News from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 

UAMS Invests S. Michael Owens, Ph.D., as Second Wilbur D. Mills Chair

MAY 31, 2001 | S. Michael Owens, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the College of Medicine, was formally invested as a Wilbur D. Mills Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention on Thurs., May 24.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) conferred the honor upon Dr. Owens in recognition his extraordinary contributions as a teacher, scholar and scientist. Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., formally accepted the recommendation of the College of Medicine to appoint Dr. Owens as the first holder of the second Wilbur D. Mills Chair at UAMS.

Dr. Owens directs the Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies at UAMS. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering research in the development of antibody-based medications for treating drug abuse.

”This is the kind of day that makes you feel good about being a scientist,” Dr. Owens told the audience in Sam Walton Auditorium in the Arkansas Cancer Research Center on the UAMS campus. “I am flattered and humbled. I want to accept this in appreciation of my colleagues, friends, and family.”

”You are more than worthy of holding a Mills Chair and I congratulate you on your many accomplishments,” Donald E. McMillan, Ph.D., chairman of the department, told Dr. Owens.

Chancellor Wilson welcomed Dr. Owens' family, including his mother, Louise Owens of Florence, S.C.; his wife and daughter, Becky Owens and Rachel; his brother and sister-in-law, Larry and JoAnn Brown of Sarasota, Fla.; and his niece, Tracey Brown Turner of Nicholson, Ga.

Chancellor Wilson also recognized Richard Hawks, Ph.D., deputy director of the Division of Treatment Research and Development in the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

John P. Shock, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, called the day “significant in the history of UAMS and the College of Medicine, as we again get to honor Wilbur D. Mills. I saw him as a patient and he was a very kind man who treated everyone with respect and dignity. Arkansans benefited greatly from his years in Congress,” Dr. Shock said.

Dr. McMillan holds the first Wilbur D. Mills Chair. The department's research and teaching about substance abuse problems has developed significantly at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) since the endowment of the Wilbur D. Mills Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention. (See related article.)

The endowment honors the late U.S. Rep. Wilbur D. Mills, who represented Arkansas in the U.S. Congress from 1939 to 1977. Friends of Rep. Mills, corporations, foundations, and other organizations donated funds in his honor to supplement an initial grant by the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The fund has grown enough to support a second faculty position.

After receiving his Ph.D. in experimental pathology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Owens completed post-doctoral training in pharmacokinetics and therapeutics at the University of Arizona. Since joining the UAMS faculty in 1985, he has been continuously funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). His scientific work has developed into a truly interdisciplinary research program that spans pharmacology, drug abuse, immunology, experimental therapeutics, and agrimedicine. The National Institute of Health (NIH) and NIDA recognized his achievements by granting him a prestigious Research Career Development Award from 1986 to 1997. He also frequently serves as a national scientific advisor for NIDA/NIH, industry, and the federal government, as well as a scientific reviewer for numerous scholarly journals.

Dr. Owens is committed to scientific education of students and the general public. He is recognized as an outstanding teacher of both graduate and medical students at UAMS. As a mentor of students and faculty, he demands excellence and, as a result, many young scientists under his guidance have received individual NIDA/NIH training awards. In addition to his scholarly activities, Dr. Owens' research has been the subject of two international news releases by major scientific societies since 1997.

The Meaning of Endowments in Academia

The tradition of the endowed academic chair first emerged in the

Middle Ages with the rise of universities in Europe. From then until now, the endowed chair remains the highest academic honor that can be bestowed by a university upon its most distinguished faculty. Those named to a chair in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are among the most highly regarded scientists, physicians, and professors in their fields.

A single gift or a group of designated gifts totaling $1 million or more creates an endowed chair at UAMS. The full amount of the gift is invested and the income is used to support innovative academic, research, or clinical initiatives. The medallion presented to the chair holder at the investiture ceremony is the tangible symbol of the civic and philanthropic spirit that allows UAMS to make significant contributions to the field of medical science.

The Wilbur D. Mills Endowed Chairs
in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention

The first Wilbur D. Mills Endowed Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention was initiated in 1984 by a grant from the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, a division of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Gifts from individuals, supportive corporations, and tax receipts from a designated fund created by the Arkansas legislature completed the endowment. Donald E. McMillan, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine, was named to the first Mills Chair in 1991.

Wilbur Daigh Mills represented Arkansas for 19 consecutive terms. For 17 years, he chaired the all-powerful Ways and Means Committee, bringing structure and balance to the historically turbulent committee. Gifted in his ability to build consensus across broad ideological spectrums, Mills compiled a legendary record of accomplishment. While he was chairman, bills cleared the House intact at enviable rates.

By his own admission, Mills lost the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee in 1974 as a result of his alcoholism and drug abuse. Although he fought and won his personal battle with alcoholism, he chose not to run for re-election in 1976. He left the Congress after 38 years of service and returned to the practice of law.

In the years that followed, Wilbur Mills devoted himself to helping others conquer the disease that had ended his remarkable political career. As a member of the National Council of Alcoholism, Mills was a forceful leader and advocate for initiatives to prevent alcoholism and drug abuse. He made himself available as a friend to those fighting addiction in their own lives and as a leader to those working to end the scourge of alcoholism and drug abuse in their communities.

Photos

Top: Left to right: Michael Owens, Ph.D., Richard Hawks, Ph.D., and Donald McMillan, Ph.D., celebrate Dr. Owen's investiture as Wilbur D. Mills Chair in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention.
Second: U.S. Rep. Wilbur D. Mills (1909-1992) was chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1958 to 1974. His accomplishments are legendary. (Portrait by A. C. Gordon courtesy of the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives.)
Third: Donald McMillan, Ph.D., (left) and Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., (right) placed the medal around Dr. Owens' neck during the investiture.
Bottom: Dr. Owens and his family: his mother, Louise Owens of Florence, S.C.; his wife, Becky Owens; and their daughter, Rachel.

Links on This Page

UAMS Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology: http://www.uams.edu/pharmtox/pharmtox.htm
Dr. Owens: http://www.uams.edu/pharmtox/mowens.htm
National Institute on Drug Abuse: http://www.nida.nih.gov/
Related article: http://www.uams.edu/today/053101/mills.htm

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05/31/01