Meet a hammers Homeowner

        Annie Mildred Lowery

Annie Mildred Lowery is a civic treasure who has lived in Davidson all but one of her 79 years. Despite increasing infirmities, she still actively helps provide elder care to others in town. But helping people isn’t something new for Lowery. She’s been serving on community boards, lobbying public officials, and organizing neighbors to make Davidson a better community her whole life long.

She was president of the Community Development Group that built sixty new homes for citizens on the west side of town in the 1960s. She initiated and managed a summer recreation program for 90 children in the 1970s. She served on the Human Relations Board that organized a huge community clean-up, and founded the annual Town Day celebration.

She spearheaded the effort to renovate the long-abandoned Ada Jenkins School, and turn it into the thriving community center that exists today. She has always persistently sought out creative ways of addressing civic needs, and has never been reticent to call officials she didn’t know to find resources to get jobs done. Mrs. Lowery was recently honored as a recipient of the G. Jackson Burney Community Service Award for her dedication to the Davidson community.

Someone once told her, “Mrs. Lowery, you’re taking on a big chew.” She replied, “All we can do is try!”

But even good helpers need help sometimes, and when Mrs. Lowery found that the home on Westside Drive where she raised her seven grown children needed repairs, she turned to HAMMERS, the DHC program that helps people remain in their homes by facilitating low-cost maintenance and renovation work. HAMMERS workers repaired a leaking pipe to her washing machine, installed modern, safe locks on her doors, repaired her crumbling brick stairs, and installed some ceiling fixtures.

“Whenever I need something, I call and ask them. It’s good to have friends who’ll help you when you need!” she said. Well, Mrs. Lowery, as they say, you get back what you give!