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August 12, 1924 – Cora Bussey Hillis – a pioneer in the study of child development – dies. In 1976, Hillis is admitted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame, and Hillis Elementary School in Des Moines is named for her.
When child advocate Cora B. Hillis campaigned for $25,000 for state-sponsored research on child development, the Iowa State Legislature said no – spending the money instead on a new sheep barn at the State Fairgrounds! But a diligent Hillis kept the faith, and in 1917, with the help of SUI Professor Carl Seashore, the state finally set up the Iowa Child Welfare Research Station in Iowa City. Over the next fifty-seven years, ICWRS became known as the nation’s finest research center on childhood development.
This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.
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Because I was a University Elementary School student, I was involved with many child research activities. We were often subjects for various studies, many of which were conducted by grad students. The monument mentioned in your article was originally on the grounds of the house that was home to the pre-school, which I also attended. It was a memorable experience.because I had an accident on the playground equipment in which my lower teeth went through my skin just below my lower lip. There was a lot of blood. Someone took me off to my doctor, who fixed me up. I still have the scar, plus a white mark on a tooth. These days, there probably would have been a lawsuit in a similar situation, but those were different times.
oh my gosh David – what a cool story to add to this. You literally invested some blood, sweat & tears into the program!! :0)