaching him independence and the ability to interact with a wide variety of people, personalities, and viewpoints.
“You’re on your own, maybe for the first time, managing yourself - interacting with people, learning how to get along with everybody,” Bowman said.
While at York College, Bowman also worked for the 88.1 FM WVYC radio station, which he found to be very welcoming, full of fellow students willing to mentor, and provided him with many valuable skills.
Bowman graduated from York College in 1982 with a degree in Business Management. He had a job lined up after graduation with what used to be the Cable TV of York, Susquehanna Broadcasting. Comcast now owns the company.
Discovering an Unexpected Calling
Bowman worked for Cable TV of York company in sales and marketing for a few years before deciding that type of work wasn’t what he wanted to be doing long-term. He quit and then worked several short-term jobs.
Eventually, Bowman decided to make a career change and pivoted to work in law enforcement, something that had never crossed his mind in college.
“I became a federal police officer, completed training at the federal law enforcement training center in Glynco, Georgia, and worked in that capacity for a few years,” Bowman said. “Then, [the] CIA opportunity came up.”
Bowman worked in different areas, including internal, physical, and personnel security. He also augmented the Director of the CIA’s protective staff, which led to travel throughout Europe and subsequent travel opportunities, sometimes for a month at a time.
Bowman served in the federal government for over 30 years. Having been retired for 8 years now, Bowman expressed how life-changing switching careers had been and found it personally rewarding.
“As I said, I didn’t want to look back and regret not taking or making opportunities, and I wanted something that gave me satisfaction, and I found that in government service,” Bowman said.
The Last of the Titans
In 2013, Bowman self-published his novel, The Last of the Titans.
The idea had been sitting in the back of Bowman’s head for a while. When he was ready, he spent around a year researching details, formulating the story flow, and putting it together.
“I wanted to be correct in my research because it included historical details regarding the U.S. missile program, historical events, and I wanted the story to interweave with fact. I always enjoyed science fiction, thrillers, space travel, and other fiction that could be believed,” Bowman said.
“I wanted to be correct in my research because I based it on the U.S. missile program, and I always enjoyed science fiction thrillers, space travel, things like that,” he continued.
The book was well-received in certain reviews, comparing his work to other respected and successful thriller, espionage-type writers. A film script for the book has also been put together, and Bowman hopes to gain traction with it in the future.
The novel follows a former military pilot racing against a rogue CIA officer and foreign terrorists who are looking to reclaim the last remaining nuclear-tipped titan, a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile. The title of the book has a connection to a real missile that existed in the United States.
“The Titan nuclear missile is the same rocket that the United States used to launch our initial space program, except the military took it and put a nuclear warhead on top and then launched it from a silo,” Bowman said. “So [it is] the last of the titans because it’s the last remaining one that’s still intact.”
For Bowman, his favorite part of working on the book was seeing it all come together, holding a hard copy in his hands.
He also shared how, over time, a theme for his story arose from his writing.
“I didn’t start off with any message, but after I finished it, and going through and reading it, I think that the theme or message would be that if something bad happens, it might not feel like it at the time, but it might be leading to something good,” Bowman said.
Bowman remembers his past unfulfilling work experiences and how they led him to eventually quitting his sales job and keep looking. From that experience, Bowman found a career that he enjoyed and is proud of. He added that the times before success are the hardest and not so easy.
Power of Persistence
Bowman’s time at York College taught him the importance of risks and expanding your experiences into areas outside your comfort zone. His post-college experiences taught him that the path to your goal may not always be straightforward. He bounced around until he found satisfaction in where he was. In Bowman’s words, “Personal satisfaction and fulfillment might not come in your first employment (or second…or third…) but don’t give up, just be determined.”
“You have to be self-reliant and take opportunities,” Bowman said. “Don’t just sit there and fester; always try to grow. There was a time I considered a military career, but I realized I needed to find another way to serve. I went with the CIA, and I took internal opportunities and pushed my personal and professional boundaries.”
As a result, Bowman developed a range of skills essential for both national security work and organizational needs. Toward the end of his career, he remained flexible, becoming a certified instructor at the internal CIA University, mentoring new employees mastering required skills.
“If people are thinking of an intelligence career or CIA specifically, for some organizations like CIA, depending on your position, don’t get into it if you want personal recognition outside of your organization,” he said. “I was only acknowledged as an open employee the last five or so years. Fortunately, my wife was also an employee!”
But ultimately, Bowman pushes people not to give up on their passions, especially if they find they are required to grow and obtain new skills as a result. Although, in his case, covert work is very rewarding and, like with any job, can lead to more opportunities.
“The more that you do, the more you become multifaceted, and multi-skilled, the more you’ll be in demand and the more you will prosper,” Bowman said. “So just keep pushing yourself.”
