Marjory Vaughn Hertz

My life began on a farm 3 miles north of Rolfe, Iowa, the eldest of four, three girls and one boy. We had a typical farm with lots of living and fun. I graduated from Des Moines Township Consolidated School in 1930, a class of 12. I went on to Buena Vista College for two years doing light housekeeping or working for board and room. I commuted with cousins on weekends. That enabled me to sell bread and rolls for spending money. My sister did angel food cakes.

When I got to be 18, I could take the county exams. So the following summer I did and passed. That was so I could get a one room school to teach. I found a school near Sioux City and a place for board and room. The school had a peak enrollment of 45 pupils, all eight grades. There was some fluctuation in the numbers as many of my pupils' fathers were employed in the packing plants or had small farms. With the large enrollment, we had no trouble in winning the county baseball contest. We had a good response to the county choral group with me as director. We had entries in the humerous division and the dramatic division of the declamatory contest. We won. I had four eighth graders that must pass the eighth grade exams. They all passed. I was happy to be hired for one year as I really wanted to attend Iowa State College.

I spent the summer at a lake at Geneva, Wisconsin, as children's director at a resort there. We cleaned cabins too. I got to attend the World's Fair in Chicago that summer after my resort work was finished. A friend found me a place to work for board and room at Iowa State College. I got a scholarship if I kept up my grades. I fed the rats in the rat lab and played cello in the symphony orchestra. It took 2 years and 1 summer school to finish in December 1935.

It was still depression and only 16 of the Home Ec graduates got jobs. I was hired as a Home Economist for the Junket Co. and sent to Elgin, Illinois. After my internship I was sent to St. Louis. This was handy for me because Carl was there. We were married March 28, 1936. We rented a one room efficiency apartment where the bed came down out of the wall. A little later we moved and started to furnish with antiques which were quite inexpensive and plentiful in St. Louis. We had dime store blue willow dishes lots of orange crates.

Carl had the opportunity to go to Oskaloosa, Iowa, to establish an Iowa office for his company, Doane Agricultural Service. We moved in an ice storm which stayed on for weeks.

Joel and Mina were born at the hospital in Oskaloosa. I joined the garden club. We had a garden and grape vines to prune. I crocheted a 9 x 12 feed sack rug for the dining room where Carl had his office. We continued to buy "antiques" and second hand furniture. They appreciated in value. My sister, Doris, came to live with us in St. Louis attending the WPA college there. At Oskaloosa, she went to Penn College.

Our next move was to Nevada. Mina was born February 6, my father died February 20, and we moved March 1. A surprise was a new electric stove just the kind I wanted. We didn't have a washing machine; I did the diapers in the bath tub. We got a washing machine later that summer.

We lived in town two years. Our move to the farm was on the usual moving date, March 1. It rained for 9 weeks. The farm was rather run down as "the old man was going to sell the place." It didn't have running water but it had been wired for electricity in 1942, the year REA came through. It was one bulb hanging down from the ceiling in each room. We had water in the house by June.

In 1946, Carl decided to resign his position with Doanes as he was gone from home all week. He established his own farm management company and soon had a full territory.

We made improvements on the house, including putting in running water and a bathroom in 3 months, and getting a new kitchen wing in 1954. It is a lovely place to live. It has a long lane wth bur oaks on either side. There was a big shade tree in the back yard. We had chickens, pigs, sheep, and cattle. Some of this was phased out as time went on.

We planted lots of trees by getting seedlings from the State Forestry Department. In order to get money for plants and shrubs we raised dachshunds. One time our two mama dogs had litters about the same time and we had 12 little dachshunds to sell.

Tom, Doug, Randy, and Cathy were added to our family.

On February 14, 1969, disaster struc,k when fire destroyed our home. We lived in a five bedroom mobile home during the time our new home was being built. I went to sales and furnished it with antiques. I repaired and refinished the furniture and stored it in the old chicken house. Everythinig fit when we moved into our new home in December 1970. Paul Oleson was our carpenter. It was the last house he built before retiring.

Carl was on the school board and was responsible for getting the outlying townships consolidated and into Nevada. So our children went on the bus to Nevada starting with Mina. Joel went three years to county school juest east one mile. Our children have all gone to Iowa State, carrying out a tradition.

Joel went to IFYE (International Farm Exchange) to New Zealand; Mina on AFS (American Field Service) to Crete; Tom to Denmark on AFS; Randy to Philippines on IFYE. We had many foreign visitors.

Piet Heida was our exchange student from The Netherlands and Nina Baeta came as an exchange student from Ghana. We had Malcom Guy from New Zealand, Annie Strahn from Denmark and Mara Liapakis ______ guests from the Isle of Crete in Greece.

Mina was married while her husband was at Ft. Sill doing military obligation. They went on to Stanford where Rollie Jacobs got his law degree and Mina a Masters in French.

Tom was at Fort Dix and Fort Belvior near Washington, D.C. He and Joyce went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, whre Tom got his MBA from the university.

Randy found his wife, and Iowa State graduate, at Boston. He received an MBA from Harvard.

Cathy and Stepen Eldredge got their MBA's from Claremont College in California.

Doug took advanced work at Iowa State.

I found time to do garden club work. I was landscape design state chairman and state chairman of Flower Show Judges and have specialized in peonies. I was the first president of the Nevada Historical Society and served as President of Story County Women's club. Our children were active in 4-H and I was the leader of the girls 4-H for many years. My 4-H experiences were early as I was state champion in nutrition in 1929. I canned 1,029 jars of food.Our family have gained much from 4-H. The grandchildren are active now.

In 1944, I helped start ODC club, a neighborhood group that is still active. I also belong to Questers and the Literature Division of the Nevada Women's club. PEO has been apart of my life since 1960. I have held all offices except that of guard. Our two daughters, four daughters-in-law, and two granddaughters belong to PEO.

In 1979-1980 we spent a great deal of time for the Farm and Land Institute as Carl was president and we traveled to meetings.

We are active in the United Methodist Church in Nevada,where I taught Sunday School class for 15 years and was in charge of the flowers for 20 some years. We also worked on prarie remnant of our office in Nevada by pulling weeds and brome grass. I do quilts, read, paint, cook, and garden for hobbies.

In 1979, we built a cabin on a lake on our farm. It has proved a wonderful investment for the family.  In 1996, we later moved to Green Hills Retirement community. The next year I was diagnosed with Matricular degeneration in the eyes. I also wear hearing aids and have numb feet. It's just old age coming.

We have twelve grandchildren and two great grandson. Life is wonderful!