IU School of Liberal Arts

• Features
• Student Spotlight
• Featured Faculty & Staff
• Amazing Alumni & Donors
• Featured Center
• Making an Impact

Amazing Alumni & Donors

Frank & Patte Owings

Frank Owings, Jr (BA, 1971, English)

"Living Generously" is this year's theme for the Spirit and Place Civic Festival managed by the Polis Center of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. It is also a good description of how Frank Owings, Jr. (BA 1971, English) and his wife, Patte, have spent their time since retiring from Service Supply Co., Inc. nearly a decade ago.

This is the story of how one couple, with the love and support of a generous family, makes a difference in our community. It begins with the inspiration of Edith C. Seitz Owings, Frank's mother and one of Service Supply's first employees. Edith Owings set an example of spending her life in the service of others through her work as a civic volunteer and community leader for many cultural and philanthropic organizations.

Music, literature, and art were part of the Owings family life, contrasting with the nuts and bolts and other fasteners that made up the product line of the Company for 50 years. Indeed, when Frank was old enough to go to college, despite his initial foray into business studies, it was writing and literature, art and architecture, and history and historic preservation that held his attention. Attending IUPUI in the summers and for his final two semesters, Frank graduated in 1971. He went on to get a Master's in Library Science and English Literature from Butler University and a Master's in Library and Information Science from Indiana University Bloomington. His passion for books found expression in working at bookstores and ultimately, he took a chance and started one. His passion for music (rock and roll in particular) and literature took form in music composition and in playing in bands; it continues today with the group Graal.

He is, however, a generous man. Instead of following a career in the arts or academia, he worked for over 20 years in the family business, devoting his efforts to streamlining processes and adding efficiencies that would later make the business attractive to others. With two degrees in library science, as a specialist in archives, Frank was able to work at least part of the time as the Company's archivist/ historian, organizing Service Supply's extensive archival holdings and maintaining the company's corporate records.

During this time, he met and married Patte, a talented artist and photographer who shares his enthusiasm for historic preservation. Together, they have stabilized and revitalized a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and placed it on the National Register of Historic Places. Their interest in Wright's design philosophy and architecture is further evidenced by their involvement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Fall 2006 issue of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly features Patte's photograph of a Wright designed sculpture on its cover, which accompanyies the feature article, "Frank Lloyd Wright: Shaping the Spirit," authored by Frank.

Over the years, the Frank N. Owings Family Foundation and its predecessor, the Seitz- Owings Foundation, have established a number of important endowed scholarships at Butler University, where both Frank and Patte hold degrees.

Recently, in recognition of their generosity, and of the years of service of Frank's mother, Clowes Hall dedicated the Edith C. Owings Reception Suite. Perhaps their greatest satisfaction, though, comes in the shape of the 50 plus students who have benefited from the Edger C. Seitz, Sr. and Mabel B. Seitz Memorial Scholarship that was established honoring Frank's maternal grandparents. The opportunity to meet these students and watch their successes inspires the Owings' interest in helping others, which they carry out in many ways throughout the community.

Today, Frank and Patte head up the Frank N. Owings Family Foundation. They offer their time, talent, and treasure in support of the culture of Indianapolis, working behind the scenes to assist various nonprofit arts organizations achieve their stated missions. Theirs is truly a story of lives lived generously.

Originally published in Advances, Fall 2008: V. 8 Iss. 3

Our Features