In 1954, he went to Chicago as a division sales manager to create a wholesale market for Ashland's petroleum products in the Midwest. In 1959, he returned to Ashland, Kentucky, as a special representative for refinery sales at the company headquarters and was later named assistant manager of the department. In 1965, he was selected to serve as executive assistant to Rex Blazer, Ashland's chairman of the board. Within a couple of years, McCowan was named vice president and promoted to administrative vice president in 1968. Ashland Petroleum Company was formed as a division of the parent company in 1970, in which McCowan served as director in 1971 and president from 1974 to 1979. In 1971, he was additionally elected to the board of directors at Ashland, Inc. "He was a driving force in the growth of the former Ashland Petroleum Company, particularly in the marketing arena," said Ashland chairman and chief executive officer James J. O'Brien. "He was instrumental in shaping and advocating Ashland's views on public policy, including energy policy education." During that year, he was later elected executive vice chairman of the board at Ashland, Inc. and continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement in 1988. As vice chairman, he was responsible for the corporation's public affairs, including federal and state government relations, corporate communications and the Ashland, Inc. Foundation. After his retirement, McCowan continued as director emeritus. In the latter part of his career, McCowan devoted most of his time to shaping public policy. He was well known in the industry for his keen grasp of political, regulatory, and economic issues and for his ability to build consensus. During his 37-year career with Ashland, he was member and chairman of the National Petroleum Refiners Association (now American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers); a member/director of the American Petroleum Institute; a member of the 25-Year Club of the Petroleum Industry; and a member/director of the Asphalt Institute. Personal life His courage in making tough decisions was attributed to the resilience he showed as a teenager when he was left badly disfigured after a horrible burn accident. During High School, he went to a cookout at Herrington Lake with friends, and was involved in a severe burn accident due to a spark from a nearby camp fire when it went into a can of gasoline he was holding. The can exploded in his hands, leaving him terribly