Personal Information For Bill Owen

My wife, Pam, is also a mathematics teacher (the hardest working teacher I have ever known at any level) and the Technology Coordinator for Kittitas High School, which is about seven miles East of Ellensburg. We have an 18-year old son, Coby, who is a student-athlete at Ellensburg High School.  At 5'8" and 165pounds, he is extremely fast and strong; in the weight room he was able to squat almost 500 lbs before hurting his back. He also holds the all-time total weight records for both the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions at Ellensburg High.   In one football game, he ran for 330 yards, scored six touchdowns, and with pass receptions and kickoff returns produced more than 450 yards total offense.  I also have two grown daughters, Lori, and Lisa, both of whom are well-educated and successful professionals.  Lori, who is Investor Relations Manager for Xilinx, and her husband, Eric (Director of Business Operations for @ Work a division of Excite@Home), have two children, a beautiful and delightful daughter, Rowyn, (rhymes with Owen) who was my first grandchild, and Cole, who was born in April 2000, and is the projected Masters’ Champion of 2025.  Lisa is a senior technical writer at Rosetta Inpharmatics, and also teaches technical writing at the University of Washington.  As my wife, my daughters, and my son probably do not want their pictures here, I have taken the liberty of showing my incredibly beautiful and talented granddaughter, along with her new, equally handsome, little brother, Cole.

 

Contents

Personal Interests

Playing Golf

This is also not Bill Owen, but Ernie Els, who has one of the better golf swings today. Math students please note the resemblance to your teacher--especially the hair!

I began my golfing life as a caddy in the days prior to golf carts. I won quite a few junior tournaments, including the 15 and under Championship for the State of Colorado. (Davis Love II --father of the 1997 PGA champion--won the 16-18 year old Championship that same year.) I also played in several national junior championships. In the 1956 International Junior Chamber of Commerce Championships at Fargo, North Dakota, I actually beat Jack Nicklaus on one nine-hole round. I went to college at Colorado State University where I was a four-year letterman and Captain of the CSU golf team. After graduation I decided to concentrate on statistics, and I essentially gave up golf for almost six years. When I resumed, my game was nowhere near the level it had been, and then I came to Ellensburg, where I had accepted a job at CWU prior to knowing about the infamous Ellensburg wind. Because I detest playing in the wind, I didn't play much during my first twenty years here. During the past five years, however, I have reacquired my interest and love for the game. While I don't begin to play at the same level I once did, I regularly shoot in the seventies and occasionally have a par or near-par round. My handicap is now 6, a far cry from the 1 of years ago. In the summer of 1998, my son Coby, my brother Tom and I won a three-man, non-handicap scramble in Colorado with a round of 15 under par. This was special as the tournament was in honor of my 90-year old Uncle Jack, who is one of the nicest men on the face of the earth.  To make it even more rewarding, I won the long-drive competition with a drive of 292 yards.  The real Bill Owen is shown swinging below. Eat your heart out, Ernie!

 Building Custom Golf Clubs

My renewed interest in golf coincided with a hobby of making golf clubs. My game began to improve when I built clubs that were right for me, rather than simply using off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all clubs. (Can you imagine what people would look like if they made only one size in clothes?) I have become deeply entwined in this hobby, and have made many clubs for friends. In the summer of 1998, I took several national certification exams on club building, and have earned the designation of Professional Clubmaker's Society Class 'A' Certified Professional Clubmaker. There are seven or eight of us in Washington State and almost 500 worldwide. I have learned a tremendous amount over the last few years and really enjoy this hobby.

Central Athletics

I love all CWU athletics but I am a particularly avid fan of wrestling, basketball and football, having missed only a handful of these events during my 30 years at CWU. I have announced CWU's wrestling matches since 1975. I can't imagine a small college athletic program that has had better coaches during the time I've been here. GO WILDCATS!

 

 

Jon Kitna

 

Seahawk quarterback Jon Kitna is my former student and advisee who was an actuarial science major briefly before deciding to be a math teacher. In spite of a "small college" background, he has proven that you can indeed be successful in the world of professional sports through dedication, hard work and a real desire to succeed. He is a good role model for any high school or college athlete!

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Contact Me:

E- mail address
billowen@cwu.edu

Web address
http://www.cwu.edu/~billowen

Office phone
509-963-2823

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My Favorite Sites

 

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Last revised: January 4, 2000