| Honored by: | Martha Lloyd Moore |
| Brick location: | B:11 map |
It seems fitting that on this Mother's Day I document some of my thoughts about my mother Twylla Lloyd which reoccur at those times each day when the pace has relaxed -- or better yet in the early morning when my mind is fresh and reflective. First I think it's important that Mother know how proud I am to be her daughter because of the many contributions she has made to guide and encourage her family to lead and influence decisions in her community and church.
She has "walked her talk" by the example she has been to her children, peers, friends and associates. Her foundation of faith and Christian living has been the source of strength to herself and those around her. When life's challenges camp on her doorstep she faces them head on with intelligence, resolve confidence, reverence and perseverance to find solutions -- and to move on with her life.
Mother always sees the good in everyone. While recognizing the realities (and sometime negatives) she dwells on the positives. Perhaps one of her strongest attributes is her focus on education and opportunities for learning. While recognizing the different personalities and abilities of her five children she fostered an environment that enhanced learning opportunities suitable to their individual uniqueness’. We never felt that we had to fit into "Mother's Mold" but she lead a "quiet campaign" for each of us to maximize our potential -- and thereby all of her children have been successful in their unique destinies.
That's the primary reason I think it is appropriate that she be recognized with other heroines in an academic setting. She was proud of all her children's accomplishments but perhaps her proudest moments have been to experience their success at Iowa State University. Their graduations were the threshold for many future successes. Mother took advantage of the opportunities to further her own education by attending summer institutional food preparation workshops at Iowa State University in her middle years -- and encouraged her husband to pursue similar opportunities on campus to enhance his professional pursuits in school maintenance. While Mother's teaching career was abbreviated by "higher callings" of family and farming (in the days when those were higher callings) she enjoyed the opportunity to share her knowledge and experiences whether it be tutoring her family (I remember the flash cards and the encyclopedias bought with egg money) teaching Sunday School or expanding the nutrition knowledge of children in the daily hot lunch program under her leadership as Food Service Director.
These and many other warm remembrances about Mother flash through my mind when I reflect on the impact she has had on my (and others) life. My feelings (like "lucky" "proud" "grateful") are feelings I want her to know while she is in the prime of her living loving and teaching. I'm delighted to support the Plaza of Heroines for the tangible tribute to many mothers like my mother who have touched numerous lives and left an indelible imprint on society far beyond the Iowa State University campus.
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