Jaye Lynda Stefani

Honored by:The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Brick location:F:15  map

Jaye was born November 20, 1941 in Women's Hospital in Manhattan, New York to Florence Schlesinger Frank and Harvey Frank (Francesco Rosario Losquadro). Jaye's parents lived in Landsdowne, Penn. and Long Island, New York before moving to Park Forest, Illinois when Jaye was eight years old.

Jaye graduated from Rich Township High School in 1959 and went to the University of Arizona where she graduated with a BS in Cultural Anthropology in 1963. Jaye sailed to Israel in June of 1961 to study Middle Eastern History and Geography for a year at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem and to travel through the surrounding Middle Eastern countries. In July of 1963 Jaye began working at the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C. as an Intelligence Analyst. It was there she met Angelo Stefani and they married September 12, 1964.

Their first child, Mark Renato, was born in Washington. Then, in December 1966, they moved to Greene, Iowa and then to Nevada, Iowa where Angelo's parents and family lived. Three more children followed: Mara Lynn was born January 2, 1967, Nicole Karena on July 1, 1970, and Anthony Francesco on July 1, 1974.

Jaye was active in community and school activities and served as a Girl Scout Leader for five years and Neighborhood Chairman for four more years. She was a long-time member of the Immaculata Study Club in Nevada and active in Democratic Party politics. Jaye was treasurer of the Nevada Fine Arts Board from 1989-1991 and she has been on the Story County Conservation Board from 1992-1996 serving as Chair the last year. From 1979 to 1988, Jaye worked for American Family and State Farm Insurance Agencies in Nevada and in 1988 began to work for Iowa State University. In December of 1994, Jaye moved to Ames.

Jaye loves "nature," the woods, flowers, the smell of cut grass, clouds across the moon, wind blowing through pines, river water over rocks, the sound of her children talking and laughing, the emotions that books evoke, new thoughts, new experiences, new challenges...

Submitted on 7/1/96