About the Author
Helen S. Owens, one of six children, grew up on a farm in the western mountains of Virginia. She attended one-room schools at Possum Hollow, Artrip, and Finney, and graduated from Honaker High School. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Radford University and a Masters in Education from Virginia Tech.
Having taught in the schools of Russell County for more than 25 years, Owens is now retired. The last eight years of retirement have been spent researching the Revolutionary War in Virginia and the Carolinas and then writing the historical novel, Stand and Face the Morning.
In addition to history, another passion is her interest in Appalachian Studies. She states, "We should be concerned with teaching the history and culture of our region, not only for the sake of the past but for the sake of the present and future. Understanding ourselves and our place helps us to better understand the greater world around us." Owens wrote the curriculum for and taught a class in Appalachian Studies via interactive-TV to seniors in high schools in Russell County. She has also taught Appalachian Literature for Southwest Virginia Community College.
Her community activities include serving as Sunday School Teacher for more than 20 years and as Historian for the New Lebanon Baptist Association. She is a volunteer for the Russell County Fair, a member of the Volunteer Board for the Pinnacle Natural Preserve Area, and Regent of the Tabitha Adams Russell Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).