Chester Owens moved to Kansas City, Kansas in the 10th grade, graduating from Sumner High School at a very young age. At the age of 16, he was already attending Sumner Junior College, which was based at Sumner High School.

H.W. Sewing, successful businessman and community leader, told Owens that if he furthered his education, he would hire him. Owens therefore went to Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS and received his bachelors in business administration. Thereafter, Sewing hired Owens, who remained with H.W. Sewing and Company for the rest of his career. He retired as president of the company in 1998.

Chester Owens has been an active community member in a variety of ways, including memberships in the Northeast Business Asociation, Economic Opportunity Foundation, and Sumner High School Alumni Association. In 1983 he was elected the first African American to serve on the KCK city council, serving two terms.

Owens has also actively collected and donated materials to history organizations regarding the history of the African American communities in KCK and the surrounding region, including regarding Sumner High School and Bishop John Gregg. He lives in a home where Bishop Gregg once lived, and he serves as local historian and archivist for Sumner High School and for the Kansas City, Kansas African American community.

Owens has received a variety of awards for his service, including the NAACP Civil Rights Award, United Way Volunteer of the Year, and Friends of Yates Black Man of Distinction.

[Information retrieved from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, "Chester Owens: 2012 Reasons to Believe Alumni Honor Roll," https://kckps.org/about-us/reasons-to-believe/previous-reasons-to-believe-honorees/chester-owens/.]