Owen, Charlotte Oral History

owen_charlotte_10302002 edited

Charlotte (Plummer) Owen was born on January 31, 1918 in Minneapolis, MN. Charlotte graduated from Eugene High School in 1935. Charlotte had a deep passion for music all through her life. Starting as early as kindergarten, Charlotte loved music and even conducted her own band. The music in Charlotte continued and in 1939 Charlotte graduated from the University of Oregon and immediately began teaching high school band in La Grande, Oregon. In 1943, Charlotte enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve after she had been told there was going to be a women's band. Charlotte's clarinet teacher from the university wrote to William Santelmann, the conductor of the Marine Band, giving her a glowing recommendation. Charlotte was sent to Camp Lejeune, NC and was selected to be the conductor for the women's band. During her time in the Marines, Charlotte was the first woman ever to conduct the "Presidents Own" Marine Corps Band and remained the only woman to do so until 2003. Charlotte recalls many memorable times in the Marine Corps. Times such as: performing for Admiral Nimitz at a parade in Washington, DC; performing for President Roosevelt and President Truman at different times; and performing at swanky venues where there were movie stars. Charlotte remembers a time when a businessman gave $50 to the girls in the Marine Band. The moeny was supposed to be used for refreshments for the train ride back to the base from Philadelphia. Instead of using the money for refreshments, the money was used to start the newsletter 'Quarter Notes'. The newsletter is published four times a year and has been continued since 1945. This publication has kept the band connected, resulting in many reunions. Charlotte fondly discussed her marriage to fellow Marine musician, Charles Owen. They married near the end of the war in 1945. When the announcement came that the war was over, the Marine Band donned their uniforms and performed in the streets, performed as the trains pulled into the station bringing soldiers home, and even performed for President Harry Truman. Charlotte and her husband, lived in the DC area after the war. Charlotte became a member of the Arlington Symphony Orchestra as the principal clarinetist. The couple moved to Philadelphia where Charlotte again had the position as principal clarinetist with the Main Line Symphony. Charlotte and her husband moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where Charlotte raised her family and taught private clarinet and saxophone lessons. At the age of 67, Charlotte organized and conducted the Ann Arbor Civic Band for 16 years. She is the recipient of the University of Oregon's School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award along with many other awards including the D.A.R. Award for Women in History. Charlotte said the it was a joy to be connected with the Marine Corps. Charlotte passed away on December 18, 2004.