|
1920s
K.L. Grimes (MA ’29)
1930s
Clarence A. Schacht (BA ’32)
Evelyn P. Greenawald (BA ‘33/MA ’59)
Willis A. Shaw (BA ’38)
Vernon Stribley (MA ’39)
1940s
Edna Lee Leib (MA ’40)
Anna M. Ottilie (BA ’41)
Margaret J. Muller (BA ’41)
Waldo E. Thomas (BA ’41)
Robert W. Wollenweber (BA ’41)
Wallace W. Wood (MA ’41)
Carol B. Carnes (BA ’42)
Mildred L. Riepe (BA ‘42/MA ’53)
Roslyn R. Harris (BA ’43)
John H. Woodward (BA ’43)
Lois A. Stead (BA ‘45/MA ’75
Janice L. Loveton (BA ’47)
Michael Fody, Jr. (BA ‘48/MA ’53)
Glenn F. Watkins (BA ’48)
Marlin B. Baxter (MA ’49)
J. Dwight Denny (MA ’49)
1950s
Leland E. McAllister (MA ’50)
Glenn B. Brostrom (MA ’50)
Charles W. Edwards, Jr. (MA ’51)
Gordon D. McCarty (MA ’51)
David C. Meltvedt (BA ’51)
Donald H. Johnson (MA ’52)
Effie E. Eveland (MA ’53)
Donald P. Jacobsen (BA ’53)
Robert D. McDonald (BA ’53)
Julia A. Wright (BA ’53)
Patricia L. Gyorog (BA ’54)
Pauline McCart (BA ’54)
Charles W. Swaney (MA ’54)
Iris B. Taylor (BA ’54)
Ralph E. Buchman, Jr. (MA ’55)
Lillian M. Day (BA ’55)
William J. Farber (MA ’55)
Charles M. Fausset (MA ’55)
Keith E. O’Connell (MA ’55)
Doris E. Herdliska (BA ’58)
Eva M. Saunders (BA ’58)
Sarah K. Sharkey (BA ’58)
Patricia J. Sharr (BA ’58)
Dennis P. Lannon (BA ’59)
1960s
Vipula Chaturvedi (MA ‘61/PhD ’62)
Mary A. Lane (BA ’61)
Daryl L. Sander (PhD ’61)
Ruth B. Smith (MA ’61)
Leon A. Thompson (MA ’61)
Robert J. Savel (BA ’62)
Mary S. Sweet (MA ’62)
Alexander Davidson (MA ’63)
Linda K. Kennedy (BA ’63)
Arthur E. Sundquist (MA ’63)
Kenneth W. Uhlhorn (PhD ’63)
Ronald D. Bakken (BS ’64)
Glenn H. Daniels (PhD ’64)
Richard A. Shulman (LLB ‘64/MA ’84)
Randall J. Jansen (BS ’65)
Sandra Cline Monroe (BA ’65)
James T. Wilson (BA ’65)
Hulda G. Fish (BA ’66)
Kathryn M. Greer (BA ’67)
Juanita E. Adamson (BA ’68)
Linda J. Frisch (BA ‘68/MA ’85)
Judith K. Hazan (BA ’68)
Marion L. Holden (MA ’68)
Gary A. Lebowich (BA ’68)
Constance S. Mason (BA ’68)
Evelyn M. Coveney (MA ’69)
Leonard D. Garlick (MA ‘69/PhD ’75)
Nancy Severance (BS ‘69/MA ’73)
Christine D. Sixta (BA ’69)
1970s
Owen B. Duffy, IV (EdS ‘70/PhD ’72)
JoAnn Ryburn-Eitner (BA ’70)
Nancy L. Wolfe (MA ’70)
Helen E. Menefee (MA ‘71/EdS ’71)
Joan L.P. Schleier (BA ’71)
Byron H. Thomas (PhD ’71)
Mary C. Richey (BA ’72)
Marlene M. Steen (BA ’72)
Kathy Riddle (BA ’74)
Betty L. Krueger (MA ’77)
Betty J. Brogan (BS ’78)
Cheryl L. France (BS ’78)
1980s
Florence A. Ballantyne (MA ’80)
Rebecca Joy Keeling (MA ’82)
Thomas R. Schlegel (BS ’82)
Betty J. Gallagher (BGS ’83)
Jennifer S. Kelly (EdS ’83)
Shari L. Snow (BS ’84)
Joanne E. Brandt. |
Joanne E. Brandt (PhD
‘85), 55, died last August as the result of an accidental
fall at her lake home in Hackensack, Minnesota. Brandt was
a professor of Counseling and Student Development at Minnesota
State University from 1984 until she passed away. She served
as chairperson of the Department of Counseling and interim
dean of the College of Education during her tenure at MSU.
She was the director of Emergency Foster Care of Lake and
Cook Counties from 1977 to 1980.
Bruce A. Rens (EdS ’86)
JoEllen Hopp Petri (MA ’89)
1990s
Joyce Richardson Shireman (PhD ’91)
Renee L. Johns (MA 92)
Thomas G. Wemette (PhD ’94)
Remembering John Conner
Prominent Leader of Young Adult Literature,
Dedicated Professor
Conner, far right, passionately believed that reading good books could prepare kids for life. |
Professor
Emeritus John W. Conner
(MA ‘62/PhD ’66), 79, who passed away December
30, 2006, will be remembered for many things—mainly
for his tenacious passion for young adult literature, his
vast mental library, his ready humor, and his eclectic interest
in music, collecting antique glass, and toothpick holders.
Born in Cumberland, Iowa,
Conner received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University
and both his master’s and doctoral degrees in English
from The University of Iowa. He began his 41-year teaching
career in Cooper, Iowa, and taught in Iowa Falls and Mason
City before joining the faculty at the University Lab School
in Iowa City.
He served as associate professor
in Secondary Education for more than 25 years, retiring in
1992. Conner was dedicated to the advancement of reading and
literacy, established the Iowa Reading Journal, and served
as a director of Books for Young Adults. As a recognized leader
in his profession, he received many awards and distinctions
for his work.
When Anne Sherrill (PhD ’81)
arrived to campus, she remembers Conner as the first friendly
face she saw as she wandered around East Hall. “From
that time on,” she said, “I always looked forward
to his cheerful manner and his enthusiasm for teaching future
secondary English teachers.”
Sherrill said Conner’s
honest fervor for teaching was apparent in his every endeavor.
“Getting students to read was his major goal. He thought
the way to get kids ready for just about anything in life
was to get them to read good books. He was always down to
earth and friendly, never ‘bookish.’ Anyone who
knew John will miss the energy and dedication he brought to
his teaching.”
Conner enjoyed any opportunity
to “talk books,” Lana
M. Danielson (MA ‘88/PhD
92) remembered. “Dr. Conner always had a new book to
share and did so with enthusiasm,” she said. “He
was generous with his time and expertise, a kind man who always
interacted from the good side of his heart, bringing out the
best in others.”
Margaret Finders
(BA ‘76/MA ‘90/PhD ’94) agrees. “Dr.
Conner was not only a prominent leader of children and adolescent
literature, but also a kind professor,” she said. “The
breadth and depth of his knowledge of books made his classes
fill. He was an inspiring and knowledgeable teacher and mentor.”
David E. Wilson
(BA ‘76/MA ‘84/PhD ’88) remembers Conner’s
generosity with his library and his overcrowded office, his
desk stacked high with papers, folders, and books. “Yet,
he would amaze me with his uncanny ability to respond to my
questions by quickly scanning the stacks around him, pulling
out just the right document, and then sending me off to read
it,” he said.
Conner nudged his students.
“John was a good and decent person, generous, forgiving,
and non-judgmental,” Wilson said. “I was never
just a student to John. He cared deeply about the people around
him, took time to know them and to express concern for them.
He helped me become a better teacher.”
“Dr. Conner instilled
in me a passion for young adult literature that continues
to be a mainstay of my teaching philosophy,” said Amy
Shoultz (MAT ‘90/PhD
‘02), now a clinical assistant professor at the UI.
“As a gifted reader, he brought both wisdom and practical
application to the classes he taught.”
Shoultz fondly remembers
laughing in Conner’s class when he read the beginning
paragraphs of Todd Strasser’s A Very Touchy Subject
and crying when he read the ending of Fred Gipson’s
Old Yeller. She also remembers memorizing hundreds
of young adult titles, authors, and genres for his exams,
and being prepared at any minute in class to be called upon
to answer specific questions about the required reading.
“He was an ‘old-school’
teacher in the best possible sense of the term,” Shoultz
said. “While I was student teaching, I remember telling
him all the wonderful innovative activities I was incorporating
into my teaching. He listened patiently and then looked at
me and said, ‘That’s wonderful, Amy, but are they
learning? Are your students learning?’”
Shoultz says throughout her
15 year of teaching she continues to ask herself and her UI
students that same question, and will do so until the end
of her career. “To me,” she said, “Dr. Conner’s
response on that day encapsulates his legacy to my own career
and the larger field of English education.”
Remembering Margaret Weiser Wirth
Pioneer of Early Childhood Education,
Dedicated Humanitarian
Weiser Wirth will be remembered for her pioneering efforts in early childhood education. |
Professor Emeritus Margaret
Weiser Wirth, 84, who passed away January 31, 2007,
was a passionate champion of young children and early childhood
education and a compassionate advocate for world concord.
She received her B.S. from Douglass College in New Brunswick,
N.J.; her M.S. from Florida State University; her Ph.D. from
the University of Illinois. She taught in The University of
Iowa College of Education for 24 years, retiring in 1993.
One of Weiser Wirth’s most notable accomplishments
was her comprehensive textbook, Infant, Toddler, Care
and Education, the first of its kind to be published.
In the mid-1970s, she was the sole presence of early childhood
education on campus, as well as the surrounding area. She
was instrumental in the development and direction of the model
Early Childhood Education Center in North Hall.
“Dr. Weiser’s child care center provided excellent
care and education of children, as well as an opportunity
for pre-service students to see young children develop,”
said Associate Professor Alice
Atkinson.
Joan Tephly (MA ‘74/PhD
‘81), one of the center’s lead teachers, said,
“Dr. Weiser was a caring, competent, and committed mentor.
Her involvement in the international organization of early
childhood educators opened many doors for me. She has been
instrumental in my life.”
After retirement as a senior professor, Weiser Wirth continued
to teach students at the University of Northern Iowa’s
Regents Center for Early Education about infants and toddlers
in group settings while, as Jill
Uhlenberg (PhD ‘00), a professor at UNI, said,
“most of the rest of the education field was oblivious.”
Weiser Wirth’s involvement with early child education
on an international level was vigorous. She was involved in
international organizations, such as the World Organization
for Early Childhood Education, Amnesty International, Heifer
International, and People-to-People. She also taught six semesters
at Seiwa Graduate College in Nishinomiya, Japan, and was active
at both local and state levels in the United Nations Association,
especially involved with its Children’s Charter.
“Her international work was so inspiring to me, a newcomer
to academia at that time,” Uhlenberg said. “Her
texts were important for breaking into an unexplored area
of early childhood education, and are often cited in newer
textbooks today.”
Remembering Iva Bader
Professional Role Model, Compassionate Friend
Bader, a committed professor, stayed in touch with her students throughout their careers. |
Assistant Professor Emeritus
Iva Bader, 94,
who passed away Dec. 4, 2006, was a dedicated professor
who was just as concerned about the needs of her students
as she was about the needs of the elderly, long before
others studied the topic in home economics.
Bader received her B.S. from Iowa State Teachers College,
and taught high school home economics for half a dozen
years in Oneida and Subula, Iowa, before she received
her M.A. from The University of Iowa. She then taught
textiles and clothing with joint appointments in the
colleges of education and liberal arts to undergraduates
for nearly 20 years, retiring in 1982.
Associate Professor Emeritus Sara
Wolfson said Iva Bader was the kind of teacher
and adviser one wishes to be. “Her door was always
open to students, and advisees treasured her guidance
because it helped them make their own decisions. This
was evident through the years as former students wrote
and visited, reminding her of advice or the friendship
she had given.”
Bader was an excellent teacher, and Wolfson said her
student evaluations confirmed this quality.
“It was a joy to observe her teaching,”
she said. ”She was equally skilled at leading
a discussion in a methods or curriculum class, giving
a textiles lecture, or teaching a clothing construction
laboratory course. Student teachers looked forward to
her visits!”
Estyl Breazeale
(BA ’71), one of Bader’s advisees, remembers
Bader as a teacher who was full of feeling. “She
was a generous, loving person, always concerned and
helpful, a committed professor who stayed in touch with
her students throughout their careers.”
“Iva Bader truly was a professional,” Wolfson
said, “She had a significant impact on many students
and fellow faculty members. She was a role model and
friend, and it was my privilege to have known and worked
with her.”
|
|
