Ray David Owen (October 30, 1915 – September 21, 2014) was a teacher and scientist whose discovery of unusual, “mixed,” red blood cell types in cattle twins in 1945 launched the fields of modern

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

and

organ transplantation Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be trans ...

.Svitil, Kathy
"Remembering Ray D. Owen (1915-2014)"
California Institute of Technology News, 9/23/2014Mitchell, Bob
"In memoriam: Ray D. Owen discovered immune tolerance, paved the way for organ transplantation"
University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Communications, 9/26/2014Brent, Leslie, "Ray David Owen (1915-2014): Geneticist and Immunologist. A Tribute to a True Pioneer", ''Transplantation'', Volume 98, Number 12Cancro, Michael P., December 2014

''Nature Immunology'', Volume 15, Number 12 Owen's 1945 findings were published in the journal ''Science''.Owen RD, 1945, "Immunogenetic consequences of vascular anastomosis between bovine twins", ''Science'', 102: 400 This observation demonstrated that self was “learned” by the immune system during development and paved the way for research involving induction of immune tolerance and early tissue grafting. When

Frank Macfarlane Burnet Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet (3 September 1899 – 31 August 1985), usually known as Macfarlane or Mac Burnet, was an Australian virology, virologist known for his contributions to immunology. He won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobe ...

and Sir Peter Brian Medawar were awarded their 1960

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

for the discovery of acquired immunological tolerance, Owen was not mentioned in the prize. However, in a letter to Owen, Medawar stated that he believed Owen should have also been included in the prize.Crow, James F., November 1996, "A Golden Anniversary: Cattle Twins and Immune Tolerance, ''Genetics'', 144: 855-859 Owen also led the successful effort to admit women as

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

(or Caltech) undergraduates.

Early life and education

Owen was born and raised on a dairy farm in

Genesee, Wisconsin Genesee is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,171 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Bethesda, Genesee, Genesee Depot, and Saylesville are in the town. Geography According to the Uni ...

, on October 30, 1915. He attended school at the two-room Genesee State Graded School for eight years.Owen, Ray David, Interview by Rachel Prud’homme, Pasadena, California, October–November 1983
Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives
Retrieved 1/7/2014 He continued his education at a high school in Waukesha, commuting the eight miles to and from school every day from his family's farm. In 1937 Owen received a BS in biology from

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 1846 as Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. The university is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History ...

(then Carroll College). In 1941 Owen received a PhD in genetics from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where he continued to work as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant professor for several years. It was during this time that Owen conducted his seminal work in twin calves. In 1946 Owen moved to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

, to join the biology department at Caltech as a Gosney Fellow.

Research

As a PhD student Owen studied mainly birds; his thesis was on the sterility of species hybrids. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Immunogenetics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Owen's research interests moved from fowl to cattle. The lab studied blood samples from cattle all over the world, investigating genetic markers and the inheritance of red blood cell antigens. This research led Owen to investigate a genetic situation involving twin calves fathered by different sires. Each calf expressed both sets of paternal blood group antigens. Owen's “analyses revealed that the twins were chimeric, each containing their own blood cells as well as those derived from their twin sibling.” These twins were immunologically compatible. Owen's findings were published with little attention until Frank Macfarlane Burnet and

Frank Fenner Frank John Fenner (21 December 1914 – 22 November 2010) was an Australian scientist with a distinguished career in the field of virology. His two greatest achievements are cited as overseeing the eradication of smallpox, and the attempted cont ...

published their monograph “The Production of Antibodies” in 1949. It was through Burnet and Fenner's work that Peter Medawar learned of Owen's findings and used it to help explain his findings that dizygotic twin calves accept each other's skin grafts after birth. This eventually led to Burnet and Medawar's 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of acquired immunological tolerance. Owen's research continued in the field of immunology and genetics, especially tolerance and stem cells. He co-authored papers that described “the use of radiation as a means of blocking or resetting the immune system before transplantation of bone marrow or other tissues.”

Career at Caltech

Caltech offered Owen an assistant professorship in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

in 1947. He earned full professorship in 1953 and was named professor emeritus in 1983. From 1961 to 1968, Owen served as chairman of the Caltech Division of Biology. While Owen maintained an active research program, his teaching, mentoring and administrative undertakings became an important part of his academic career. Owen co-authored (with Adrian Srb) "General Genetics", published in 1952. It was the most widely read genetics textbook of its time. In the early 1960s Owen chaired Caltech's ad hoc “Committee on the Freshman Year.” The committee's recommendations were adopted in 1964, including a pass/fail grading system for freshmen and the introduction of electives into the freshman curriculum. This committee also worked to allow women admission at Caltech; the university's first female undergraduate students enrolled in 1970. Owen also served as vice president for student affairs and dean of students from 1975 to 1980. He was a supportive mentor and teacher to all learners.Owen, David, December 2014
"In Memoriam: Ray D. Owen, PhD, AAI ‘66"
''The American Association of Immunologists Newsletter'', Pages 22-23 In an interview with the University of Wisconsin, Owen's son David opined that his father's rural upbringing influenced his career in many ways –- his work ethic, his skill at working with animals, and his support for women, minorities and other who faced undue obstacles on the path to careers in science. “He knew that talented people come from all backgrounds,” David Owen stated.

Personal life

Owen met June Weissenberg—his wife of 74 years—at Carroll University. June died in August 2013. The couple had two sons, David and Griffin; Griffin died in a car accident in 1970.

Notable awards

*Mendel Medal, 1966 *Elected Member,

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

(US), 1966 *Elected Member,

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, 1984 *Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement from Carroll University, 1986 *

Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics. The medal is named after Thomas Hunt Morgan, the 1933 Nobel Prize winner, who received this award for his work w ...

, 1993 *American Association of Immunologists Excellence in Mentoring Award, 1999 *Peter Medawar Medal and Prize, 2000 *

Waukesha South High School Waukesha South High School is one of three high schools located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It was opened in 1957 as a southern campus to Waukesha High School, then in downtown Waukesha. The downtown campus is now Les Paul Middle School – Central C ...

Wall of Fame Induction, 2009

Notable service

*President,

Genetics Society of America The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is a scholarly membership society of more than 5,500 genetics researchers and educators, established in 1931. The Society was formed from the reorganization of the Joint Genetics Sections of the American Soc ...

, 1962 *Member (1958–1961), chairman (1961–1963), Genetics Study Section of the NIH *Member (1966–1967), chairman (1967–1970), Immunobiology Study Section of the NIH *Chairman, Genetics Section of the NAS, 1969-1972 *President's Cancer Panel, 1972-1975

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Ray 1915 births 2014 deaths People from Genesee, Wisconsin Carroll University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni California Institute of Technology faculty American immunologists Members of the American Philosophical Society