Remembering Legendary Buford Daredevil Bonnie Rowe

By Rebecca Bradshaw

If you were born and raised in Buford, or have lived here for any length of time, you've probably heard of Bonnie Rowe, the 1920s aerial daredevil, best known for his unbelievable stunts as a wing-walker and parachutist in the heyday of barnstorming.  Bonnie Rowe was the stuff of legends, and not just locally. He traveled all over the country with well known barnstorming troupes of the time, thrilling crowds with his amazing and sometimes foolhardy feats--stepping from plane to plane in midair, attempting to transfer to a plane from atop a moving train, and 1,000 feet "dead drops" using a home sewn bed sheet as a parachute. Bonnie Rowe called himself "The King of All Daredevils" for a reason.

Well, I wasn't born and raised here. I'm from California, so I missed the "Buford history" school field trips that included a stop at Bonnie's grave. I missed hearing the legends from grandparents about the wild Rowe boy who used to stand on his head atop the Bona Allen Tannery water tower. But it doesn't matter if I came late to the story--Bonnie and I were destined to "meet,"  no matter what.  I like to think so anyway. This month I have an article about Bonnie Rowe coming out in Georgia Backroads magazine. Well, actually, it's the cover story. And actually, it's the first time I've ever experienced the thrill of having a full length article in print.*

It all started with an interesting headstone. Bonnie Rowe's, of course. When I first moved to Georgia I briefly lived across the street from the Buford Cemetery. One day while I was at work a friend from out of state, Katie, decided to explore the cemetery and take pictures of  the old graves. Later that evening she showed the photos to me. We were both intrigued by the unusual granite marker with the carving of a person standing on the wings of a bi-plane. What was the story behind "Bonnie G. Rowe, 1900-1932"? Find out on Buford Patch.

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