Wanda Owens, the blind singer who traveled through small towns in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, working her way through college in the 1970s, has added an accompanist that doesn't sing or play an instrument.

It is a guide dog, named Calder.

They just completed training at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc. in San Rafael, Calif.

"This was a wonderful and humbling experience for me," Owens said. "He (Calder) is great. He is going to be going with me wherever I perform. I will probably have to teach him to stay in the wings while I am on stage because he thinks if I move, he has to move also."

Owens has been blind for about 35 years as a result of degeneration of her optic nerves, she said. At age 20 when the blindness set in, she was already on stage singing songs from lyrics and music she couldn't see.

She said the music and the words come to her, and she keeps them in her head until she gets on stage.

Owens lives with two of her adult children in Forest Park. She keeps busy with music and dramatic ministry, speaking engagements, singing and creative writing, especially poetry.

In spite of her blindness, she thinks God gave her a special talent of turning tragedy into triumph.

She lost her husband, Gerald Owens, an engineer for Procter & Gamble, in 1989 at age 37.

The couple were involved in a music ministry with Owens singing and her husband playing guitar.

Her first album, Wanda, is about her and her late husband.

Owens was born in Philadelphia, Miss., but grew up all over the world as a military child.

She jokes about situations she has encountered.

"One time I was singing down in Tennessee and after about 30 minutes, I realized I was singing to a wall. I told the audience they should have said something, so I could tell where they were. They told me they thought I was just trying something new," she said.

Owens has a degree in sociology and social welfare from Tennessee State University.

A seminar for women who want to return to school to finish undergraduate work or pursue graduate degrees has an added feature - door prizes that will waive application fees, said Amy Stewart, seminar coordinator.

The conference is set for 5-8:45 p.m. Tuesday at The Union Institute, Walnut Hills.

"We are getting great response from women, wanting to return to school," Stewart said. "The conference is part of a nationwide effort to help women overcome some of the obstacles that nontraditional students face."

It is sponsored by the American Association of University Women.

For more information, call 665-6590.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News" column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.