2008 Honorary Degree
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During the past 50 years, Mrs. Owen and her husband have committed themselves to the restoration and preservation of historic New Harmony, located in southwestern Indiana along the Illinois border.
Thanks to her generosity, dedication and leadership, that unique community has become a true example of "living history" - documenting the life of the utopian communities that briefly flourished there in the 19th Century while thriving today as a center for art and culture. She now divides her year between New Harmony, Houston and Rhode Island.
Born and raised in Houston, Mrs. Owen attended Bryn Mawr College from 1933-35, Washington School of Diplomacy from 1938-39, and studied at the Union Theological Seminary from 1949-50. Along the way, she met and married Kenneth Dale Owen, a direct descendent of Richard Owen, who served as the first president of Purdue University from 1872-74 and for whom Owen Hall is named.
Mrs. Owen has been an extraordinarily generous patron of the arts, supporting the work of both renowned and local artists. She has brought world-class masterpieces to New Harmony, including Philip Johnson's Roofless Church and sculptor Jacques Lipchitz's "The Descent of the Holy Spirit." She also has sponsored the careers of countless young writers through the world-famous New Harmony Project. In doing so, she followed in the footsteps of her husband's forefather and founder of New Harmony, Robert Owen, the noted 19th century social reformer.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels honored Mrs. Owen with the highest award the state of Indiana bestows on special Hoosiers, the Sachem Award. She is just the third recipient of the award, joining legendary UCLA basketball coach/Purdue alumnus John Wooden and Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, former president of Notre Dame University.
She has received previous honorary doctorates from University of Southern Indiana, Northwood University, Ball State University, Kenyon College and Butler University, which are among her numerous awards and distinctions.
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