Dr. John H. Owen was born in Savannah, Georgia, June 22, 1922. At six years old his family moved to Florida where he attended Gadsden County Public Schools. In 1940 Owen graduated from high school as president of the senior class and MVP in all sports. He graduated from the University of Florida in three years with high honors. During World War 2 Owen saw service as a naval officer and was a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve Research Unit. In 1954 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and in 1969 he retired with over 20 years of service. Owen married Margaret Wilson in 1946. That same year he entered graduate school at the University of Wisconsin where he majored in Plant Pathology and Biochemistry. In 1949 he received his Ph.D and started a full-time teaching career at the University of Florida. In 1959 Owen and his family moved to Athens, Georgia where he became the Division Chairman of Plant Pathology and Plant Genetics. As chairman he directed the research at all of the Agricultural Experiment Stations in Georgia. Owen was appointed Director of University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations in 1966. Owen became the 12th President of North Georgia College in 1970. While President he worked with the ROTC Rifle Team and the science department. In 1992 he retired and he died on February 15, 2011.