March 12, 2019

Harry Owens, Jr. ’57, M.D., MIM spent many summers as a young boy on his aunt and uncle’s sheep ranch in Arizona. He quickly developed a love of the outdoors and the simple lifestyle that came with it. Today, his home is a cabin in Willamette National Forest, 50 miles east of Eugene, Oregon. Not that he’s there much. Loyola High School caught up with him in between trips as a medical volunteer in the Central Sudan and as a volunteer caretaker for the Historic Keys Ranch at Joshua Tree National Park in California.

Q.        Where are some of the places you’ve traveled to, or lived, as a volunteer.

A.        I had just completed studies to become a physician at St. Louis University in the late 60s, when many of us were being drafted for Vietnam. I decided to enlist for military duty with the United States Public Health Service, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically the Indian Health Services. I ended up in Alaska covering 30 Eskimo villages. I enjoyed being in a very remote place, so when I was approached by global health and humanitarian relief organization Project Hope to join them in Brazil for a year, I accepted. This opened up my aspiration to pursue work in third world settings. I’ve also worked in Africa, Portugal, the Amazon Jungle, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Antarctica and others.

Q.        Did your time at Loyola influence your decision to volunteer as a medical worker?

A.        Since the time I was 11, I wanted to be a physician. I was raised Catholic and so the spiritual aspect of healing became important to me. Loyola continued to solidify my Catholic faith to the point where I thought I wanted to join the Jesuit priesthood. I eventually did join the seminary, but left when I realized I still had the desire to become a doctor and didn’t have to leave behind the spiritual component to do so; I could treat the whole person. This way of thinking about treating the mind, body and spirit helps me with my level of compassion and understanding of the people I treat.

Q.        What gives you the most joy in your work? Is it relationships with people? Knowing that you’re making a difference in someone’s life? The ability to travel to remote areas? Something else?

A.        All of your suggestions. Especially helping to make a difference. In third world situations, a little bit of effort can have a lot of impact, especially when teaching and training are part of the package.