March 3, 2023

Northwest to celebrate 40th anniversary of Owens Library opening March 14

The Northwest Missouri State University community is invited to commemorate 40 years of the B.D. Owens Library during a special event on the anniversary of its opening.

Northwest will host a come-and-go celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Owens Library. The facility opened its doors on the same date 40 years ago in 1983.

The event will begin with remarks from Dr. Mike Steiner, associate provost of undergraduate studies and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Clarence Green, Northwest’s interim president, discussing the history of the library building and B.D. Owens’ presidency. Dr. B.D. and Sue Owens also are attending.

The B.D. Owens Library on the Northwest campus opened in 1983 and celebrates its 40th anniversary this spring. (Photo by Abigayle Rush/Northwest Missouri State University)

B.D. and Sue Owens were president and first lady at Northwest from 1977 until 1984. B.D. Owens also is the only Northwest president to be an alumnus of the University, having earned his bachelor’s degree in 1959; Sue Owens is a 1957 Northwest graduate.

In 1979, in the aftermath of a fire that severely damaged the Administration Building, Owens guided the University forward and secured funding for capital projects to replace facilities lost in the fire while enhancing the campus for a new generation of students. The B.D. Owens Library opened in 1983 and the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts opened the next year.