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A Twin With His Own Style

He may have been an identical twin, but Kevin L. Bowser, 45, was no carbon copy of his genetically significant other. "We hadn't dressed alike since grade school," said Kelvin Bowser. Though people confused the two, the brothers rarely played upon their surface sameness — except as boys. When one faced a trip to the principal's office, he tended to claim that he had been mistaken for his twin.

Kevin was a vegetarian, a discipline that became more pronounced after their mother's death from cancer in 1991. Philadelphia Eagles fans since they were 5, they attended the same college, Kutztown State in Pennsylvania, at the instigation of their high school football coach; Kevin played defensive end.

After getting his business degree, Kevin stayed in Philadelphia, married and had two children, but commuted to a Wall Street job in Marsh & McLennan's technology division, teaching brokers how to use their computer software. This year he obtained company financing for the community football team that his twin coaches in southwest Philadelphia. "We hadn't even written the thank-you letter yet," Kelvin said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 28, 2001.