| Honored by: | Stephanie Karlin, Allessandra Ruocco and M.A. Ruocco |
| Brick location: | D:17 map |
Leona Emma Bowley, daughter of Ralph Eugene and Edna Estella Heaton Bowley, was born on January 28, 1909, on a farm in Bristol Township in Greene County, Iowa. Her grandparents had moved from Dane County, Wisconsin to this farm in 1869, and Leona was born in the same house as her father was.
She attended rural schools, Jefferson High School, Iowa State College and the State University of Iowa. From 1926 to 1930, she attended Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) and majored in textiles and clothing. On June 5, 1929, she married Wayne Warner Lacock. They were the parents of two daughters, Carol Joyce and Charlene Jeannette. Leona and the girls moved to Jefferson in 1945 and she was divorced the next year. A few years later, she became the librarian of the Jefferson Public Library.
She was active in library work on the state level as a member of the executive board of the Iowa Library Association, held several offices in the library district and was an administrator of the Raccoon Area Cooperative Library. From its beginning in 1960 until it was absorbed by a statewide center in 1970, she served on the advisory board of that organization for the duration of its operation.
She held several offices in the central Iowa regional library system. These activities earned her a citation in "Who's Who of American Women." Leona retired in 1984 and traveled extensively worldwide, including Europe, Africa, South America, Australia and the Pacific Islands. She is an honorary life member of the Iowa Library Association. She has seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Leona passed away on September 22, 1996.
3/10/95