IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
VIRGINIA TANNER SIMONSEN
(1923- )
PAPERS, 1941-1943
1 linear inch
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 553) were donated by Merle Simonsen in 1999. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Doris Malkmus in 1999. |
Biography
Virginia Tanner was born January 2, 1923 in Cherokee, Iowa to Anna Johns Tanner and Dr. A. J. Tanner. Her father was a dentist in Cherokee, where Virginia Tanner graduated from high school in 1941. That fall she enrolled at Iowa State College, now Iowa State University, in home economics and lived in Welch Hall. In the summer of 1942, Merle Simonsen, a fellow student and former dental patient of Dr. A. J. Tanner, arranged a "blind date" with Virginia Tanner. They dated for two years and married on June 10, 1944. June continued in college, graduating in 1946. Afterward her graduation, they moved to Quimby, Iowa and raised three sons and two daughters. In 1977, they moved to Cherokee where Virginia Simonsen entered a care facility in 1997.
Scope and
Content
The Virginia Tanner Simonsen papers consist of photocopies of letters written by Virginia Tanner to her parents from 1941 to 1943 and measure one linear inch. They recount the daily studies and activities of this Iowa State College coed in a lively, engaging style. Written every three or four days throughout her freshman year, the letters reveal many experiences typical of student life as well as the impact of World War Two on this generation of students.
The photocopies were made and organized by Merle Simonsen, who also wrote a brief introduction, added page numbers, and compiled an index.
Box no. Description
SCVF