A prominent educator, whose signature is on the diplomas of many Omaha School District alums, has passed away.
Retired O-P-S Superintendent Owen Knutzen died late last week at his home in Sun Lake, Arizona. Knutzen was 94.
Owen Knutzen, a farm boy born in Colon, Nebraska, was Superintendent of the Omaha School District from 1967 to 1982. He is perhaps best known for his leadership in the peaceful institution of a desegregation plan that was ordered by the federal courts.
That O-P-S busing plan came on line in 1976, at a time when some communities labored to desegregate, most notably in South Boston, where violence had erupted.
Funeral services for the WW II B-17 bomber pilot will be this Saturday at 10 AM at Presbyterian Church of the Cross at 1517 So. 114th St. in Omaha; with a public visitation at the church from 9:30 to 10.
There will then be a private burial.
Memorials to Presbyterian Church of the Cross or the Omaha Public Schools Foundation, 3861 Farnam St., Omaha,Ne. 68131.