Harold Bowman began his career as an engineer in the late 1950s. During that time, he discovered that he enjoyed mathematics more than his typical tasks as an engineer, and moved to Oklahoma to study math at the University of Oklahoma. He appeared at (what would eventually be called) UNLV, albeit briefly, in the mid 1960s as a lecturer. Staying for only a couple of years, Bowman moved on to Tempe, Arizona to complete his Ph.D. in mathematics at Arizona State University, graduating in 1972. That very same year, he was offered a job as an assistant professor of mathematics at UNLV.

As a professor at UNLV, Bowman published 22 papers, many of which were related to Abelian group theory. He served on numerous academic committees and taught many graduate-level courses. One particular section of graduate-level Abstract Algebra included many students* that went on to do great things in their careers.

* Alan Ackerman, John Barnett, Steve Gregory, Steve Hart, and Steve Silacheck