| Honored by: | Clifford E. Smith |
| Brick location: | D:10 map |
April 26, 1891 - June 29, 1983
Florence Williams Proudfoot will be remembered as a Sister, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Teacher, and Friend. She was an independent and liberated woman who contributed to her family and her students through love and understanding. We honor her at this time, recalling her life and her contributions to those who knew her and loved her. Florence was born at home on the farm in Clarke County, Iowa, to Lillie Ann Dietrick and Albert Forrest Williams. She had two sisters and two brothers to whom she was always close throughout her lifetime. Florence and a girl friend drove a horse and buggy five miles to attend Murray High School in Murray, Iowa.
At the time, it was considered unusual for girls to attend high school. While still in high school, she was approached by the Clarke County Board of Education in Osceola, Iowa, and asked to serve as a teacher in their school system. Records indicate she was a teacher in Clark County from September 1910 to April 1912. Florence married Fay Proudfoot in 1912 and became the mother of six children. She encouraged her children to become well educated and four later graduated from a university or college.
Florence, while primarily a mother to her family, did return to teaching in 1945. She again taught country school for the Clarke County Board of Education from September 1945 to January 1956. She also continued her own education at this time, taking classes from Drake, Simpson College, and the State University of Iowa through its Extension Division. In addition, Florence was active in the Presbyterian Church in Osceola, Iowa, and served as a Trustee for many years.
Throughout her life, Florence maintained an active interest in current events and read widely. She felt strongly about her high ideals and values and her family was her first concern. She demonstrated this through love and caring to her children, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Florence was a woman worthy of being honored in the PLAZA OF HEROINES at Iowa State University.
11/29/94