Bob Fowler

Kansas Man Finds Birth Mother After Reading about New Adoption Records Law

/ V.L. Brunskill / Leave a comment

A recent article from The Witchita Eagle, reports on 57-year-old Bob Fowler’s reunion with his birth mother in Kansas, after he read an article about the  availability of non-certified, pre-adoption birth certificates for adoptees in Kansas.

According to the Kansas Historical Society, “Adoption records are open to adoptees 18 years and older. The adoptee has to request the records from the Clerk of the District Court’s office in the county where the adoption occurred. An adoptee can obtain their birth certificate. Proof of identity is required. Descendants of the adoptee cannot view the records. For information about obtaining pre-adoption birth certificates please see the Office of Vital Statistics web page.”

Fowler’s story of reunion is unique because he was never really interested in finding his birth mother. He had a caring adoptive family, and a generally happy life. According to the article, his wife suggested he look for his birth mother saying,

“You might have a hole in your heart you don’t even know about.”

For his birth mother, Cheryl Allenbrand, the timing could not have been better. It turned out that Allenbrand, who  gave Fowler up for adoption when she was only 15-years-old, had buried all three of the biological children whom she raised.  Thoughts of the child she gave up haunted her.
This is a happy adoption reunion story worth reading.  It is also a reminder, that even adoptees who think they do not need to know their biological family, often find comfort and wholeness in  reunion.
The full story is here: Mother, child reunion took 57 years.