Hugo A. Owens: dentist, civil rights leader, politician

For 44 years Dr. Hugo A. Owens was a distinguished practitioner and community leader in Portsmouth, Virginia. Besides his affinity to for dentistry, he was driven by two other passions: politics and civil rights. In 1970 he was one of the first African-Americans elected to the Portsmouth City Council. He was reelected for the next term and appointed Vice Mayor, a position he held for eight years. His political successes were preceded by his activities as a civil rights leader, which began in 1950 and lasted through the 1960s. In a remarkable series of negotiations and litigations, Dr. Owens was the prime mover in the desegregation of the City of Portsmouth. In all three 'careers, Dr. Owens used dentistry as a home base for the expression of his activist philosophy of providing help for others when they were unable to do things for themselves.