Eleanor Owen (January 22, 1921 – February 6, 2022), also known as Eleanor DeVito, was an American journalist, playwright, university professor, costume designer, theatre actress, and mental health professional. She received statewide and national honors and awards for her advocacy work on behalf of families and individuals with mental illness. Serving as an advocate in Olympia, Washington, Owen participated in the introduction and successful passage of health and human services legislation.
In 1978, she founded the Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill and the following year in Wisconsin, she co-founded the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), which is the largest public initiative in the US that works to support families and individuals facing mental health difficulties. The organization encompasses over 1,200 affiliates at the regional, state, and federal level in every geographical region throughout the US. Offices can also be found in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada.
In 1999, King County Executive and Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ron Sims, honored her with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the King County Mental Health Exemplary Service Awards. In 2000, she received the Jefferson Award from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for her advocacy work on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
Early life
Eleanor Elizabeth DeVito was born on January 22, 1921, in Brooklyn, New York City. She was the third of eight children and eldest daughter of Charles Francis "Frank" and Elvira "Abirone" (née Mazzatenda) DeVito, Italian immigrants from Chieti, Italy. Her siblings included brothers Francis, Albert, and Charles; and sisters Mildred (Starin), Gloria (Freer), Genevieve (Glynn), and Evelyn (Carbone).
When she was a young child, the DeVito family moved to Balmville, a small hamlet overlooking the Hudson River in upstate New York. The DeVito children attended school together in a small, three-room school house. Following an academic assessment in elementary school, Eleanor advanced a couple of levels, graduating early.
In summer 1936, DeVito was responsible for the care of her younger siblings and decided to take them all to a local swimming hole to cool off. She parked the car on the far side of railroad tracks from the water. After a day of enjoyment, she called for each child to jump in the car for the drive home and honked the car horn, hoping they would hurry along. Unbeknownst to her, a train was coming. Her six-year-old brother, Charles, was killed instantly while crossing the railroad tracks. "It took me a long time to accept the fact that I was responsible for that, but it did happen, and I had to come to terms with it."
Educational background
When Owen was 16 years old, she graduated from Newburgh Free Academy. Her goals included attending nursing school following high school. While she successfully passed the entrance exam, she was not allowed to enroll in the nursing school, due to policy that only accepted new students aged 17 and older.
Once she turned 17, Owen briefly studied nursing at Mount Saint Mary College (MSMC), before enrolling at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), where she focused on acting and costume design. After graduation from the AADA, she studied journalism at Columbia University, followed by a stint as a junior reporter for Newburgh Daily News, earning $17 per week.
After relocating to Washington, she earned two degrees at the University of Washington, including a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare and a Master's degree in Educational Psychology.
Professional background
Following her graduation from the AADA, Owen moved back to New York City, this time to Greenwich Village, where she sewed costumes for school performances and local dance troupes. In 1947, she worked with Roxanne Marden designing costumes for Columbia University's performance of Lion About Dance, which was part of the Modern Dance Recital presented by the Philolexian Society at the Brander Matthews Theater. In 1953, she served as the costume designer for Fred Berk's Merry-Go-Rounders Dance Company's dance production of Holiday in Israel which was performed at the Teresa L. Kaufman Auditorium in New York City.
She spent two summers working in summer stock theatre in Orange, New Jersey. She also appeared in the Broadway production of As You Like It and toured with the production of Life with Father, in which she portrayed Annie. She appeared in the off-Broadway production of The Year of Pilar.