Giving back and paying it forward

As a senior in high school, Bill Owen ’69, J.D. ’72 applied to UC Davis “sight unseen” and went on to earn both a bachelor's and law degree from the university and become a decades-long Aggie supporter.

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Today, the retired lawyer is giving back to students in a new way with a charitable gift annuity (CGA).

“I received a world-class education at UC Davis. Because of that, I wanted to give something back and pay it forward. For me, my gift takes care of both,” said Owen.

A CGA was the right choice for Owen, who had planned to leave a bequest to UC Davis in his will. CGAs provide donors with a fixed income stream for life in exchange for a substantial gift.

Owen’s gift is supporting the College of Letters and Science and School of Law annual funds, with the goal of helping students face the high costs of living and tuition.

“A charitable gift annuity made sense—this way I can make a gift now and receive payments in return with a good interest rate,” he said, adding that he hopes to inspire others who are considering supporting UC Davis. “My gift is not the biggest, but anything and everything helps.”

An avid golfer, Owen also gives yearly to the King Hall Legal Foundation by participating in their golf tournament. He also supports the UC Davis men’s and women’s golf teams.

Finding roots in Davis

Owen was born in Fort Hood, Texas, where his father was a career military officer. He grew up living in many places—including Virginia, Mississippi and Germany—before coming to Davis for college.

“Sight unseen, I showed up here in the fall of 1965,” said Owen. “I was homesick for the first year, but I came to love it.” So much so, in fact, that Owen would stay for law school and then raise his family in town.

He would go on to a successful career as a lawyer in Sacramento.

“The School of Law provided me with a well-rounded education that allowed me the opportunity to reach many of my goals,” said Owen. He recently attended the class of 1972’s 50th anniversary reunion.

He encourages law students to keep an open mind, work in different areas and look for a firm to join that aligns with one’s interests.

“Don't get stuck in one thing right away, and seek help when deciding what you want to do,” said Owen.

High-impact career in law

Owen was a criminal defense lawyer for over 20 years working on many high-stakes cases. In the 1990s, he spent nine months in San Francisco as one of the attorneys in the trial of the 1991 Sacramento hostage crisis.

One day his brother, who is also a lawyer, approached him with an idea to start a personal injury law firm in Sacramento. Deciding to pivot, Owen joined his brother and practiced as a personal injury lawyer for 25 years.

“In our first case my brother and I didn’t want to go to trial, but we did, and we ended up winning it. Then we won the next one,” said Owen. “I really liked getting to help people in need. That was one of the highlights,” he said.

Retired since 2021, Owen has enjoyed spending time with his family and traveling. He is currently planning trips to Death Valley, Yosemite and the Canadian Rockies.

“I’m very lucky that I have my health so I can play golf every week, and I have my kids and my significant other and we get to travel a lot.”