* - Honorary Member
Jamie Owen grew up in Readfield, Maine. In high school, her love for sports blossomed. It was her salvation and she loved to compete. She graduated from Davis Elkins College in Elkins, W. Va., with a degree in physical education and a minor in history. In college, Owen played field hockey, basketball, and softball. In 1974, she obtained a Master's degree from University of Maine at Orono.
After college, Jamie took her first teaching job at Huntington College in Montgomery, Ala., as an instructor in physical education and health. Over the years her teaching career would take her to Apalachicola, Fla., Springfield, Mass., Troy, N.Y., Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Caribou, Maine.
Owen taught at Castleton State College for five years and then started her coaching career at Caribou High School in Caribou, Maine. She coached field hockey, basketball, and softball. In 1971, Dudley Bell called to recruit her to Lyndon, based on a reference from CSC. She said no initially, but called back a month later and accepted the position of physical education instructor and coach of field hockey, basketball, and softball.
Jamie's coaching career at Lyndon spanned over 15 years. Field hockey, the sport she coached the most, was her favorite as she had played 12 years of club hockey after college, including two national tournaments. Working with student teachers was also a highlight of her time at Lyndon – she loved observing, mentoring, and coaching them. She enjoyed seeing what she taught being applied.
When reflecting on her time as a coach at Lyndon, Owen recalls fondly the field hockey team's tournament success at Keene State College; learning from the women's basketball team because so much had changed in the game since she played; an undefeated season with the basketball team and a trip to Canada to participate in an international tournament – being moved when hearing the national anthem; and undefeated seasons in softball along with an outstanding triple play by Joyce Siok '79.
Owen's goal as a coach was to get her team to play as well as they could, remember who they were and who they were representing, and behave accordingly. She was an intense and focused coach. She also wanted the women to have the same opportunities as the men and advocated hard for this, even before Title IX took effect.
In the community, Owen has been involved with the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and Lyndonville Welcome Center. She has taught tennis to local children as well as to adults in Florida. She is a U.S. Professional Tennis Association member, sponsored by Dudley Bell.
Owen retired from Lyndon in 1986 She still resides in Lyndonville, Vt. and has been wintering in Florida for 25 years. Her passion is tennis, but she also enjoys golf, walking and biking.
