By Ball State Communications—
MUNCIE, IN—Art historian and philanthropist David T. Owsley, HHD ‘05—heir to the Ball-Mason canning jar company and a longtime supporter of Ball State University and the Dallas Museum of Art—died in New York City on Aug. 23, 2025, at age 96.
Born in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 20, 1929, Mr. Owsley was the son of Lucina (Lucy) Ball Owsley, daughter of Elizabeth Brady Ball and Frank C. Ball, president of the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company (later Ball Corporation) in Muncie, Ind. His father, Texas lawyer and World War I veteran Alvin M. Owsley, served as national commander of the American Legion (1922–23) and U.S. minister to Romania, Ireland, and Denmark in the years preceding World War II.
Consequently, David Owsley spent his formative years in Europe then attended schools in Indianapolis, followed briefly by Burris Laboratory School at Ball State University, before continuing his education at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. He subsequently enrolled at Harvard University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 1951. He entered Harvard Business School, then served for two years in Air Force intelligence earning the rank of first lieutenant. After military service, he briefly attended Stanford Law School before a career in public relations. During this time he increasingly visited museums and commercial galleries during breaks—early signs of the calling that would define his life’s work.
In 1961, he embarked on a new career path as a curator, enrolling at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, where he studied under some of the era’s most prominent art historians. He earned a master’s degree in Medieval and Renaissance art in 1964 and was subsequently awarded a fellowship in the American art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1965, he became an assistant curator of decorative arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. From 1966 to 1968, he served as visiting curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, London—an experience highlighted by a memorable encounter with Queen Elizabeth II.
Returning to the U.S. in 1968, Mr. Owsley became curator of antiquities, Oriental art, and decorative arts at the Carnegie Institute Museum of Art (now the Carnegie Museum of Art) in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he remained for a decade. In 1978, he began a new chapter as a New York-based fine arts appraiser, consultant, and philanthropist. He supported institutions including the Asia Society, the Frick Collection, and the Met, while maintaining ties to the Dallas Museum of Art and to Ball State University.
At Ball State, Mr. Owsley’s influence spanned decades. In recognition of his generosity, the University dedicated the David T. Owsley Ethnographic Gallery in 1978, awarded him the President’s Medal of Distinction in 1989, and conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humanities in 2005. In 2010, Ball State renamed its campus museum the David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) in his honor, celebrating his extensive gifts and financial support, which by 2019 exceeded $10 million. In 2024, he established the David T. Owsley Fund with a $4.5 million gift to support the maintenance, presentation, growth, and promotion of the museum’s collections. His legacy at DOMA includes the donation or loan of more than 3,000 works of art from around the world—about one-quarter of the museum’s holdings.
“Dr. Owsley embodied the Ball family’s exceptional legacy of philanthropy,” said Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns. “His legacy will endure in the extraordinary variety and beauty of his many gifts to our art museum. These gifts will enrich our campus and our community for generations to come.”
Mr. Owsley is survived by his beloved nieces and nephew: Sophia Owsley Garrett of Santa Fe, N.M.; Gloria Perkins Garrett of Leland, Mich.; Carol Owsley McFadden of Houston, Texas, and New York; and Steven Owsley and his wife, Cabrina, of Houston; along with numerous grand nieces, grand nephews, and cousins in the Ball family. His legacy will also continue to enrich the lives of thousands of Ball State students and residents of Muncie and East Central Indiana.
A private, family-only burial will take place in Dallas, Texas, and a reception will be held at a later date in New York City. In lieu of customary remembrances, please consider a donation in David T. Owsley’s memory to the Ball State University Foundation, Friends of the Museum of Art, Account #702, 2800 W. Bethel Ave., Muncie, IN 47304, at 765-285-8312, or online at bsu.edu/doma/give.
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Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State University is one of Indiana’s premier universities and an economic driver for the state. Ball State’s 20,000 students come from all over Indiana, the nation, and the world. The 790-acre campus is large enough to accommodate first-rate facilities and 19 NCAA Division I sports, but our welcoming campus is small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention, and access that are the hallmarks of the University. We Fly!
