Delores Dowling was on the battlefields of World War II where she served as a U.S. Army nurse with the 17th Field Hospital Unit. She received four Battle Stars and a Bronze Arrowhead for a beachhead landing.
She earned the praise of generals, governors and peers throughout her life. A graduate of St. Mary's School of Nursing, she was one of the first six American nurses to land in Sicily on D-Day plus two. Upon her return to Huntington, she answered the call to serve her community. Her tireless effort for highway safety resulted in the enactment of motorcycle safety laws and the Driver Education bill. Working through the West Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs, she challenged women across the state to fight for driver education courses in public schools and to support legislation requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Dowling also initiated action against the closing of three Huntington post offices, spearheaded efforts at the local and state levels for the passage of a kindergarten bill and devoted countless hours to serving the causes of mental retardation. She remained true to her motto: "I can only take (in death) with me what I have given away."