Owens, long-time educator, receives Distinguished Alumni Award

He is being honored with the Chadron State College Distinguished Alumni Award during Homecoming Saturday.

He has been recognized many times, particularly for his leadership in special education. His honors include being selected Educator of the Year by the Association of Learning Disabilities International in 2014.

Dr. Owens was born and raised on a farm near Sparks in Keya Paha County in north central Nebraska. He was the first boy from his community to graduate from a four-year high school. That training included preparation in “normal training” and he taught at area rural schools for three years after graduating in 1950.

He then served in the U.S. Army three years and used the GI bill to attend Chadron State, primarily in the summers while he taught during the regular school year. He graduated summa cum laude from Chadron State in 1962 and also earned a master’s degree from the college in 1965. In addition, he earned a doctorate in school psychology, special education and guidance from the University of Nebraska in 1969.

Dr. Owens spent more than 20 years teaching in K-12 schools in Nebraska and Iowa, eight years supporting K-12 schools as an administrator for Western Hills Area Education Agency in Iowa and more than 20 years as a professor at Morningside College.

Now, 65 years since he began teaching, he still teaches graduate courses at Morningside and in recent years was the Education Department’s professional development coordinator and the college’s director of special projects.

“I have been fortunate to devote many years to teaching and also to being of service to agencies which are advocates for the needs of the intellectually and learning disabled population and their families,” Dr. Owens said.

Through the years, he has been on the board of directors of the Iowa Learning Disabilities Association and served several terms as its president.  He also has been on the steering committee for the Iowa Higher Education Network, the state’s Special Education Licensure Committee and the state Consortium for Behavior Disabilities.

Some of the awards he has received include the Council for Exceptional Children’s Meritorious Service Award (1977), the Easter Seals Society’s Service Award (1977), the Arc Outstanding Educator of the Year Award (1989-90) and the Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa President’s Award (2002) as well as its Helping Hand Award (2013).

In addition, he was presented the Iowa Commission of Persons With Disabilities’ Distinguished Service Award (2002), was recognized as one of Siouxland’s Treasures in Education (2005) and received the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award for his work to ensure that appropriate education and services are available for those with learning disabilities (2007).

After he received the Educator of the Year Award from the Association for Learning Disabilities International for 2014 during the convention in Chicago, it was announced that he would receive the Celebrating Community Award for his work with the disabled and his bust will be part of a display in downtown Sioux City.

Owens’ wife, the former Verlee Peterson, also earned her bachelor’s degree from Chadron State and was a middle school and high school teacher 38 years.  They met at CSC in 1960 while both were attending summer school. Both tried out for an all-college play, “You Can’t Take It With You.”  He was cast as Mr. Kirby and she was cast at Mrs. Kirby.  They were married the following year and have four children.

Both of Verlee’s parents, Arthur and Anna (Sellers) Peterson, were Chadron State graduates. Two of the Petersons’ other daughters, Kaye and Janet, also earned teaching degrees at CSC.