Irving Weber – Mr. Iowa City.

**Irving B. Weber**
**December 19, 1900 – March 16, 1997**

Irving B. Weber was Iowa City – through and through.

Born here on December 19, 1900, his father was a blacksmith and his mother, the first female president of the Iowa City school board. Educated in Iowa City, Weber graduated from City High (1918) and the University of Iowa (1922), where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business while also becoming Iowa’s first All-American swimmer!

*Read more about SUI Homecomings in Iowa City.*

A fourth generation Iowa Citian, Weber knew Johnson County and its history like the back of his hand. Though recognized today as Iowa City’s most famous historian, Weber spent most of his career in the milk and butter business, whole-selling dairy products throughout eastern Iowa and northern Illinois for Sidwell Dairy. In 1944, he founded the Quality Chekd Dairy Products Association, a feat he was truly proud of.

But, in 1966, following his retirement, it was his Irvin’s love for Iowa City that propelled him to begin writing about his beloved hometown. So, following in the footsteps of his long-time mentor, editor, and Iowa City historian – Jacob E. Reizensten – who published hundreds of Iowa City historical articles in The Iowa City Press-Citizen between 1924 and 1959, Weber ended up sharing some of his story ideas with his friends at The Press-Citizen.

Watch this 30-minute interview of Irving Weber – recorded by the Iowa City Public Library in 1989.

By January 1973, when Weber was 72, The Iowa City Press Citizen began publishing some of his many stories on a weekly basis. Over the next 25 years, under the banner Irving Weber’s Iowa City, our community’s best-known historian published over 800 of his columns, half of which were then reprinted in nine volumes published by the Iowa City Lions Club.

Known as a generous man indeed, Weber donated the proceeds from the sale of his books to the Lions Club’s sight and hearing conservation fund, raising over $60,000 for the cause.

Irving Weber was honored in 1994 – three years before his death in 1997 – by the naming of Iowa City’s newest elementary school after him.

On the school’s webpage we find these words…

Irving B. Weber was a role model, mentor, grandfather figure, and friend for the staff and children at Weber School during the first three years of the school. He joined the staff as we opened the school in 1994 and played a central role in the dedication and in all other key events over the next three years. His frequent visits to Weber always caused a flurry of excitement and joy. With his unassuming manner, inquiring mind, and unwavering courtesy, Irving Weber left his mark on our lives – our children, our parents and our staff. Weber Elementary’s dolphin mascot was chosen by students, parents, and the community not only for the admirable traits of the dolphin, but also because of Mr. Weber’s association with the Dolphin Swimming Fraternity, being the University of Iowa’s first Hall of Fame swimmer in 1922.

From **The Iowa City Press Citizen** – March 17, 1997 – Irving Burge Weber, 96, of 421 Melrose Court, died Sunday, March 16, 1997 at Lantern Park Care Center in Coralville, after a short illness. He married Martha Thoren Whiteside on Feb. 19, 1926 in Ackley. Survivors include his wife, one son and his wife, Willis and Dee Weber of Colorado Springs, Colo.; three granddaughters and one great granddaughter.

There is a magnificent bronze statue depicting Weber, located on Iowa Avenue in downtown Iowa City, appropriately very near where the University of Iowa’s first classroom (1855) – Mechanics Academy – first stood. The statue was donated by Steve Maxon and Doris Park in 2003, along with sponsors; Iowa City Host Noon Lions Club, Iowa City Public Art Program, Quality Chekd Dairies, and Friends of Irving Weber.

In 1996, Irving Weber carried the Olympic Torch when it passed through Iowa City. In one of the pictures above, his statue salutes RAGBRAI bicyclers as they head south on Iowa Avenue.

In his humble manner, Weber was often heard to say… “I’m just an old hometown boy who happens to have a good memory.“

Thank you, Irving B. Weber for all the memories you left behind!

Check out our list of Johnson County Historical Resources and our Iowa Historian Hall of Fame.

Without a doubt, **Irving B. Weber**’s writings from the 1970’s to the 1990’s are vitally important to the preservation of Johnson County, Iowa history. Thus, here at *Our Iowa Heritage*, we’ve taken the liberty to INDEX the material from Weber’s eight classic books. It’s our hope that this resource – which provides indexing links to the contents of Weber’s books – will help historians, both today and in the future, access these valuable resources! **Click here to visit our INDEX page.**

*All of Irving Weber’s written material has been digitalized – thanks to The University of Iowa Digital Library*. *Click here to visit their site.*

On July 1, 1976, The Iowa City Press-Citizen published a special 76-page Bicentennial edition. In that edition there were articles and pictures related to stories found on this page. You can read more here.