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Erika (Orth) Owens ’50, an ardent supporter of Mount Saint Mary’s, passed away in May 2021 but left a significant legacy to the University with her $3.5 million bequest to support expendable scholarships, establish a fund for the arts, endow the director role for the Center for the Advancement of Women and help us build the Wellness Pavilion at Chalon.

Angela Hawekotte ’75, JD, met Owens at a Mount event and has served as her estate planning attorney for more than 15 years. “Erika was a very smart and engaging woman while, at the same time, subtly quiet and self-effacing,” she says. “I always enjoyed my interactions with her because I always learned so much about many different topics.”

Born in Houston in 1928, Owens settled in Ojai, California, by middle school, attending Villanova Preparatory School, where her mother taught art. Because older brother Alex fought in WWII, the two siblings were set to enter college at the same time. “With the four-year age difference, we didn’t really interact that much growing up,” Owens explained in 2014. “But once we got to college, we did more together, like double dating. Years later, at his wedding, I met his best friend, Lee. And I ended up marrying him.”

Owens maintained a zeal for learning. She approached the LA Zoo about volunteer work and was told she’d have to pass a test to become a docent. She studied four or five large volumes of information — and served as a docent for 50 years. She also was a docent for the Huntington Library and Gardens, ultimately becoming a specialist in desert plants.

“She was a compassionate person who cared for the world,” says her son Tim. “She was really happy that the money is going where it’s going. She chose wisely and generously left us enough.”

Note: This article first appeared in the spring 2023 issue of Mount Magazine.