Asheville Native and Educator Celebrates 100th Birthday
Family and friends of Ms. Frances M. Owens celebrated and honored her on her 100th birthday recently.
Frances was born March 9, 1913 in Asheville, NC, the third of six children of John Henry and Minnie McKinley Owens, and is the last living sibling. She graduated from Allen Home High School in 1930, and shortly thereafter enrolled in an educators’ training course.
Her teaching experience carried her to various parts of N.C., where she began her teaching in Grassy Creek, NC, at a one-room school that housed ten students. Ms. Owens continued her teaching career, and two years later, received her BA from Shaw University with a minor in history. She earned an MA in Education in 1951 and a Library Science Degree in 1953.
Upon returning to Asheville, Ms. Owens taught at Shiloh School and acted as both principal and librarian. Upon transferring to the Asheville City Schools, she taught at Livingston Street School until it closed in 1970; she was then transferred to Vance Elementary School, where she taught in early child education until she retired in 1978, ending a 41-year career.
After retiring, Ms. Owens continued to be active in Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and many community clubs and volunteer organizations, such as Mission Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital. Ms. Owens now resides at Holmes Family Care Home.
The community of Asheville salutes and honors Ms. Frances Owens for her dedicated service of educating many of the youth of Buncombe County, and for a lifetime of caring for others and making Asheville a better place.
