MSgt Charlotte Louise Owen Oral History

title:

MSgt Charlotte Louise Owen Oral History

creator:

Owen, Charlotte Louise (Plummer) (1918 June 31 - )

subject:

Marine Corps Women's Reserve

description:

Charlotte Owen (formerly Plummer) was born on January 31, 1918 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She grew up in Oregon, graduating from Eugene High School in 1935, and had a deep passion for music all through her life. Starting as early as kindergarten, Charlotte loved music and even conducted her own band. In 1939 she graduated from the University of Oregon and immediately began teaching high school band in La Grande, Oregon. In 1943, she enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve after being told there would be be a women's band. Her university clarinet teacher wrote to William Santelmann, the conductor of the Marine Band, giving her a glowing recommendation. After enlisting, she was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 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: performing for Admiral Nimitz at a parade in Washington, DC; performing for President Roosevelt and President Truman; and performing at swanky venues where there were movie stars. There was also a time when a businessman gave $50 to the girls in the Marine Band. The money was supposed to be used for refreshments for the train ride back to the base from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but instead the money was used to start the newsletter “Quarter Notes.” The newsletter is published four times a year and has been in print since 1945. This publication has kept the band connected, resulting in many reunions. She married fellow Marine musician, Charles Owen 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, as the trains of returning soldiers pulled into the station, and even for President Harry Truman. Charlotte and her husband lived in the DC area after the war, and she became a member of the Arlington Symphony Orchestra as the principal clarinetist. The couple then moved to Philadelphia where Charlotte again was the principal clarinetist with the Main Line Symphony. Their next move was to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Charlotte raised their 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. When she left the service Owen had reached the rank of master sergeant, and for her service she was awarded an American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. Charlotte passed away on December 18, 2004. No transcript of this interview is currently available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Wilson, Eleanor M.

date:

2002-08-30

type:

Audio

format:

Cassette

identifier:

713; 2002.713

source:

MCHC | CLIR - Recordings at Risk

language:

English

relation:

069678

coverage:

World War II (1939-1945) | 1943-45

rights:

Unrestricted