[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       JACK F. OWENS, IN MEMORIAM

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I would like to set aside a moment 
to reflect on the life of Mr. Jack. F. Owens upon his passing. Jack was 
a good friend and a man who made remarkable contributions toward 
educational opportunities for thousands of Delawareans. He was a man 
with a kind heart, diverse interests, great abilities and boundless 
energy.
  Jack was born in Easley, SC. After graduating from Easley High School 
where he excelled in various sports, Jack went to Furman University 
where he continued his academic and athletic exploits, lettering in 
three sports, and graduating in 1952.
  After serving his country as a member of the United States Marine 
Corps, Jack returned to South Carolina and began a career in academia, 
first in the Pickins County School system and then at Greenville 
Technical College.
  Responding to the call of then Delaware Governor Charles Terry, Jack 
came to Delaware to help open Delaware's Technical and Community 
College in Sussex County in March of 1967. He was the school's first 
administrator and headed the Sussex County campus for twenty-eight 
years, retiring in 1995. In 1993, Jack received Delaware's highest 
honor when he was awarded ``The Order of the First State.''
  As Governor, I had the honor of signing into law legislation that 
named the Sussex Campus in Jack's honor. Today, it is called ``The Jack 
Owens Campus.'' The energy and commitment found in the students and 
faculty at DelTech are, in large part, due to Jack's vision.
  Even after his retirement, Jack remained committed to public service. 
He served on numerous boards and commissions including The Arthritis 
Foundation, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ducks Unlimited, and 
served as a board member of the Beebe Medical Center and as Chairman of 
the Delmarva Chicken Festival. He received honorary doctorate degrees 
from Wilmington College and the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, 
where he helped establish a community college system.
  Jack leaves behind his wife Donna, 6 children and 6 grandchildren. He 
also leaves behind many friends, colleagues and several generations of 
students who are living more productive, satisfying lives today because 
Jack made the decision thirty-five years ago to come north to Delaware.
  Jack's lifelong dream was that students in Sussex County would have 
the opportunity to receive undergraduate and advanced degrees in their 
home county. He lived to see that dream fulfilled.
  Jack's legacy will live on in the lives of those he helped shape, in 
the halls of education facilities he helped build, and in the hearts of 
those who were lucky enough to call him their friend. I rise today to 
commemorate Jack's life, to celebrate his life, and to offer his family 
support. Jack embodied the best of Delaware. He will be sorely 
missed.

                          ____________________