| Honored by: | Eldon James Hans |
| Brick location: | F:17 map |
Carol Lee West was born September 16, 1926 in Keokuk, Iowa to Silas L. and Cleo S. West. She graduated from Kirksville MO Senior High School in 1944 as valedictorian of her class and was voted Most Outstanding Girl Graduate. She attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College for one and one-half years as a Regents Scholar after which she transferred to Iowa State College.
She was married to Eldon James Hans December 21, 1947 while both were undergraduates. Four children were born to this marriage: Linda, who holds a BSN and MA in nursing administration; James, who holds a BA in business and an MBA; Anne, who holds a BA in early childhood education; and John West, who holds a BA in history.
A lifelong academic, Hans graduated in 1948 with her BS in dietetics, her MS in home economics education in 1975 (the first awarded through the new off-campus program) and a PhD in home economics education with a minor in gerontology in 1990, all from Iowa State University.
Hans has always been active in church and community. While living in Ames, she served as a board member of Children's Services of Central Iowa Inc. She served two terms on the Vinton, IA community school board and was the first woman elected president of that board. She was an organizer and charter board member of Kidsville Inc., a nonprofit child-care center in Independence, IA, and she was an original member of the organizational group in Independence that started one of the first adult day-care centers in Iowa. She served on the Witwer Board of Directors, Linn County Empowerment Board, and was a long-time member and past chair of the Heritage Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council. She served on the Linn and Johnson County Task Forces and chaired the Resource Development Committee. She was a member of the Linn County Area Council on Aging and was a recipient of the 1995 White House conference on Aging Award. She was a board member and treasurer of Iowa State University College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association Board. She was a member of the Administrative Board of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids and a member of the Care Review Committee of Winslow House Care Center in Marion, IA. Hans was an elected member of the Linn County Extension Council.
Dr. Hans was a Registered Licensed Dietitian. She worked as dietitian at Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton as Extension Home Economist in Buchanan County Iowa for nine years and as Extension Nutrition Specialist and Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Iowa State University for nine years. Her major fields of interest were gerontological nutrition, weight management for children and adults, preschool nutrition, and health and wellness. She provided program development leadership both in her positions in Buchanan County and in Extension Nutrition. Professional organizations Dr. Hans was active in include the American Dietetic Association, Society for Nutrition Education, American Home Economics Association, Gerontological Society of America and National Council on Aging.
Dr. Hans was the author of numerous Extension publications, lesson plans, videotapes and audiotapes; and was the recipient of a national award from American Association of retired Persons for Peer Network, a master teacher program for teaching nutrition to older adults.
She passed away on November 15, 2011.
Submitted 3/95; updated 10/23/2013