IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
BERNICE LEARY (1890-1973)
PAPERS, 1878-1977
6 linear inches
|
ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 31)
were donated by Mary Noble in 1985. |
|
ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has not been
transferred to the University of Iowa. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In boxes 1 and 2. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Catherine
E. Rymph, 1992, and Special Collections staff. |
Biography
Bernice Leary was born August 19, 1890 in Ionia, Iowa. Her parents, James Leary and Josephine Bell
Leary, had two other daughters, Iva (1885-1977) and Lela (1887-?). Bernice Leary graduated from Riceville High
School and then taught elementary school for a short time in Riceville. She attended Iowa State Teachers' College
(now University of Northern Iowa) for one year. Leary received her B.A., M.A. and, in 1933, her Ph.D. in
Education from the University of Chicago.
The book that
she coauthored with Dr. William S. Cray, What
Makes a Book?, received an award from the American Education Research
Association in 1949.
Leary held
teaching and administrative positions at a number of high schools and
colleges. She also worked as a
curriculum specialist for the United States Office of Education in Washington,
D.C., during the 1940s and 1950s.
From 1942 to
1955, Leary served as Director of Curriculum for the public schools of Madison,
Wisconsin. During the summers she taught
at various universities, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern
University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh, where she
trained elementary school teachers.
After World
War II, Leary continued to work for the federal government, travelling to
Germany, Thailand, the Philippines, and India from the late 1940s to late
1950s. During these travels, she worked
with local educators in the capacity of curriculum specialist. She retired from the Madison Public School
System in 1955.
In 1961,
Leary moved to Webster City, Iowa with her sister Iva (also a retired
teacher). In 1968, they moved to
Mayflower Retirement Home in Grinnell.
Bernice Leary died March 20, 1973.
Scope and Content Note
The Bernice Leary papers date from 1878 to 1977 and measure 6 linear
inches. The papers are mostly of a
personal nature, containing very little material related to Leary's career.
The
collection consists primarily of numerous photographs and other mementos. Photographs (both studio portraits and more
informal shots) of Bernice Leary, her parents, sisters, and other family
members date from 1878 to the late 1950s.
Also included are many photographs of Leary's travels and acquaintances in
Asia dating from the 1950s. The photograph
series also contains photographs and slides of a painting and sculpture
displayed in Leary's memory in Madison.
The
correspondence file consists of one letter from Leary written in 1964 from the
Philippines. Ephemera includes the program from the University of Chicago
commencement ceremony at which Leary received her Ph.D. Also in the collection are postcards of Thailand, and a guest book
from Bernice and Iva Leary's home in Webster City, dating from the early
1960s. Autobiographical essays about
Bernice and her family are found in the biographical material file. Additional biographical material on Bernice
Leary and other family members can be found in the newspaper clippings file.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Biographical material and
family history
Correspondence, 1950-1964
Ephemera, 1933-1973
(scattered)
Guest book, Webster City,
Iowa, 1961-1965
Newspaper clippings,
1923-1977
Photographs
Leary, Bernice
1905-1960s
Thailand, 1950s
Philippines, 1957
Leary, James G.
Leary, Josephine Bell,
1878-1923
Leary, Iva, 1885-1958
Webb, Frank
Webb, Lela Leary, 1895-1950s
Leary family, miscellaneous,
1920-1958
Matteson, a race horse, ca.
1900
Madison, Wisconsin memorial
for Leary (includes cover letter)
Postcards: Thailand, ca. 1950s
Box 2
Photograph
(oversize)
Leary, Bernice, undated