Robert Gammell Rowe III

Rob was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland but shortly after that, moved with his parents and spent the next two years in Watertown, Massachusetts. From there, the family relocated to the Philadelphia Main Line, where his father grew up, living in Berwyn and Devon. He attended The Haverford School from 1960 to 1972 when he graduated. Rob attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with honors in American History and Psychology.

Rob went on to Boston University Law School where he received a J.D. cum laude, was elected as the permanent class president, and where he has most recently served on the Alumni Executive Committee. From law school, Rob embarked on a banking career. After he started his career in Washington, DC, he earned a LLM from Georgetown University Law Center. As a banker, Rob worked in a variety of capacities at both the Riggs National Bank and the National Bank of Washington, covering issues from personal trust to commercial lending. After more than 10 years in banking, Rob moved into trade association work, starting with the American Bankers Association, moving to the Independent Community Bankers Association, and then returning to ABA where he finished his career. While at ABA, Rob focused on combatting money laundering and terrorist financing, serving for over 25 years as a member of the Treasury Department’s Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group and for over five years as the chair of the International Banking Federation’s Financial Crimes Working Group.

For a number of years Rob was active in community theater and still has many friends from those days. He was a member of what is now Dominion Stage, served on the board of The Arlington Players, and also served on the board of the British Embassy Players, where he was a judge for their annual Ruby Griffith Awards. His late partner, John Gray, served as the head of the Awards Program for several years until his death in 1996.

Rob leaves behind many friends and family, but most especially his life partner of 25 years, David King, without whom he would not have made it through the last few months. He also leaves behind his brother Lawrence and his wife Terry Rowe, his brother Brian and his wife Caroline and daughter Meredith Rowe, and his maternal uncle, Philip Johnson.

A memorial service will be held at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC, 474 Ridge St. NW, on Saturday December 3, 2022 at 1:00 PM. A reception will follow from 2:30pm until 5:00pm on the 2nd floor of Cambria Hotel, Washington, DC-Convention Center, 899 O St NW, Washington, DC 20001

(within walking distance of MCC-DC)

A private interment will take place at Rock Creek Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made in Rob's honor to So Others Might Eat (some.org) or the Pancreatic Center Action Network (pancan.org).