Frances Penrose Owen (1900-2002) was a civic leader in Seattle, Washington, and one of the most important women in Washington state in the field of education. Born in Walla Walla, Washington, Owen attended Whitman College, graduating with a degree in Greek. Afterwards, she studied politics at Bryn Mawr, taught economics at Whitman, and earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard. In 1925, she took a position as a personnel training officer with the Frederick & Nelson Department Store in Seattle, where she met her husband. Throughout her public career she was known by her married name, Mrs. Henry B. Owen. After her husband’s death in 1976, she became Frances Penrose Owen.

Following her marriage, Owen joined the Board of Trustees of Children’s Orthopedic Hospital (later Seattle Children's Hospital) in 1934, where she served for 36 years. In 1945, Owen was the second woman to be elected to the Seattle School Board, serving until 1967; she was board president four times. In 1957, Owen was appointed as the first woman to hold a seat on the Board of Regents for Washington State College (later Washington State University); she served for 18 years and was twice elected board president. Her public service career was wide-ranging, including the Seattle Community Chest, board memberships for the Ryther Child Center in Seattle, and the National Child Welfare League.

Francis Penrose Owen’s service was honored many times over the years. In 1949, she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Whitman College. In 1966-1968, she received Citizen of the Year honors from two Seattle organizations, including the Seattle-King County Board of Realtors. In 1979, Washington State University honored her 18 years of service as a regent by naming a major new library on the Pullman campus the Frances Penrose Owen Science and Engineering Library. In 1989, the Seattle School Board dedicated the Frances Penrose Owen Auditorium at Seattle School Board headquarters in her honor. In 1990, Governor Booth Gardner presented Owen with the Washington state Medal of Merit for her service to education.

Interview conducted by Kate Webster and Anne Farrell on April 18 and an unspecified date, 1985. This interview is part of the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Don Schmechel, who was a member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation board, began this project with Seattle Public Library in 1984, with the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) brought on board as a partner in early 1985. Schmechel himself worked to raise the funding for the project, and volunteered his time to manage the project, and to conduct interviews along with a crew of volunteers. Originally titled the Videotaping Historic Figures (VHF) Program, the project interviewed 91 people, and MOHAI holds the interviews for 32 of these individuals.