The Palimpsest

Swaim, Ginalie

I n d e x  f o r
1995
compiled by Jacqueline Smetak
A dair C ounty  (Iowa), 59, 68, 69 
Agar, Adam , 139 
Agassiz, Louis, 13, 19 
A griculture: an d  can n in g  industry,
1 0 1 ,1 1 0 ,1 1 2 ,1 1 4  
ALLEN, ANNE BEISER, “H er 
H o n o r the Mayor: Iowa City’s 
Em m a H arvat,” 76-96; biog. of, 
Sum m er, inside back cover 
Allison-Light hall P ho tog raphers 
(C hicago), 180
A m erican V eteran’s C om m ittee 
(AVC), 172-73 
A nam osa (Iowa), 62 
A nderson, K atherine: p h o to  of, 181 
Andrews, F rank  M., 193 
A ppert, N icholas, 101, 137 
Argyle (Iowa), 52-55, 62 
Army Specialized T ra in ing  Pro­
gram , 162-67
A tlantic (Iowa), 98-137; p h o to  of, 
Fall, back cover
A tlantic C ann ing  C om pany (Atlan­
tic), 98-115, 134-37; p ho to  of, 98- 
99, 102-15, 134-35, Fall, inside 
fro n t cover; cans, 137 
“A tlan tic’s C ann ing  Season o f 1902” 
by M arcia C hinitz G oldberg  and  
Phillip Chinitz, 98-137 
Atzen, Emily: p ho to  of, 181
Barrow, Joseph  Louis: p ho to  of, 
W inter, back cover 
Barta, M ilo, 33-35; p ho to  of, 35 
Beane, Abbie (Jacobs), 21 
B eane, A lbert, 21, 22 
B eane, B urnice I I., 13-16, 21-29;
p ho to  of, 14, 16, 20, 22-24, 27 
B eane family (Elmo, Joseph , Lewis, 
R aym ond), 21 
Beane, Nellye (Carey), 21 
B eane, Ralph, 21, 25, 29 
Bennis, E dith , 176, 179 
Boone (Iowa), 138, 177 
Boyt. R ichard, 11,16 
Brecher, Irene: pho to  of, 180 
Bruck, Ella Mae: p ho to  of, 184 
B urlington (Iowa), 13; p ho to  of,
155; and  crino id  fossils, 12, 13 
Business: in 1920s Iowa City, 79-81, 
84-95
B utler C ounty  (Iowa), 62
Calam us (Iowa), 79
C ann ing  industry, 93-116, 134-37;
pho tos th ro u g h o u t 
Catholics, 182, 184; and  Ku Klux 
Klan, 61-63
C edar Falls (Iowa), 62, 192 
C edar Rapids (Iowa): and  packing­
house w orkers, 30-48; p ho to s of, 
30-32, 38, 41, 43-44, 46 
C edar Rapids Life Insurance  C om ­
pany, 127
C herokee  (Iowa), 75 
C hicago & N o rth  W estern Railway, 
138-44, 174-81; im age of, 144, 
174-81
C hinitz family (Ben, Esidor, 
G oldie), 136
CH IN ITZ, PHILLIP, “A tlantic’s 
C ann ing  Season o f 1902,” 98- 
137; biog. of. Fall, inside back 
cover
Clark, Lewis, 34 
C lausen, Lowell, 137 
C lin ton  (Iowa), 174-82 
“C om ing o f  Age u n d e r  Hitler, 
T rum an , and  S talin ,” by Tam ara 
H o lte rm ann  S choenbaum , 182- 
191
C om m unism , 190-91 
Congress o f Industria l O rganiza­
tions (C IO ), 33, 37, 42" 45, 47; 
p h o to  of, 38
C onsum ers Protective Association 
(Iowa City), 95 
Coralville (Iowa), 19 
Coralville Lake, 18-19; p ho to  of, 18- 
19, Sum m er, back cover 
C orn . See C ann ing  industry  
Council Bluffs (Iowa), 177 
C reston (Iowa), 67 
C rinoids, 2-19; p ho to  of, 3-6, 9-17, 
23, Spring cover 
“C rinoids in the  Sugar Bowl: Re­
m em bering  my G randfather, 
A m ateur Paleontologist B. H. 
B eane,” by Karen Beane 
N orstrud , 20-29 
Cum m ins, A lbert B., 143 
C urran , Cecilia, 89 
Cuvage, Thelm a: p h o to  of, 177, 181 
Cuykendall hom e (Atlantic): 
“L yndhurst,” 99, 116-34, 137; 
pho to  of, 116-17, 120-33 
Cuykendall, C. E., 101 
Cuykendall, J. R., 101 
Cuykendall, Jo h n  W., 99, 101, 116, 
127; pho to  of, 101
Cuykendall, Sarah (Sally), 116, 123, 
125; p ho to  of, 118-19
Cuykendall, V irginia, 116, 125, 133;
p ho to  of, 118-19, 132-33 
Czecho-Slovakian Protective Society 
(C edar R apids), 41, 42; p ho to  of, 
41
Danville (Iowa), 153, 155-56, 158-60 
D arling, J. N. “D ing”: cartoon  by, 61 
D avenport (Iowa), 35, 62; p ho to  of, 
Sum m er, fron t cover 
Davids, Vernon: p ho to  of, 188 
D em ocrat Publishing C om pany (At­
lan tic), 127 
D enison (Iowa), 192 
Des M oines (Iowa): an d  Ku Klux 
Klan, 58-62, 72-73; an d  World 
War II. pho tos of, 148, 164-66,
172
D evonian Fossil G orge (Johnson 
C ounty), 18-19, 28; p h o to  of, 18- 
19, Spring, back cover 
“T h e  Diaries o f A nne F rank  and  
Birdie M athews,” by Shelby 
Myers-Verhage, 160-61 
D onahue, Patrick, 139, 141 
D raft boards: W orld W ar II. 151 
D um enil, Lester: p ho to  of, 53
Education. See Teachers 
Eliott, Walter, 105 
Em ploym ent: and  canning , 101,
107, 115-16, 134-36; on hom e 
front, 174-81 
E nglert, J.: p ho to  of, 92 
E ngm an, J e rry  S.: pho to  of, 187 
E thnic groups, 34; African A m eri­
cans, 53, 61, 62, 165, 176, 189; 
Czechoslovakian A m ericans, 34- 
35, 80, 92, 95; and  the Ku Klux 
Klan, 61, 62 
Evans, Mabel, 91 
Everett, Lucile, 93
Factories, 98-116, 134-37 
Falk, G eorge and  Pearl, 88, 92 
Farm stead Foods (C edar Rapids),
33
Fetter, Tony, 45-48 
Fidelity Finance Com pany (Iowa 
City), 93
First C hurch o f the O pen  Bible 
(Des M oines): pho to  of, 187 
Floods: and  Kate Shelley, 138-40; of 
1993, 18-19
Florenstein, Rajzel. See H olterm ann , 
Aurelia
Food. See M eatpacking, C anning in­
dustry
Fort Des M oines, 151; p ho to  of,
164, 166
Fort Dodge (Iowa), 193
194 THE PALIMPSEST
Fossils, 2-19, 21-29; pho tos of, 2, 3,
6, 9-17, 23
Frank. A nne, 152-61; p h o to  of, 155 
Frank, M argot, 154-59; p h o to  of,
155
Franklin, G eorge, 112 
GI Bill, 171-72
GOLDBERG, MARCIA CHINITZ, 
"Atlantic's C anning Season of 
1902," 98-137; biog. of, Fall, in­
side back cover
GOODENOW, LEANORE, “My En­
counters with the Ku Klux K lan,” 
52-55, 59, 62; p ho to  of, 53; biog. 
of. Summer, inside back cover 
Gramling Bro. Dry G oods (Iowa 
City): photo  of, 84 
GRANT, H. ROGER, “Kate Shelley 
and the Chicago 8c N orth  West­
ern  Railway,” 138-44; biog. of,
. Fall, inside back cover 
Greenfield (Iowa), 62, 68-69 
Griffith, H arold: p ho to  of, W inter, 
inside fron t cover
Ham pton (Iowa), 193 
Hamsun, Knut, 54-55, 62 
Hardin County (Iowa), 52 
Hart, Marcella: p ho to  of, 177, 181 
Harvat 8c Stach Ladies Ready to 
Wear (Iowa City), 87-89, 96; ads, 
87
Harvat, Clara: p h o to  of, 80 
Harvat, Emma, 51, 76-96; p ho to  of 
76, 80, 83-86, 88, 90, 94, Sum ­
mer, inside fron t cover 
Harvat family (Anna, Clara, Jennie, 
Joseph, M ary), 80, 95 
Harvat M eat M arket (Iowa City),
80; photo  of, 80-81 
Her H onor the Mayor: Iowa City’s 
bmma H arvat,” by A nne Beiser 
Allen, 76-96
A H istorian’s M em ory o f the Sec­
ond W orld War,” by Alan B. 
Spitzer, 174-81
H olterm ann family (Aurelia, Jan, 
Tamara, W aldo), 182-89; pho to  
of, 182
Holub, Joseph: pho to  of, 92 
H otz.J.J.; p ho to  of, 92 
Hughes, Dorothy, 136 
Hurley, M. E„ 92 
Huss, Albert, 136
“ ‘If You’re U nion, You Stick To­
gether': C edar Rapids Packing­
house W orker in the  C IO ,” by 
Gregory Zieren, 30-48 
Images o f the  Ku Klux Klan in
Iowa " by G inalie Swaim, 64-75 
In th e  Full L ight o f  Day: T h e  Ku 
Klux Klan in 1920s Iow a” by Rob­
ert J. Neymeyer, 56-63 
In te rn a tio n a l N ew sserv ice  (Des 
M oines O ffice), 150-51 
Iowa Broad caster, 58-59, 61 
Iowa City (Iowa), 33, 78-80, 85-96; 
p ho to  of, 76-77. 80-81, 84-85,
163, 171
Iowa City Academy, 80 
Iowa City Business and  Professional 
W om en’s League, 93 
Iowa City Retailers Style Show Asso­
ciation, 87
Iowa City W om an's C lub, 91 
Iowa Daily Press Association, 150 
Iowa Federation  o f  L abor (AFL- 
C IO ), 33 
Iowa G range, 140
Iowa L abor H istory O ral Project, 33 
Iowa N ational G uard , 151 
Iowa State League o f Business and  
Professional W om en, 93 
Iowa T rust 8c Savings Bank, 127
Jackson, John C., 192 
Jenn ings, 11. L, 89 
Jen sen , Fred, 78
Jews: an d  W orld W ar II, 154-57, 183- 
86, 189
Jo h n so n , Bob (‘‘O x ”), 192 
Johnson, William \L , 2, 16; pho to  
of, 17
Journalists, 150-51
K acere’s Cafe (C edar Rapids), 42 
Kacere family, 42-44; p ho to  of, 44 
“Kate Shelley and  the Chicago 8c 
N orth  W estern Railway,” by H. 
R oger G rant, 148-44 
Kees, Marcella: p ho to  of, 175, 178, 
180
Kellar, D on an d  Vivian, 160
Kirby, G eorge, 15
Kirk! Frank, 99, 101, 129
Kourier Magazine, 58, 59; p ho to  of,
58
Koval, Frank V., 143 
Ku Klux Klan, 50-75; photos of, 
th roughou t and  Sum m er cover
L abor strikes, 33-35, 37-38, 42-45, 47 
Labor unions. See T rade unions 
Laffer, Bye Patterson, 193 
Lee County (Iowa), 52; 62 
Lee, Jea n e tte  Em m ert, 116, 129 
Lee, Joseph  and  M argaret, 85 
Lee Welch Book Store (Iowa City): 
also Lee Brothers; Cerny &
Louis, 85; pho to  of, 85
Lee 8c Ries Bookstore (Iowa City): 
also Lee 8: H arvat, 85 
Le G rand  (Iowa). SeeC rinoids 
Lewis, T helm a, 96 
L ockhart, Chuck, 45 
L ockhart, Mickey, 42-45 
Lockhart, Tom, 42, 44-45 
Lorack, Jo h n  J ., 90-91 
Louis, Jo e , W inter, back cover 
Luc ke, Dorothy, 181
M adsen, N orm a, 136 
M alone, M ichael, 89-90 
Marshall County (Iowa), 7 
M arshalltown (Iowa), 15, 21 
M artin , S. F„ 101
Mathews, Birdie, 152-61; p h o to  of,
152
M athisen, Glen and  Larry: pho to  
of, 171
M cW aid.J. A., 101 
M eatpacking, 33-40; pho to  of, 36- 
37, 39
M iddletow n (Iowa), 155 
Midwest U nion o f  All Packinghouse 
W orkers, 34
M oingona (Iowa), 138-42 
“M onitoring H itler Stories and  Se­
lecting Draft Boards: Excerpts 
from  John D. Zugs M em oirs,” 
150-51
M uniciple O w nership League (Iowa 
City), 95
“My E ncounters with tlu* Ku Klux 
K lan” by L eanore Goodenow, 52- 
55
MYERS-VERHAGE, SHELBY, "Post­
m arked from Am sterdam : A nne 
Frank and  h e r Iowa Pen Pal,” 
152-59; “T he Diaries o f  A nne 
Frank and  Birdie Mathews,” 160- 
61; biog. of, W inter, inside back 
cover
Nash, Lawrence: pho to  of, 188 
N ational L abor Relations Board, 37, 
46
Nemecs, Joe, 40
NEYMEYER, ROBERT J., “In the 
Full Light o f Day: The Ku Klux 
Klan in 1920s Iowa,” 56-75; 51; 
biog. of, Sum m er, inside back 
cover.
NORSTRUD, KAREN BEANE, 
“Crinoids in the  Sugar Bowl: Re­
m em bering  my G randfather, 
A m ateur Paleontologist B. H. 
B eane,” 20-29; p ho to  of. 20; 
biog. of, Spring, inside back 
cover
N orth  W estern Railway. See Chicago
WINTER 1995 195
O gden  (Iowa), 141 
“An O ld F riend  with a New N am e," 
by G inalie Swaim, 146-47 
O lesom  Roy, 192 
O lm stead, Am os, 139, 141 
O ’N eal, Corwyn, 15 
O ’Neil, Jo h n , 141 
O ral histories. See Iowa L abor His­
tory O ral Project
O skaloosa (Iowa): and  th e  Ku Klux 
Klan, 52, 62
O ttum w a (Iowa): an d  the Ku Klux 
Klan, 71
Packinghouses, 30-48 
Packinghouse W orkers O rganizing  
C om m ittee (C edar R apids), 33 
Page C ounty (Iowa), 188 
Paleontology. See Fossils 
Patrons of I lu sb an d ry  (Iowa), 140 
Paulsen, F lorence and  Harry, 136 
Pellett, \  allie, 136 
Pickering, Will: p ho to  of, 20 
Plank Road school (Des M oines 
C ounty), 153
Politics: local, 59; political parties, 
60, 63
Postcards, 141, 142 
“Postm arked from  A m sterdam : 
A nne Frank and  h e r  Iowa Pen 
Pal." by Shelby Myers-Verhage, 
152-59
“T h e  Power of a Piece o f  C lo th ,” by 
G inalie Swaim, 50-51 
Powers, LeRoy: p h o to  of, 184
Q uarries, 6-10, 15, 21-22; p ho to  of. 
6-8, 24-28
Railroads, 138-44, 174-81 
Rath Packing (W aterloo): p ho to  of, 
36
Reilly, Jo h n  R.. 193; p ho to  of, 193 
Ries, Jo h n , 85 
Ruby, Emery, 151
St. Jo sep h 's  H ospital (O ttum w a): 
p h o to  of, 188
St. M ary’s Catholic C hurch (Iowa 
City), 80
Saylorville Lake, 19 
SCHOENBAUM, TAMARA 
HOI I 1 RMANN, “C om ing of 
Age U n d er Hitler, T rum an , and  
S talin ,” 182-91; p ho to  of, 182, 
185; biog. of, W inter, inside 
back cover
Seashore, Carl and  Mary, 88
and North Western Railway
NSSA Radio (Des Moines), 59
Seem atter, Libby: p ho to  of, 180 
S hannon . R obert H arw ood, 192-93;
p h o to  of, 192 
S hannon , W illiam, 192 
Shaw, Edw ard, 116 
Shelley, Jo h n , 138, 142 
Shelley, Kate, 138-44; im age of, 138, 
140, 142, 144 
Shelley, Maggie, 138, 142 
Shelley, Mayme, 138, 142 
Shelley, M ichael, 138 
Sievers, Viola: p h o to  of, 181 
Sim pson, F. D., 136 
Sinclair Packinghouse (C edar Rap­
ids), 33
Sioux City (Iowa), 67 
SMETAK JACQUELINE, “W omen 
on  the H om e Front: T h e  Iowa 
W IPEs,” 174-81; biog. of, W inter, 
inside back cover 
Sm ith, B onnie: p ho to  of, 180 
Social reform : and  Ku Klux Klan, 
59-63
SPITZER, ALAN B., “A H isto rian ’s 
M em ory o f  th e  Second W orld 
W ar,” 162-73; p ho to  of, 162; 
biog. of, W inter, inside back 
cover
Springer, C harles, 13, 22; p h o to  of,
12
S purgeon , Paul K., 170 
Stach, Carl, 89 
Stach, Carl, Jr., 91 
Stach, J. J.: p h o to  of, 92 
Stach, May (M ary), 87-88, 91-93, 95- 
96; p h o to  of, 86, 88, 95 
Stach, Phil, 89
Stach Shoe S tore (Iowa City), 88 
Stach, T heresa, 87 
Suhr, Celeste, 89
SWAIM, GINALIE, “An O ld Friend 
with a New N am e,” 146-47; “The 
Power o f  a Piece o f C loth," 50- 
51; “Two Iowa Soldiers, Two In­
dividual Stories," 192-93; “U n­
derw ater Iowa— W here Graceful 
C rinoids O nce Swayed in An­
cient Seas,” 2-19; “W orld W ar II, 
in Iowa and  Beyond,” 148-49 
Swisher, Ingalls, 78, 89-90
Teachers, 52-55, 62, 152-63 
T rade unions, 30-48 
“Two Iowa Soldiers, Two Individual 
S tories,” by G inalie Swaim, 192- 
193
“U nderw ater Iowa—W here G race­
ful C rinoids O nce Swaved in An-/
cient Seas,” by G inalie Swaim, 2- 
19
U nited  Packinghouse W orkers of 
Am erica, 32-35, 46, 48; Local P3 
(51), 30-35, 40, 44-48; p h o to  of, 
30-32, 35, 41, 46; Local 1225, 32; 
pho to  of, 32
University o f Iowa navy pre-flight 
school: p h o to  of, 163
V ictorian o rn am en ta tio n , 116-17,
120-33
V incent, Frank: p ho to  of. Fall, in­
side fron t cover
W achsm uth, B erhardine, 13 
W achsm uth, C harles, 13, 22; pho to  
of, 12
W agner, Betty A nn, 154-55, 157-59; 
pho to  of, 154
W agner, Juan ita , 152-55, 157, 159- 
60; pho to  of, 154 
W ashington (Iowa), 192-93 
W aterloo (Iowa), 36, 56, 62, 64, 
W atkins, Em m a, 89 
Weaver, Ralph and  Mrs., 178, 180 
W eseman, Anna: p ho to  of, 177, 181 
Wetzel, Velma, 38-42 
W halen, W. J., 177, 180 
W hitten (Iowa): and  the Ku Klux 
Klan, 52
W ilkins, R. D„ 101 
W illard, Frances E., 141 
Wilson & C om pany (C edar Rapids). 
30-48
W ilson, G eorge A., 151 
Wolfe, Jo h n , 35-38 
W omen: in business, 80, 85-89, 96; 
in politics, 78-79, 89-95; and  so­
cial reform , 88-93; on the hom e 
fron t, 174-81 
W ood, Edward, 139-140 
W ork Projects A dm inistration: pho ­
tos of, 164- 168, W inter cover, 
W orking conditions. See
M eatpacking; C anning  industry 
W orld War II. 148-193 
“W orld War II, in Iowa and  Be­
yond .' by G inalie Swaim, 148-49
Younkers D epartm en t Store (Des 
M oines): p ho to  of, 148
ZIEREN, GREGORY, “ ‘If  You’re 
U nion, You Stick T ogether’: Ce­
dar Rapids Packinghouse Work­
ers in the C IO ,” 30-48; biog. of, 
Spring, inside back cover 
Zim m erli, H : p ho to  of, 92 
ZUG, JO H N  D., “M onitoring H itler 
Stories and  Selecting Draft 
Boards,” 150-51; p ho to  of, 150
196 THU PALIMPSEST


English

Index for 1995

Myers-Verhage, Shelby

Postmarked from Amsterdam: Anne Frank and her Iowa Pen Pal

Goodenow, Leanore

My Encounters
with THE
Ku Klux Klan
by Leanore Goodenow
I
n thinking of the many experiences of 
my life, I recall a series o f encounters 
with the Ku Klux Klan m ore than sixty 
years ago. The first was on a Sunday in 
1923. I was attending  church in the small 
Iowa town o f W hitten (in H ardin County) 
when a dozen robed and hooded Klansmen 
en tered  the church. They strode down the 
center aisle, deposited fifty dollars in the col­
lection plate, tu rned  w ithout a word, and 
m arched o u t o f the church.
My next encoun ter came a year later in the 
sum m er of 1924 in Oskaloosa, where I was a 
student nurse. It disturbed me that each day 
the m orning  paper reported  that at a Klan 
m eeting in the  am phitheater at the fair­
grounds the preyious night, every person 
present had pledged to becom e a m em ber of 
the Klan. W hen a cousin drove into town I 
persuaded him to go with me to the Klan 
m eeting that night. We took seats directly in 
front o f the speaker’s platform . Robed and 
hooded Klan m em bers acting as ushers were 
walking back and forth in every aisle, scruti­
nizing us through the eye slits in their hoods. 
I was m uch amused to see on the wall behind 
the speaker the American flag prom inently 
and im properly displayed with the field of 
stars on the right.
W hen several hundred  people had as­
sembled, the speaking began. T hen we were 
asked to rise. W hen all were standing, Klan 
m em bers were asked to be seated. The ushers 
resum ed their walk up and down the aisles, 
eyeing those still standing, until the speaker 
asked all those who would jo in  the Klan that
night to be seated. This still left standing sev­
eral dozen persons. The ushers again 
stepped up their coercive “inspection tour," 
up and down the aisles. In due time, the 
speaker asked all those who would pledge to 
join the Klan to be seated. Gradually, those 
left standing succum bed to the pressure of 
the robed and hooded ushers, and dropped 
into their seats—except for me and my six- 
foot-tall cousin directlv in front o f the 
speaker’s platform .
Now most o f the ushers converged on our 
area. Eventually the speaking resum ed and, 
after a bit, my cousin and I sat down. The 
speaker lost no time in pausing in his re­
marks to announce, “I see that tonight we 
again have 100 percent pledged to jo in  the 
Klan.” W hereupon my cousin and I rose! The 
m orning paper did not report 100 percent, 
and I have always wondered how many actu­
ally did join.
My third encoun ter began when I was a 
year ou t o f college, in 1929. I was invited to 
teach English at a twelve-grade consolidated 
school in Lee County. I had been born in that 
county, the southeastern-m ost tip o f Iowa 
where the Des Moines River flows into the 
Mississippi at Keokuk. But I was not ac­
quainted with the rugged, hilly country be­
tween the two rivers where the village of Ar- 
gyle with its 123 houses stood.
The main line of the Santa Fe Railroad 
runn ing  west from Chicago passed through 
Argyle and supplied a valuable tax base, 
which made it possible to establish a twelve- 
grade school at the edge of the village. Five
52 THE RALIMPSEST
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The author (left) as a young educator In the late 1920s, 
and Lester Dumenil. Dum enil was secretary o f the 
Argyle school board. Outspoken against the local Klan, 
he had been pulled o ff his horse and beaten up.
school buses covered most of the district, of­
ten requiring  six horses to drag the buses 
over the hills and unim proved roads. Even 
so, some places in the district were beyond 
the bus lines, and many students depended 
on their own transportation. For instance, 
three boys rode horseback to school, two girls 
walked four miles up the railroad track each 
day, and a lone black girl drove whenever the 
roads were passable. T here were over a hun ­
dred grade school students and fifty in high 
school. But no one told me there was an ac­
tive Ku Klux Klan in Argyle.
The Klan had m anaged to place Klan 
members in almost all the businesses—o r to 
run the owners out o f town. When I arrived, 
the Klan had control o f the service station, 
the poultry house, the restaurant, and the 
two grocery stores. The Klan also controlled 
the road-clearing equipm ent. The one 
church, served by an out-of-town minister, 
had two ladies aid societies—one Klan and 
one non-Klan.
The barber, however, was allowed to re­
main neutral, and I was fortunate to room  in 
his home. Definitely non-Klan were the post­
master, his unm arried  daughter in her thir­
ties who ran the telephone office, and the 
blacksmith. The blacksmith had a cross 
burned  in his yard repeatedly, but he refused 
to jo in  the Klan. Because a rural com m unity 
could no t m anage w ithout a blacksmith, he 
rem ained.
I cannot begin to recall all the trouble the 
Klansmen caused, but they knew no bounds. 
O ne night when the postm aster’s daughter 
left the phone office at nine o ’clock, she was 
intercepted by a group of Klansmen and 
taken to the blacksmith shop next door. 
There the Klansmen threatened  her with tar 
and feathers. These were m en she had gone 
to school with, and she begged them  to go for 
her father. They refused and held her there 
until dawn, when she broke out and ran to 
her hom e two blocks away.
Farm ers who d id n ’t jo in  the Klan were of­
ten pulled off their horses and beaten, as 
were Catholics. T he Klan had two members 
on the school board. The board secretary, of- 
ten outspoken against the Klan, was also 
taken off his horse and severely beaten.
Students going into the village at the noon 
hour offered the Klan businessmen their best 
opportunity to gain influence am ong stu­
dents, encouraging them  to disrupt classes 
and underm ine authority. These students 
then plotted their mischief behind the closed 
door in the cloakroom that opened off the 
main assembly hall. The superin tendent and 
principal did not, and seemingly could not, 
cope with the situation.
When contracts came up for renewal, nei­
ther the principal nor the superin tendent 
was rehired. I was offered the principal’s job, 
which I declined. I enjoyed teaching, but I 
had no interest in keeping attendance 
records and making out report cards.
The night the board interviewed prospec­
tive superintendents I acted as hostess for the 
six applicants, but 1 did not see one 1 thought 
could handle the situation. When the last 
one departed I walked into the boardroom , 
applied for the job , and then went hom e to 
bed. The next m orning when I arrived at 
breakfast, my landlord, the barber, greeted 
me with, “Good m orning, Miss Superinten­
den t!”
I was away that summer, contem plating
SUMMER 1995 53
,  ^  :
what I had undertaken. O nce the school year 
started, I m ade only three changes. First, I 
moved my residence to the hom e of the 
blacksmith. This was where the Klan had 
burned  crosses in the yard—but to be honest, 
it was the only house in town with a bath ­
room . Second, I had the school jan ito r re­
move the door from the cloakroom , which 
had becom e the school headquarters for mis­
chief-makers. And third , I cut the lunch hour 
in half and m ade a new rule: No one was al­
lowed to leave the school grounds during 
that half hour. Because certain students had 
often gone into the village during  the noon 
hour to m eet with Klan m em bers, this was a 
blow to the Klan and, o f course, it was chal­
lenged. The penalty for breaking the rule was 
suspension; reinstatem ent required  a confer­
ence with parents in my office. I was not unaf­
fected when parents who belonged to the 
Klan arrived with fire in their eyes. My rem­
edy was to excuse myself for a few minutes, 
en ter an empty room , open a window, and 
practice deep breathing until my heartbeat 
re tu rn ed  to norm al. 1 then re tu rned  to the 
office and handled the situation.
At my first school board m eeting as Argyle 
superin tendent, a board  m em ber who had 
recently moved here from Kentucky arrived 
at the m eeting with his two teenage sons. All 
three carried guns. The father belonged to 
the Klan. Intim idated, I w'ondered what I 
should I do. Finally, I rose to say I should like 
to convene the m eeting but would first have 
to ask the teenagers to withdraw. I know of no 
law that says teenagers cannot be present at 
school board meetings—but it worked. The 
two teens withdrew. Now' faced with only one
J
gun, I proceeded with the meeting.
The school year advanced m ore smoothlv 
than 1 had anticipated, until it was time for 
the school board election. With two members 
of the Klan on the board, the Klan now nomi­
nated a third, a m an who owned a large farm 
near town. I was not concerned as they had 
failed to elect their candidate the previous 
year. Unfortunately, there was a heavy snow­
fall the day before the election. Because Klan 
m em bers controlled the road-clearing equip­
ment, they opened roads on a selective ba­
sis—and their candidate was elected. They
now had three Klan m em bers on a board of 
five. I had no idea what would take place 
next, but I was certain the Klan would make 
some move. Meanwhile, I concentrated on 
teaching.
As the school had no library, I often or­
dered  books from  the State Traveling Library 
for my English classes. O n one occasion I had 
ordered  a book for myself, an English transla­
tion of a novel bv Knut Ham sun, a Norwe-
J
gian writer. T hat book was lying on my desk
There was a heavy snowfall the 
day before the election. Because 
Klan members controlled the 
road-clearing equipment, they 
opened roads on a selective basis— 
and their candidate was elected.
when a student approached and told me his 
classmates had already taken all the other 
books. Seeing the Ham sun book, he begged 
to take it for the weekend, which I allowed 
him to do.
Arriving at school on Monday m orning, I 
found a note from  the county superinten­
dent (who had played tennis with my father). 
He said he believed my jo b  was in jeopardy. 
The Klan had in hand a book I had given a 
student to read  that was considered most un­
suitable, he said, and the board was being 
called into special session that afternoon to 
deal with the situation. O f the books I had 
ordered, the only book I had not read was the 
one by Knut Ham sun. I got in my car and set 
ou t to find the book. It was, as I expected, at 
the hom e of the new board m em ber (the 
Klan’s candidate). In his absence his wife felt 
she could not let me have the book, bu t I per­
suaded her to give it to me. I re turned  to my 
office, canceled my classes, and read it from 
cover to cover. It is an excellent book.
I have tried for several years since to track 
down the title o f this book. In 1920 Knut 
Ham sun won the Nobel Prize for literature 
for Growth of the Soil, a long, involved story in 
which he characteristically repeats several in-
54 THE PALIMPSEST
cidents from the book I read, but in different 
circumstances. It takes eight hours to read 
Growth of the Soil; I read  the earlier book in 
three.
I had the book in my possession that after­
noon when the school board  president ar­
rived at my office requesting it. W hen I asked 
why, he said the school board was m eeting 
and had asked for the book.
'But," said I, "I am a m em ber of the board 
and I was not notified of the m eeting.”
He said, with a very red face, that I need 
not attend.
I assured him that as a m em ber o f the 
board I would certainly attend. “But,” I said, 
"I Have a class to teach and will com e down in 
fifty m inutes bringing the book with m e.”
I found five board m em bers waiting for 
me. The new board m em ber said he had 
found the book most unsuitable and had 
m arked passages he wanted board m em bers 
to read. He suggested that the book be 
passed around. I said 1 felt that would be very 
time consum ing and  that instead I would 
read aloud his m arked passages.
The first passage was about a bull having 
gotten to a heifer “m uch too soon.” I paused 
to rem ark that I was surprised that Argyle 
farm children were not acquainted with bulls 
and heifers.
O f his four m arked passages, I can recall 
only one other, but I rem em ber that one viv- 
idly. The story is o f a woman with a cleft lip 
who roam ed the hills as an outcast. T here she 
m et a m an who also roam ed the hills, and she 
cohabited with him in his crude domicile. I le 
was often away for weeks at a time, and on 
one of these occasions she gave birth  to their 
child. I.ike her, the child had a cleft lip. 
Knowing from her own experience that the 
child w'ould live a hard life as an outcast, she 
killed the infant. The birth and the killing 
were described in vivid detail, as only Knut 
Hamsun could write it.
I explained to the board that I had read 
the book that m orning and had also marked 
four passages, to share with my English stu­
dents. “But,” said I, “having noted your inter­
est in H am sun’s writing, I should like to share 
them with you.”
Again, I can rem em ber only two of my four
passages. I read H am sun’s description of the 
great loneliness o f the woman when the man 
would be away for weeks at a time. O ne day 
on his re tu rn  he brought her a clock, and af­
ter that she was never lonely, with the clock’s 
“tick tock, tick tock.” A nother passage de­
scribed how during  ano ther o f his absences, 
she bore a second child. This child did not 
have a cleft lip. W hen the m an re tu rned , she 
placed their son in his callused hands.
Having read suitable portions around  each 
incident, I now read H am sun’s conclusion 
and closed the book. Not a word was spoken, 
and I doubt if there was a dry eye. I d o n ’t sup­
pose any one of these farm  men had ever 
been read to before—certainly not from such 
a skilled writer as Knut Ham sun. Finally, the 
Kentuckian spoke. “God, m en ,” he said, 
“there’s worse things than that in the Bible.” 
Not another word was said. O ne by one the 
men rose, put on their coats, and  departed.
I was astonished by Knut H am sun’s victory 
over the Klan.
No word was ever spoken to me or in  my 
presence about this board m eeting. If it was 
m entioned elsewhere, I never heard  o f it. But 
from that time forward I had the full coop­
eration o f the board m em bers—Klan and 
non-Klan—and I was reelected unanim ously 
as superin tendent for the com ing year.
I spent the following sum m er starting work 
on my m aster’s degree at Colum bia in New 
York. Perhaps not surprisingly, I came down 
with a severe case o f shingles. The staff at the 
medical center of Columbia was adam ant 
that I should not try to teach the following 
year, and I sent my resignation to the Argyle 
school board. They replied that they pre­
ferred 1 returned , and if I would return  they 
would hire an extra teacher to lighten my 
load. I returned.
My third  year at Argyle was reasonably 
good. The Klan m em bers m ade themselves 
known from time to time, but m et with small 
success. The bizarre happenings of the past 
gave way. The crude attem pts to intimidate 
me ceased, and Klan influence in general de­
clined. But at the end of the school year I 
moved east to finish my m aster’s degree, leav­
ing behind my encounters with the Ku Klux 
Klan.D
SUMMER 1995 55


My Encounters with the Ku Klux Klan

The Power of the Piece Cloth

The Palimpsest, vol.75 no.2, Summer 1994

The Palimpsest, vol.75 no.4, Winter 1994

Carpenter, Vern

Feeding Iowa's Schoolchildren: The Fight for the School Lunch Program

Lufkin, Jack

The Iron Lung as History: A Curator's Thoughts

The Roots of Iowa's School Lunch Program

We 're eager to hear about TV in your household in 
the 1950s and 1960s. Send us your response to 
the ideas and images on the next several pages.
When Television 
Entered the 
Iowa Household
by G in a lie  S w a im
family’s Philco television from the early 
1950s now sits in the basement of my 
mother’s suburban house in Davenport. It 
doesn't work and has long since been 
replaced by a color set in a colonial cabinet for 
her den. But I remember the Philco in its 
upright mahogany cabinet in the farmhouse 
where I grew up. That was the set on which I 
watched The Mickey Mouse Club—though it 
interfered with late afternoon farm chores—
and The Ed Sullivan Show in the evening with
my family./ /
Many in my generation grew up with televi­
sion and can't recall home without a TV set. In 
fact, “between 1948 and 1955, television was
installed in nearlv two-thirds of the nation’s/
home, and the basic mechanisms of the net­
work oligopoly were set in motion,” writes tele­
vision historian Lynn Spigel. “By 1960, almost 
90 percent of American households had at 
least one receiver, with the average person 
watching approximately five hours of televi­
sion each day.”
Early 1950s Iowa newspapers attest to this 
consumer rush. Multi-page sections of the 
newspapers were devoted to TV information 
(how to use all the control knobs—there were 
more than on radios), advice (how much light 
was needed in the room), and ads—and more 
ads. TV meant a “changing way of living" and 
“a closer knitting of family pursuits," one ad
9
promised. “Everyone wants to see top sporting
What kind of set did you first own? These four are 
in the collections of the State Historical Society of 
Iowa. Six-inch circular screen on this 1946 or 1948 
Hallicrafters was watched by a Webster City, Iowa, 
family. Hallicrafter sets could be purchased assem­
bled or as kits, attracting technologically oriented 
consumers.
This 1947 Admiral has a brown Bakealite cabinet 
and a whopping 9-inch screen.
50 THE PALIMPSEST
Crow Radio Repair in Muscatine first used this 
Motorola as a demonstrator in 1949. Inside the 
“chippendale style” cabinet is a 10-inch TV screen, 
an AM/FM radio, and a phonograph that played 78 
rpm records and “ the new long-playing 
microgroove records.” Cover of owner’s manual
also shows a black ceramic panther TV lamp on the 
set. Inside it advises viewers that picture interfer­
ence might be caused by car ignition systems, elec­
tric razors, and vacuum cleaners, and to place 
antennae accordingly.
events, Milton Berle, Hovvdie Doodie, 
Hopalong Cassidy, Kukla Fran 8c Ollie or a 
favorite movie on home television.” Therefore, 
the ad reminded the consumer, “You'll 
require new versatility in your homefurnish- 
ings . . . larger sofas, lounge chairs that pivot 
easily from a conversational grouping to the 
receiver screen, subdued lighting arrange­
ments.” The ad pictured a “TV mantel lamp”; 
one wonders if the TV set was to become the 
hearth for the 1950s home.
But the circle around the TV would include 
more than the family. The Sidles Co. in Des 
Moines announced that a model with a “12 fl­
inch screen is ideal for viewing by the whole 
family plus the guests that will certainly drop 
in." A survey noted that 26 percent of the “set 
owners” polled had more new friends, and 24
percent were visited by old friends more often. 
A General Electric ad took advantage of this 
phenomenon: “Plan a Television Party in Your 
Home," the ad urged, and “We Will Furnish 
the Television Set Free!” ‘The only stipulation
is that you must invite ten or more adults to✓
your home to view the shows . . . and furnish 
the dealer with a list of your guests’ names and 
addresses. INVITE your relatives—your neigh­
bors—you’ll have lots of fun . . . they'll appre­
ciate your thoughtfulness.”
Despite limited programming, TV ads boast­
ed that “there are programs for every member 
of the family.” An ad for Crosley sets listed “the 
children’s hour packed with thrills and 
delights of wonderland . . . the homemaker’s
hour filled with ‘how to’ information by/
experts in homemaking . . . sports with husky 
thrills . . . drama and variety to give Mother 
and Dad or the whole family a theatre date at 
home!”
Even the set itself had something for every-
This Du Mont Teleset was used in 1954 by the 
Coonradt family in rural Osage, Iowa. Du Mont was
an early network and manufacturer. The manual 
promises "a full range of picture tones—deep, rich 
blacks, blending grays and crisp clear whites.”
SUMMER 1994 51
F
O
U
R
 C
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L
O
R
 P
H
O
T
O
S
 S
M
$J
 (
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)

one: The “Ultra Fidelity” TV, for example, had 
all parts “designed from the Family Angle. For 
the lady of the house—there’s cabinet beauty 
that will harmonize with her carefully selected 
furnishing. For children—bright, clear pic­
tures that are steady and so easy on the eves./ / /
For the man of the house—a marvelous piece 
of electronic engineering. "
These Iowa newspaper advertisements echo 
locally the national research of Lvnn Spigel in 
her book Make Room for TV: Television and the 
Family Ideal in Postwar America (University of 
Chicago Press, 1992). Spigel combed main­
stream publications and professional journals 
to find out w hat they advised their 1950s read- 
ers about this new technology.
“Telegraph, telephone, and radio were all 
met with a mixture of utopian and dystopian 
expectations," Spigel reminds us, and so was 
television. This ambivalence about TV was 
manifested in contradictory predictions. For 
instance, pundits told Americans that televi­
sion would improve women's homemaker 
skills with its how-to shows; or, conversely, tele- 
vision programs would tempt women to inter­
rupt or abandon their housework. TV would 
add to housekeeping chores as people began 
to eat in front of the set; yet TV would bring 
the family closer together. Television would 
keep the husband home; or, distract him from 
his wife and family; or, disrupt his authority 
(just regained after his absence in World War 
II). To find out what the theories on young 
viewers were, see our article on children’s 
local TV shows, starting on page 68.
While it’s easy to find the newspaper and ad 
coverage of TV in 1950s Iowa, it’s harder to 
find its impact in the individual home. We 
began by looking in the photo collections 
here at the State Historical Society of Iowa for 
images of Iowans watching television—and 
soon realized that people seldom photograph 
other people watching TV. (Would you?)
But what we did find were interior shots 
where the television is part of the “domestic 
environment," to quote Spigel. We see what 
room the set is in, what furniture surrounds it, 
what knick-knacks rest on it. In fact, Spigel 
notes, ‘The attempts [recommended by interi­
or design magazines] to render the television 
set invisible are especially interesting in the
light of critical and popular memory accounts 
that argue that the television set was a privi­
leged figure of conspicuous consumption and 
class status for postwar Americans.”
Spigel acknowledges that while historians 
can uncover what Americans were advised 
about TV—whether to embrace it or be wary
m
of it—it's much harder to find out how 
Americans really responded to its arrival in 
their households.
This is where you come in. The Palimpsest 
and the State Historical Society of Iowa are
J
interested in what you remember about early 
television in your household or community. 
Even though television is part of the recent 
past, there is a surprising lack of documenta­
tion. On the following pages, we present a 
handful of photos and questions to jog your 
memory about early TV. If the questions don’t 
address your experience, please tell us your 
own account of how TV did—or didn’t— 
become part of your household. The ques­
tions are repeated on the tear-off mailing 
cover. We hope you'll take the time to answer 
some or all of the questions, briefly or at 
length, and send them to us. Consider turning 
on a tape recorder at a family gathering for 
generational perspectives of TV’s impact on 
the household.
We're eager to receive your accounts. With 
your permission, the State Historical Society of 
Iowa will preserve your responses in the
archives so scholars and students may use/
them as research material in the future. And 
we hope to publish some in The Pal. Please 
include your name, address, age in 1994, and 
phone number. Mail them to Palimpsest, 402 
low'a Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa 52240.
Spigel concludes her book by reminding us 
that “a history of spectators in the home” is “a 
history that is only beginning to be written.” 
Please help us gather that history.
j  — The Editor
Please turn the page to find the first questions.
Help « s 
write 
history!
r » » « m
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F A  '
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As TV sets begin to appear in homes, they also begin to appear in family photos. Here David and Anne Pickford 
pose with children John, Elizabeth, and Louise.
D id  y o u r  h o u se h o ld  ow n  a  T V  in th e  1 9 5 0 s  a n d  1 9 6 0 s?  In 
w h a t  y e a r  w a s  i t  p u r c h a s e d ? W h a t b r a n d , s ize , a n d  
d e s c r ip t io n ?
W h a t p r o m p te d  th e  d e c is io n  to  b u y , o r  n o t bu y , a TV?  
W h a t w a s  th e  o c c u p a tio n  o f  th e  a d u l ts  in  y o u r  h o u se h o ld ?  
W h ere  d id  y o u  l iv e  a t  th a t  t im e ?
54 THE PALIMPSEST
Photo from scrapbook kept by Alice Mary Gifford, in Iowa City, 
shows components of many an American home—family pets, 
fireplace, and television.
D id  p e o p le  in  y o u r  h o u se h o ld  w a tc h  te le v is io n  a lo n e ? 
W ith  o th e r  h o u s e h o ld  m e m b e rs?  W ith o th e r  a d u lts  o r  
c h ild re n  f r o m  o u ts id e  y o u r  h o u s e h o ld ?
SUMMER 1994 55
F
F
R
IN
G
Z
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 C
O
L
L
E
C
T
IO
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 S
H
S
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(I
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)
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Two TV sets (below bookshelves and through arched doorway) take their place amidst books, instruments, 
records, and skateboard, all enjoyed here by the Cecil and Evelyn Reed family.
In w h a t  room  d i d  y o u  p la c e  y o u r  f i r s t  T V ?  Was fu r n i tu r e  
re a r r a n g e d  o r  m o v e d  o u t o f  th e  room  to  a c c o m m o d a te  th e  
T V  se t?
D id  y o u  la te r  m o v e  y o u r  f i r s t  TV, o r  o th e r  s e ts , to  o th e r  
ro o m s?  W h a t ro o m s?
56 THE PALIMPSEST
D o  y o u  r e m e m b e r  c o n c e rn s  
o r  c a u tio n s  a b o u t  w a tc h in g  
T V ?  W h a t w e re  th e y  a n d  
w h o  to ld  th e m  to  y o u ?
wr
W h a t m e m b e r ( s )  o f  th e  
h o u s e h o ld  d e c id e d  w h a t  
s h o w s  w o u ld  b e  w a tc h e d ?
Trophies adorn TV set as Gordon and Susan Dehay 
have a father-daughter conversation.
Editor’s note: All photos are from the State 
Historical Society of Iowa collections; see credit 
lines for specifics. Half were drawn from the 
extensive Joan Liffring-Zug Collection, a rich 
source of Iowa images in the last half of this 
century. For decades, Liffring-Zug has 
photographed lowans in diverse settings. The 
nine Liffring-Zug images here, generally of Cedar 
Rapids families in the 1950s and 1960s, were 
culled from the negatives, contact sheets, and 
prints. The Palimpsest thanks SHSI archives 
assistants Kurt Berge, Vicki Schipul, and Paula 
Smith for help in selecting these images.
SUMMER 1994 57
JO
A
N
 L
IF
T
R
IN
G
 Z
U
G
 C
O
L
L
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C
T
IO
N
, 
S
H
S
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(I
O
W
A
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IT
Y
)
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S
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)
t t
D o y o u  r e m e m b e r  co n c e rn s  
o r c a u tio n s  a b o u t w a tc h in g  
T V ? W h a t w ere  th ey  a n d  
w h o  to ld  th e m  to  y o u ?
W h a t m e m b e r (s )  o f  th e  
h o u s e h o ld  d e c id e d  w h a t  
s h o w s  w o u ld  b e  w a tc h e d ?
Trophies adorn TV set as Gordon and Susan Dehay 
have a father-daughter conversation.
Editor’s note: All photos are from the State 
Historical Society of Iowa collections; see credit 
lines for specifics. Half were drawn from the 
extensive Joan Liffring-Zug Collection, a rich 
source of Iowa images in the last half of this 
century. For decades, Liffring-Zug has 
photographed lowans in diverse settings. The 
nine Liffring-Zug images here, generally of Cedar 
Rapids families in the 1950s and 1960s, were 
culled from the negatives, contact sheets, and 
prints. The Palimpsest thanks SHSl archives 
assistants Kurt Berge, Vicki Schipul, and Paula 
Smith for help in selecting these images.
Two TV sets (below bookshelves and through arched doorway) take their place amidst books, instruments 
records, and skateboard, all enjoyed here by the Cecil and Evelyn Reed family.
In w h a t  room  d i d  y o u  p la c e  y o u r  f i r s t  T V ?  Was fu r n i tu r e
r e a r r a n g e d  o r  m o v e d  o u t o f  th e  room  to  a c c o m m o d a te  th e  
T V  se t?
D id  y o u  la te r  m o v e  y o u r  f i r s t  TV, o r  o th e r  s e ts , to  o th e r  
ro o m s?  W h a t ro o m s?
56 THE PALIMPSEST SUMMER 1994 57
Help “ s  
write 
history!
JO
A
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 U
F
F
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iN
G
-Z
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 C
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L
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l 
{I
O
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A
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IT
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)
Flanked by traditional furniture, the TV takes second place to dominoes 
and chess, played by William and Jane Bergman and children Billy and Lolly.
H o w  d id  T V  a ffec t o th e r  le isu re  p a s t im e s  in  y o u r  h o u se h o ld ?  
D id  i t  r e p la c e  c e r ta in  a c t i v i t i e s ?
58 THE PALIMPSEST
Music is the obvious focus here, as John, Elizabeth, and Louise Pickford perform, and parents David and Anne 
listen from the couch. Nevertheless, a portable TV set appears in the background, upper right.
W h a t w a s  th e  r e a c tio n  o f  c h ild re n  in  y o u r  h o u s e h o ld  to  T V ?  
W h a t w e re  th e  p a r e n ta l  a t t i tu d e s  to w a r d s  c h ild re n 's  v ie w in g  
h a b i ts ?
JO
A
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F
F
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IN
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G
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O
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L
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In  w h a t  w a y s  d i d  T V  o r  its  
p r o g r a m s  in th e  1 9 5 0 s  a n d  
1960s in flu en ce  c h i ld r e n s  
le isu re  o r  w h a t  to y s  th e y  
p la y e d  w ith  in  y o u r  
h o u s e h o ld ?
D id  a n y  h o u s e h o ld  c u s to m s  
a n d  h a b i ts  d e v e lo p  a r o u n d  
T V  w a tc h in g ?  A t  h o lid a y s  
o r  o th e r  s p e c ia l  o c c a s io n s?
Iowa City photographer Fred Kent made the family 
RCA radio look like a TV screen showing “Station 
Kent" for the family’s 1946 Christmas card. Although 
impressed with the idea of television, he resisted 
buying a set for fear his wife would spend all her 
time watching it.
60 THE PALIMPSEST
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Wearing Western garb, Molly, Mike, and Tom Evans and friends work on log cabin playhouse in 1959
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In  w h a t  w a y s  d i d  T V  o r  its  
p ro g r a m s  in  th e  1 9 5 0 s  a n d  
1960s in flu en ce  ch ild ren  s 
le isu re  o r  w h a t  to y s  th e y  
p la y e d  w ith  in  y o u r  
h o u s e h o ld ?
D id  a n y  h o u s e h o ld  c u s to m s  
a n d  h a b i ts  d e v e lo p  a r o u n d  
T V  w a tc h in g ?  A t  h o lid a y s  
o r  o th e r  s p e c ia l  o c c a s io n s?
Iowa City photographer Fred Kent made the family 
RCA radio look like a TV screen showing “Station 
Kent" for the family's 1946 Christmas card. Although 
impressed with the idea of television, he resisted 
buying a set for fear his wife would spend all her 
time watching it.
Wearing Western garb. Molly. Mike, and Tom Evans and friends work on log cabin playhouse in 1959
60 THE PALIMPSEST
Help us 
write 
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9
)
f o r  f l ip  f f p n ia l  h o s t
w h o  Io p p s  c o m  f o r t . . . i t^ s
th e  w onderful 
new TV R 0T0-R 0C K E R !
A truly big-hearted chair  for the host who 
likes to en te r ta in . . .b u i l t  for solid comfort, 
be tte r  tele-viewing, and good conversation. 
A beautifu l  p iece  o f  f u r n i tu r e ,  too , th a t  
will add new sparkle  to the  l iv ing  room.
• YOUR CHOICE OF SMART DECORATOR FABRICS
• CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF WOOD FINISHES
•  PIVOTS EASflY *4 
ANY DIRECTION I
•  LEANS BACK FOR 
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•  MAKES ENTERTAINING 
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East On 
Highway 
20 
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Phone
Walnut
5377
Open
Evenings
Monday
Thursday
Saturday
•
Convenient
Terms
Gladly
Arranged
Newspaper ads featured TV lamps and 
furniture for “better tele-viewing.”
D i d  y o u r  h o u se h o ld  
p u r c h a s e  o th e r  
fu r n is h in g s  o r  
a c c e s s o r ie s  to  u se  
w ith  y o u r  T V  (such as  
t e le v is io n  c lo c k s  o r  
la m p s , fu r n i tu r e  or  
T V  tr a y s ) ,  o r  d ev ice s  
to  im p r o v e  re c e p tio n  
o r  e n h a n c e  v ie w in g ? 
D e s c r ib e  th e m .
D i d  te le v is io n  a ffec t 
h o u s e w o r k — h ow , 
w h en , o r  w h ere  yo u  d id  
c e r ta in  ta sk s ?
TV LAMPS
Your Choice
$895
High gloss TV Lamp shown 
at right comes in Chartreuse, 
Gray and Oxblood. It's 3- 
Way.
3-Way TV Lamp shown at 
left in crystal and metal. 
Choice of Green or Black. 
Tole finish.
AO \HW ATERLO O  COURlEM I1M 4-S2
62 THE PALIMPSEST
Fork in one hand, glass in the other, Randall Bezanson snacks from a TV tray
H o w  d id  T V  a ffec t d in in g  p a t te r n s  ? C o o k in g ? W here  
a n d  w h en  p e o p le  a te ?  C le a n in g  u p ?  S n a ck in g ?
Help us 
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A quiet moment at the Horton Rest Home in Mills County, Iowa, April 1951. From left, John Worthington (of 
Clarinda), Morris Evans (Oakland), and Levi Patton (Glenwood),
D id  T V  affect s o c ia l iz in g — w ith  o th e rs  in  y o u r  h o u se h o ld , o r  
w ith  r e la tiv e s  o r  f r i e n d s ? In w h a t  w a y s?
64 THE PALIMPSEST
Counting this TV, in January 1951, the Des Moines Veterans Hospital now 
had sets in four of its six wards. Edgar Musgrave. Salvation Army board 
member, instructs World War I veteran H. H. Guernsey of Waterloo.
B e s id e s  in s id e  y o u r  h o m e , w h ere  e lse  d o  you  
re m e m b e r  w a tc h in g  e a r ly  te le v is io n ?
SUMMER 1994 65
As members of the “ television generation" grew, so did the size of the screens. Here, a son of Virginia and 
Richard Evans, years after he and siblings “played cowboys and Indians” (see page 61).
W ho r e p a ire d  y o u r  T V  i f  i t  b r o k e ? W h ere w a s  i t  
re p a ire d ?
W hen d id  y o u  g e t  a  co lo r  T V ? W h a t p r o m p te d  
th a t  d e c is io n ?
66 THE PALIMPSEST


When Television Entered the Iowa Household

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