| Honored by: | Richard P. Pratt |
| Brick location: | E:8 map |
"Polly" my mother was full partner with my father in their livestock and crop farm. They were both 1931 Iowa State graduates she in Mathematics and he in Dairy Husbandry. They started farming in 1936 with one hundred dollars a team of horses and some machinery loaned from her father. They raised three children all of whom attended Iowa State. They became a banker a plant nursery owner and a college instructor. Much of their encouragement to learn came from Mom even in their early childhood. She also had a profound influence on the next generation of her family. For example she taught her oldest granddaughter to sew at age nine. This was a major factor in her decision to attend Iowa State and become an Interior Designer. Mom was a leader of people in the Glidden Iowa community. She was a 4-H leader a Sunday School teacher and was active in community and church organizations. Sometimes her influence was behind the scenes such as providing some financial help to a needy student attending another college in Iowa. One of her most demanding tasks was to help Dad in his final years when he had Alzheimer's disease. As his ailment advanced she became afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease. She remained mentally alert sharing concerns about others even in the final hours before she died in 1992.
1/11/95