IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
VIOLET GREINER (1915-1991)
PAPERS, 1960-1999
3 linear inches
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 557) were donated by Lyman Greiner in 1998. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright held by the
donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Doris Malkmus, 2001.
[GreinerV.doc] |
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Biography
Violet Greiner was born to the family
of a Congregational minister in Olin, Iowa, in 1916. The family moved to Florida and New York state during her school
years, but after her graduation settled in Blairsburg, Iowa, where she worked
as a bookkeeper at the Cooperative Elevator.
She attended Grinnell College for one year and then transferred to Iowa
State College, now Iowa State University in Ames. After an additional year of study, she taught rural school before
marrying Lyman Greiner, a 1928 graduate of Iowa State College. For the next fourteen years, the Greiners
lived in various Iowa towns where Lyman Greiner worked for cooperative oil
companies.
In 1942, the Greiners began farming the Greiner
family farm south of Blairsburg. They
had a large dairy herd and also raised hogs and chickens. With only one small tractor, most of the
fieldwork was still performed with horses, while wind and gas-powered
generators supplied the electricity.
They raised three sons: Charles, Thomas, and Lyle, the last two born on
the farm. Violet Greiner was an active
community volunteer and a member of the United Church of Christ and the Rebekah
Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows.
Violet Greiner also began a long career as a free-lance
author, writing a monthly column called “Kitchen Komments” for the Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative News from
1960 to the 1980s. In addition, she had
articles published in Wallace’s Farmer,
the Des Moines Sunday Picture Magazine,
and numerous other publications. In
1970, she was the principal author of a town history, A Century at the Crossroads, Blairsburg, Iowa, 1869-1970.
In 1963, the
Greiners spent two months in India as “exchange farmers.” After their trip, Lyman and Violet Greiner
gave numerous talks in Iowa about the people, customs, and culture of
India. She continued her public
speaking career, eventually presenting over eighty “Apron Talks” to various
organizations, blending spiritual themes with a down-to-earth philosophy. In 1972, she became a Master Farm Homemaker
and was active with that organization.
Lyman and Violet Greiner retired to Story City after
living forty-four years on their Blairsburg farm. Violet Greiner died in 1991.
Scope and
Content Note
The Violet Greiner papers
date from 1960 to 1999 and measure 3 linear inches. The papers are arranged in three series: Writings, Speeches, and Greiner Family.
The
Writings series consists primarily
of copies of Greiner’s columns in the Iowa
Rural Electric Cooperative News and a few of her articles from other
publications. Correspondence between
Greiner and her readers and publishers and honorary awards for her writings
complete this series.
The
Speeches series contains the notes
and scripts regarding Greiner’s many “Apron Talks” given to a variety of
organizations across Iowa from the 1960s to the 1990s. This series includes printed programs as
well as correspondence regarding arrangements for the talks.
The
Greiner Family series contains
biographical information and other materials concerning Greiner family
history. It also includes photographs
and other publicity from Violet and Lyman Greiner’s 1963 trip to India as part
of a farmer exchange program.
Related Collections
Rural Electric Cooperative News
Box no. Description
Box
1
Writings
“Kitchen Komments,” from the Rural
Electric Cooperative News, 1960-1965
1966,
1968-1971
1973-1976,
1978
Other published articles and
awards, 1960-1972 and undated
Correspondence, 1963-1976
Speeches
Scripts, 1971-1981 and undated
Notes, undated (2
folders)
Correspondence
and programs, 1968-1984
Greiner Family
History,
1980s-1990s
Trip to
India, 1963
Trip to
India, photograph album [disassembled], 1963
Photographs, 1963 and undated