| Honored by: | Carolyn Anderson |
| Brick location: | C:29 map |
Bernita has accomplished several interesting goals in her lifetime. She was the first of her family to graduate from college. Later she was the first in her community to pursue a full time career as a teacher in addition to her duties as a farmwife.
Bernita began her teaching career at Coggon and later taught vocational homemaking at Olin for twenty-six years. Her responsibilities included an adult homemaking class that became very popular. Attendance ranged from twenty to sixty women. During this time she published a community cook book, "Our Favorite Recipes." Proceeds of the sale were used for updating equipment in the homemaking department.
She was instrumental in organizing the Cedar County Association for Retarded Citizens and served as the first president.
She is past president of the Tipton Branch of the American Association of University Women and is the chairperson of the Educational Foundation Program.
She has served her church (St. John's United Church of Christ at Clarence.) in a variety of ways; as president of the Women's Fellowship, the teacher of a special education class for ten years, teacher of an adult bible class and member of the Outreach Committee.
In 1984, she was named 'Outstanding Iowa State Alumna' for Cedar County.
She helped organize Cedar Investors, a women's investment club, and has held all the offices at various times.
In her local community she has been president of Tri Sigmas, a General Federated Women's Club.
She is a member of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Friendship Force and has visited several countries. A number of foreign visitors have been hosted in her home including the First Lady of the Yucatan.
She is active in the Iowa-Yucatan Partners of the Americas, serving as the secretary and previously as membership chair.
All these have been interesting activities, but her favorite is being a grandparent of three active grandsons.
Submitted on 7/1/96