IN memory of Dr Gwendoline Owen MBE, former Principal of St Mary’s College

It is with great sadness we share the news that the former Principal of St Mary’s College, Dr Gwendoline Owen MBE, has passed away aged 102.

Dr Owen took up her role at St Mary’s College in 1971. The college was one of the predecessor institutions of University of Gloucestershire and a leading teacher training college for women.

She studied BSc Chemistry, Physics and Botany at the University of London, and the following year, 1943, she was awarded a BSc special degree in Chemistry. In 1944, she received her Institute of Education and Teacher’s Certificate from the University of London, and after teaching in London she became a research assistant, gaining her PhD in organic chemistry in 1950.

Dr Owen returned to teaching for a number of years, before taking up her role at St Mary’s College in Cheltenham. She worked closely with St Paul’s College, which offered teacher training to men, in developing a partnership between them. At the time, St Paul’s was based at what is now Francis Close Hall, and is also a predecessor institution of University of Gloucestershire.

Courses also began to change, with the introduction of a postgraduate certificate in education, and an increase in overseas students, particularly from Rhodesia and Nigeria. By the late 1970s, the college welcomed American exchange students through the Brethren Colleges Abroad programme.

Dr Owen was part of the Gloucestershire County Education Committee and the Gloucestershire Association of Christian Teachers. She was also Chair of the Gloucestershire Voluntary Overseas Committee, for which she raised around £50,000 over 40 years of fundraising.

During an interview by a local newspaper, on leaving St Mary’s College to take up a Research Fellow post at the University of Birmingham. she said, “The only way to teach effectively is from a background of knowledge. The college motto is ‘Learn in order that you may teach’ but I think the opposite is just as true.”

Clare Marchant, Vice-Chancellor of University of Gloucestershire, said: “We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Owen, who contributed so much to shaping the institution we are today.

“St Mary’s had an excellent reputation for teacher training. During her tenure as Principal, Dr Owen oversaw many changes, including the introduction of computers in 1974, the college becoming the Open University Centre for Cheltenham in 1976, and the first degree ceremonies in Cheltenham in 1977. 

“We are grateful for her continuing legacy, the spirit with which she led St Mary’s, and the impact she has had on so many former students.”