Thomas Richard Owen (1918–1990) was a Welsh geologist with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rocks of Wales, ranging from regional stratigraphy and tectonics to geomorphology and marine geology.

[1][2][3][4] Born in Aberdare to a mining family, Dick Owen won a scholarship to Merthyr Tydfil Grammar School and graduated with first class honours in geology from Swansea University in 1939.

His association with Swansea was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served as a meteorological officer in the RAF, rising to the rank of Flight lieutenant.

While he was based in the Azores, one of his most memorable experiences was deciding, on meteorological grounds, whether it was suitable for Churchill and Roosevelt to hold their famous meeting in the mid-Atlantic.

His work on the Vale of Neath was published by the Geological Society in 1954 and was swiftly recognised as a classic.