David Owen

DAVID Owen, in the words of his colleagues, was perhaps the greatest contemporary American historian of England. Yet he could have become a greater scholar than he was. Instead, Professor Owen directed much of his time into teaching, into Winthrop House, and into the History Department. He was easily one of Harvard's two or three most popular lecturers, and undergraduate and graduate students flocked to him for individual supervision. His warmth and understanding brought him many demands as a Master and administrator. In no way a prima donna, Professor Owen did not refuse burdensome tasks that required sound judgment and sensitivity.

For the History Department, his sharp eye for graduate students and his awesome reputation among history departments around the world made him invaluable. For students, his informal yet dignified manner, his understated sense of humor, and his kindness exemplified Harvard at its best. Though a man of style and wit, Professor Owen was not flamboyant; he left Winthrop House with a quiet sense of pride, and he took the mild, subdued course in departmental affairs.

Colleagues say that it was a great comfort to know that Professor Owen was here; students remember his constant efforts to build their self-confidence. His own words on the once-new House system gives a better glimpse of his nature: "One could almost imagine tutors being assigned to tuck the boys in at ten o'clock. (In a Master's weaker moments he sometimes regrets that this spectre never materialized.)"

This gentle professor, who left his Widener office open for 30 years, has served as an example of intellectual generosity that Harvard will not soon forget.