A Wisconsin native, Mildred Pelzer was born in 1889, but raised in Montana, and was serving as the director of the art department at Dakota State Normal School in Madison, South Dakota, when she met a nice young man – a fellow teacher – named Louis Pelzer – a 1907 graduate of the SUI. The couple married and moved to Iowa City where Louis was working on his PhD while serving as an associate history professor alongside one of the best-known historians of the day – Benjamin Shambaugh. A student of Grant Wood, Mildred gained fame with her oil paintings of flowers – with one of her pieces appearing on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens in July 1934. Later that year, the Jefferson Hotel commissioned Pelzer to create eight large murals that represented our rich Iowa City heritage, focusing on the theme of transportation. For fifteen years, these magnificent murals were proudly displayed in the hotel lobby until a ill-fated remodeling effort nearly sent these beauties to an early demise. Today, five have been rescued and remain as a beautiful tribute to both Mildred Pelzer, and our rich Iowa City history.
CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE BLOG SERIES – Iowa City’s Top 50 Influencers – Part II
Back in 1979 – The Iowa City Press Citizen ran a special seven-page section called Chronology 1841/1979 and it featured Iowa City’s famed historian – Irving Weber – and his look at 25 People Who Left Their Stamp On Iowa City. So, here we are – forty-four years later – and now, I’m offering these two posts – dedicated to those who have greatly influenced our city over the first 100 years or so. This page features the First 25, and as you can see, each of the 25 names has a brief overview with a link(s) to read more, if you like. Enjoy!
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