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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

 Series
Identifier: 1

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Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Ruth Beard Fuller papers date from 1925 to 2002 and measure 2.5 linear inches. The papers include a six-part memoir written by Fuller for her children: Memories of a Long Life by Ruth Mildred Beard Fuller. In the memoir Fuller describes growing up in Mount Ayr , Iowa where her father worked as an attorney and her life as a student at the State University of Iowa in the 1920s with particular reference to Currier Hall. Here she candidly states, "For my life after school I had three choices. One was to be a physical education teacher or go on to law school like my father. The other was not something I made public. It was to get married and have six children." Part IV of the memoir offers a glimpse of family and community life in Centerville, Iowa, including detailed accounts of Fuller's significant involvement in local politics, clubs, and charitable organizations. This section also outlines the startup and operation of the couple's jointly owned farm implement factory, Fuller Manufacturing Company, between 1946 and 1976 and concludes with a description of Ruth Fuller's flying experiences. The remainder of the memoir describes the couple's retirement years in Florida and their return to Mount Ayr in 1991. Color copies of photographs of the family, their homes, their business, and of Fuller's flying years are scattered throughout the memoir.

The collection also contains Six Lakes Splash articles from 1981-1991, newspaper clippings, four Christmas letters, a high school essay about the Camp Fire Girls written by Ruth Beard in 1925, and her high school commencement announcement.

Dates

  • Creation: 1925-2002

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 2.50 linear inches

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)