Recalling pleasant things and taking the time to dwell on them.
Our Iowa Heritage: The Iowa Award – 1951 to Today.
As a result of the 1946 Iowa Centennial Celebration, a new award, called The Iowa Award, was developed. The plan was to celebrate every five years or so by honoring one significant Iowan, giving them this award – our state’s highest honor.
Four years later, in 1955, the award went to Jay N. (Ding) Darling, political cartoonist for The Des Moines Register from 1906-1949. Darling, during his career, won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work (1924 and 1943). Click here to read more about Ding Darling.
The Iowa Award – 1951 – 2018 – Twenty-Five Honored Iowans.
Since it’s inception (1948), The Iowa Award has been given out 25 times, with the latest being 2018. Below, you will find all 25 winners – and when we’ve written more on that person, you’ll find a link to our post as well. Enjoy!
1951 – President Herbert Hoover – engineer, humanitarian, author, and U.S. President. Click here for more.
1955 – Jay N. “Ding” Darling – cartoonist, conservationist, Pulitzer Prize winner. Click here for more.
1961 – Dr. Frank Spedding – educator , chemist, worked on the first atomic bomb.
1961 – Dr. James Van Allen – educator, physicist, rocket space exploration. Click here for more.
1966 – Henry A. Wallace – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President of the United States.
1970 – Mamie Eisenhower – First Lady, wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
2010 – William C. “Bill” Knapp – philanthropist, business and community leader.
2012 – Richard “Dick” O. Jacobson – transportation pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
2014 – Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn – diplomat and humanitarian.
2016 – John Pappajohn – entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist.
2018 – Robert N. Noyce – physicist, entrepreneur, and inventor.
The first two winners – Herbert Hoover (1951) and Ding Darling (1955).
Ding Darling drew this sketch (above), sending it to Herbert Hoover to commemorate Darling’s award in 1955, becoming only the second recipient since the award was created in 1948. His good friend, Herbert Hoover, received the first Iowa Award in 1951. Click here to read more.
Brian Duffy’s 2000 Iowa Millennium Poster.
(M-0094)The Des Moines Register’s Brian Duffy – Iowa Millennium Poster – In 2000, Brian Duffy, political cartoonist with the Des Moines Register from 1983-2008, put together a magnificent artistic overview of Iowa icons with 58 subjects – one colorful poster. On that poster are ten of the winners of The Iowa Award – Herbert Hoover, Jay (Ding) Darling, Henry Wallace, Mamie Eisenhower, George Gallup, Meredith Willson, Carrie Chapman Catt, Simon Estes, George Washington Carver, and Grant Wood. Click here to read more!Click here to visit the website and listen to the audio.Click here to read more about Simon Estes.Wanna hear The Iowa Corn Song?
Our Iowa Heritage 