Last Friday, the ISU community came together to give thanks to a man who has led the university for the past 10 years.

At noon, by utilizing social media, students, faculty and staff surprised ISU President Al Bowman with a rally outside of Hovey Hall.

Between 500 and 1,000 people chanted, sang and cheered as Bowman popped out of his window.

The surprise was put together by Linda Bowman and the Student Government Association.

The energy from the crowd was palpable as Bowman met the crowd and gave a brief speech.

Many attendees had their phones out to document the moment.

This event was just a small reminder of the Redbird spirit that is so evident at ISU. Many people took time out of their busy finals preparation time as well as missing class just to wish Bowman the best of luck.

As the ISU marching drums beat, the heart of ISU pumped with admiration and respect for the best president ISU has had.

Toward the end of the event, the ISU student body president and vice president asked the crowd to link arms and join the choir in the singing of the alma mater.

Standing side by side, complete strangers joined together and swayed back and forth to the song.

Overall, it was a beautiful day for ISU, even if the sky was cloudy.

Standing out on the Quad on a brisk winter day with a thousand Redbirds was the perfect ending to the semester.

For those who are graduating on Saturday, the rally was a great ending to a college career by sending thanks to the man who made ISU what it is today.

One of the most memorable moments of the day was the love Linda Bowman and Al Bowman share for each other and ISU.

ISU is where the couple met, and their dedication to making it a great place is apparent. They are truly the two stars of ISU, and seeing them together brought a smile to every attendee’s face.

For those who still have a few years to go, they will meet a new president.

There is no doubt the committee will do their ultimate best to find the perfect president for ISU’s future.

Whoever they will be, they will see Bowman’s contributions to the ISU community in every facet of campus.

It was great to see how much of an impact the ISU community had on Bowman as well.

He was visibly mouthing the word “Wow” before he gave his speech.

It was a show of true, genuine emotion and happiness from a man who deserved the recognition.