University of Iowa Affiliations: An Overview
University of Iowa Affiliations
The University of Iowa section covers a broad selection University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff. However, particularly in the case of alumni, not all of the collections have material related to their education, focusing instead on their later lives. There is material in several collections about the lives of Jewish students on campus in the 20th century, including an oral history interview with Rosalie Braverman, the booklet "Code for Coeds" in the Louise Goldman papers, and the scrapbooks of Naomi Braverman Markovitz. This section also covers the lives and accomplishments of people who made their careers at the University of Iowa such as Mildred Lavin, whose work as an assistant professor of instructional design and outreach education helped non-traditional students, and May Brodbeck, the first woman to hold the position of Vice President at the University of Iowa and the founder of the University's Council on the Status of Women.
Check out the individual collection descriptions below to learn more! The title of each collection links directly to the full finding aid for more complete details on biography/history, scope and contents, and collection material.
From the Chapman Family papers
Members of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority at University of Iowa. Both Corrine Chapman and her mother-in-law belonged to the "sisterhood."
From the Iowa Digital Library
Brodbeck was the first woman to serve in this role at UI. (UI Hawkeye Yearbook, 1979-1980.)
Collections
BECKER, RUTH SALZMANN (1922-2007)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1858-2012. 4.75 linear feet.
Ruth Salzmann Becker was a nurse and community activist in Iowa City who, as a young Jewish woman, fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and emigrated to the United State. Along with documenting her immigrant experience and broad community activism in Iowa City, Iowa, Becker’s papers contain a small amount of information about her career at the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa). She worked for the hospital in the 1950s and 1960s. Her collection contains her appointment papers and some of her professional writing. Researchers may also be interested in the papers of her husband, Samuel L. Becker. Becker was a professor of Communications and the namesake of the University of Iowa’s Becker Communication Studies Building. His papers are held in the University Archives.
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Papers, Faculty and Staff Vertical Files.
The file on distinguished Communications Professor Emeritus Samuel L. Becker. He completed his BA, MA, and PhD at the University of Iowa, and taught for many years, serving as Chair of the Communications department from 1968-1982. He retired in 1993. His papers contain all information held by the library.
BERGMANN, GUSTAV (1906-1987)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Papers, 1920-1991. 29 linear feet.
The papers almost entirely chronicle Gustav Bergmann's academic career, first as a guest lecturer, and later as a professor of philosophy and psychology, at the University of Iowa but also encompass his educational and professional career in Austria and Germany prior to his arrival in the United States in 1938. The collection spans 1920 to 1991, the bulk of which is concentrated on the period of 1930 to 1985. Included are lecture notes, chapter drafts and revisions for publications, correspondence, article reprints, photographs, and personal memoirs, notably of the Vienna Circle.
BRAVERMAN, ROSALIE (1910-2010)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1929-2010. 3 linear inches.
Rosalie Braverman immigrated to Iowa from Poland in 1921. She later attended the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) from 1929 to 1930. She paused her education after marrying David Braverman and then returned as a student after raising their five children. In an oral history she gave in 1996, Braverman described student life and on campus Jewish organizations in the late 1920s. This interview also touches on her return to school thirty-five years later and what Jewish community was like in Iowa City in the intervening years.
BRODBECK, MAY (1917-1983)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1917-2012. 29 linear inches.
May Brodbeck had a long career in academia, bookended by the University of Iowa. She studied the philosophy of science at the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) in the 1940s and returned as an administrator in 1974. When she was appointed to the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculties at the University of Iowa, she became the highest-ranking woman in American higher education outside of women’s only institutions. She served in this position until her retirement in 1983. Among her many accomplishments was the establishment of the University’s Council on the Status of Women, which still exists today. Her collection includes correspondence and some headshots from her time in the University’s administration along with a few newspaper articles about her appointment and her work as a Vice President and Dean.
BRODKEY, JUDITH (1954- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1977-2016. 1.5 linear feet.
Judith Brodkey was born in Sioux City, Iowa, but spent most of her professional life in Portland, Oregon. She received a BA in Social Work from the University in Iowa and an MSW from Bryn Mawr College before embarking on a career at the Oregon Mediation Association. Her papers focus largely on her professional career to the exclusion of her time at the University of Iowa.
CANTER, MIRIAM R. (1922- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1903-2016. 1.25 linear feet.
Miriam Canter attended the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) for one year in 1940 before transferring to the University of Minnesota. However, she spent most of her adult life in Iowa City. The bulk of the University of Iowa related materials in her collection have to do with her volunteer efforts on its behalf. Canter founded and was president of the Hancher Guild, an organization that supported the Hancher Auditorium. She also volunteered for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Her collection includes some items related to these commitments as well as volunteer awards.
ENGLE, PAUL (1908-1991)
Location: University of Iowa Special Collections
Papers, 72 linear feet.
Engle was the long-time director of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and co-founder, along with Hualing Nieh Engle, of the International Writing Program. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he was a poet, editor, professor at the University of Iowa, novelist, playwright, and literary critic. His papers include writings about and by Jewish people and their experiences, mainly in prose.
GELFAND, MIRIAM ORAL HISTORY (1925- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Oral history, 2016. 0.25 linear inches.
Miriam Ifland Gelfand was born in China in a community of Russian Jewish refugees. After World War II she made her way to the United States and eventually settled in Iowa City, Iowa with her husband, Lawrence (Larry) Gelfand. In an oral history interview she describes her immigration story as well as her experiences teaching French and Russian at The University of Iowa from 1962 to 1994. Researchers may also be interested in the papers of her husband, Lawrence E. Gelfand, which are held at the University of Iowa Archives.
GELFAND, LAWRENCE E. (1926-2010)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Papers, Faculty and Staff Vertical Files.
Gelfand was a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Iowa. He taught there for 32 years before his retirement in 1994. The most famous courses he taught were on World War II and the US in world affairs. Gelfand was one of the leading diplomatic historians of his generation and edited several books on the subject, including specific issues to the Midwest and Iowa. He was Jewish and his wife, Miriam Gelfand, has papers housed at the Iowa Women’s Archives.
GOLDMAN, LOUISE (1924-1998)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1933-1997. 12.25 linear inches.
Louise Hilfman Goldman was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. She graduated from the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) in 1946 with a degree in journalism. As a student, Hilfman was involved in Sigma Delta Tau, a Jewish sorority, and The University Women’s Association. As a part of her Association activities, Louise Hilfman helped to write “Code for Coeds” in 1944. The booklet, which is located in the State University of Iowa Series, of her papers, is made up of lighthearted but useful advice for women starting their first year on campus. The series also has some photocopied correspondence and images related to Hilfman’s entry into Phi Beta Kappa, and one full issue of The Torch, a publication by Sigma Delta Tau, which Louise Hilfman Goldman edited after her graduation.
GREENBERG FAMILY PAPERS (ISABEL GREENBERG ALT (1917-1983))
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1918-1975. 2.5 linear inches.
Isabel Greenberg Alt was a Des Moines, Iowa community activist whose husband, Don D. Alt served as a State House Representative. Greenberg attended the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) in the late 1930s and studied speech, drama, and music. She was involved in Sigma Delta Tau, a Jewish sorority. The only item in her papers related to her years as a student is a small Sigma Delta Tau pin.
HILLEL
Hillel is the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. It is currently a building with a library, chapel, Kosher kitchen and dining room, study space, and recreation areas. These are the files of Hillel at the University of Iowa over the years.
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Papers, 1870- .
B’NAI B'RITH HILLEL FOUNDATIONS (1955-1957)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
School of Religion Records. Box 21.
JEWISH STUDENT CENTER—ALIBER/HILLEL (1997-2002)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
University News Services Records. Box 97.
RABBI ABBA HILLEL SILVER LECTURE ADVERTISEMENT (November 2, 1931)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
University Lectures Collection, Box 3.
CLUBS: HILLEL CLUB (1941-1942)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Yearbooks. Folder 62.
HILLEL HOUSE/FOUNDATION (1981-1988)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
New Wave Party Records. Box 1.
JACOBS, RICHARD (1924-2008)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1935-2015. 5 linear inches.
Richard Jacobs escaped the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland during World War II and eventually settled in the United States where he pursued a career in dentistry. In 1966, Jacobs became Professor of Orthodontics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. He served as Assistant Dean, Associate Dean and as the Acting Head of the Department of Oral Biology at the University of Iowa. His papers center on his wife, Ruth Federbusch, and her family but there is a small amount of material related to his career, including a resume, awards, and various association memberships.
JEWISH GREEK LIFE
The following are or were historically Jewish sororities and fraternities. Not much information about them exists within files; rather, we rely on websites and external sources to even know these are affiliated with Jewish students.
PHI BETA DELTA (Jewish fraternity)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Organizations and Clubs Vertical Files RG01.0015.004. Filing cabinet 21D.
ZETA BETA TAU (Jewish fraternity)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Organizations and Clubs Vertical Files RG01.0015.004. Filing cabinet 22C.
Location: University of Iowa Archives
Organizations and Clubs Vertical Files RG01.0015.004. Filing cabinet 21C.
ALPHA EPSILON PHI (Jewish sorority)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
RG02.0003.034, Women’s Panhellenic Assoc. Records Box 2, 1965-1970 [2 folders, one “Expansion Info”].
SIGMA DELTA TAU (Jewish sorority)
Location: University of Iowa Archives
RG02.0003.034 Box 2, 1958-1970. Filing Cabinet 22A.
RG02.0010.001 Yearbooks Collection, Index of group photos: Folders 50 (sororities) and 129 (buildings).
KRIM, SEYMOUR (1922-1989)
Papers. 4.75 linear feet.
Location: University of Iowa Special Collections. Msc0367
Krim was an American Jewish author, editor, and literary critic, categorized with but not entirely part of the Beat Generation. He taught writing seminars in Israel and during the early 1980s he was head of the Iowa City Writers Workshop. His papers are arranged chronologically and alphabetically. Included are drafts of his articles, essays, and reviews. There are also typescripts and reviews from his published collections, as well as over three boxes of correspondence.
LAVIN, MILDRED H. (1924- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1942-2015. 5 linear inches.
Mildred Lavin, originally from Dover, New Jersey, spent most of her adult life at the University of Iowa. She moved to Iowa City to finish her doctorate in education after a career in classroom teaching. Upon the completion of her degree, she became an assistant professor in instructional design and outreach education in the University of Iowa’s College of Education from 1972 to 1987 and head of the Outreach Education program at the University of Iowa from 1978–1987. Her collection focuses heavily on her professional career. Lavin was involved in conferences focused on women in research and women in higher education administration. Along with information on these, researchers looking in the professional series will find newspaper clippings quoting Lavin, examples of her publications like 1974’s Women and Public Policy: A Humanistic Perspective, and course catalogs for the University of Iowa’s Saturday and evening class offerings during the 1970s and 1980s.
LIPSKY, JOAN (1919-2015)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1880-2015. 16 linear feet.
Joan Lipsky was an Iowa legislator and community activist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She also attended the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa) as a graduate student in clinical psychology from 1940 – 1941. Her papers are expansive, covering her political career in the Iowa General Assembly from 1967 to 1978 and her involvement in women’s political groups. There is very little information about her time as a student at Iowa in the education subseries of the biographical information series. Additionally, there is one folder covering her interest in the Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa.
LOEWENBERG, INA (1931- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1999-2007. 2 linear feet.
Ina Loewenberg earned an MA in accounting from the University of Iowa in 1981. She also held a BA in philosophy from Cornell University (1952) and an MA in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts (1969). After completing her degree in accounting at the University of Iowa, she embarked on a career as a Financial Systems Analyst at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from 1981 – 1995. Loewenberg’s papers have little to do with her career, instead centering on her work as a photographer, which lasted well into her retirement. Loewenberg photographed and interviewed women who were born in 1931. The resulting book, “The View from 70: Women’s Recollections and Reflections” was published in 2004.
MARKOVITZ, NAOMI BRAVERMAN (1922-2013)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1926-1980. 5 linear inches.
Naomi Braverman Markovitz was born in 1922 to Joseph and Sarah Braverman, part of a central family in Iowa City’s Jewish community. She and her sister Betty attended City High School and then the State University of Iowa (today the University of Iowa). Scattered throughout the newspaper clippings and ephemera of this collection, researchers will find mentions of the sisters and their activities on campus in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In particular, Naomi Braverman saved newspaper clippings about Sigma Delta Tau and news coverage of campus events written by her sister. There are also several stories and programs from SUI theatrical events, a commencement program, and Homecoming booklet.
NOUN, LOUISE ROSENFIELD (1908-2002)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1926-2002. 13 linear feet.
Louise Noun was an activist, art collector, and philanthropist who established a legacy at the University of Iowa by co-founding the Iowa Women’s Archives in 1992. Noun was heavily involved in issues of women’s rights as a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Des Moines, Iowa, The Iowa Women’s Political Caucus, and the Des Moines chapter of the League of Women Voters. Her feminism led her to write Strong Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman –Suffrage Movement in Iowa in 1969. The research for the book inspired her to establish a women’s archives in Iowa. The women’s organizations and activities series includes two folders on the founding of the Iowa Women’s Archives and The Publication and Research Files includes a wealth of information about her books: Strong Minded Women, More Strong Minded Women and Leader and Pariah: Annie Savery and the Campaign for Women’s Rights in Iowa, the last of which was published by the Iowa Women’s Archives in 2002.
REUBEN, SANDRA (1941- )
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1900-2000. 2.5 linear inches.
Sandra Reuben attended the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) from 1959 to 1962. She was a member of Sigma Delta Tau, a sorority for Jewish women. Her collection includes a folder with a few items from her time in college. It is focused on her sorority and the 1959 homecoming game.
STRAUSS, SARA MARKOVITZ (1912-2009)
Location: Iowa Women’s Archives
Papers, 1912-1970. 2.5 linear inches.
An Iowa City resident and University of Iowa alum who emigrated from the Soviet Union with her family in 1921. Sara Markovitz attended the University of Iowa in the early 1930s and was a member of the Gamma Theta Phi sorority. Her small collection has a smattering of information about her time as a student: a couple of photographs, and a newspaper article “600 Couples Greet Hawkeye Beauties, Herbie Kay at Prom,” that describes Markovitz’s outfit at the event.