Willa Hookom Jones papers

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: IWA0920

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Willa Hookom Jones papers measure 1 linear inch, and date from 1917 to 1968. They consist of nine essays reflecting on her childhood, early career, and the first years of her marriage. Her first essay describes her parents’ lives before the birth of her brother Jeems. Jones writes of the purchase of the family farm, her father’s WWI service, and her mother’s teaching career.

Dates

Creation: 1917-1968

Creator

Jones, Willa Hookom (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research

Conditions Governing Use

Unknown

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Willa Hookom was born in Marion, Iowa, in 1924 to Virginia and Glenn Hookam. Pearl Harbor was attacked when Hookom was a freshman at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Her older brother Jeems talked his way into the army despite a heart murmur, serving as a radar operator in Africa, Italy, and France. During this time, Hookom began teaching in the Keota School District and played softball for the wartime VFW Auxiliary Bunnies.

In 1947, she married Jay George Jones, a World War II veteran and construction worker. In compliance with local school board regulations, she quit teaching after the birth of her son Doug Jones in 1950. She later worked as a bank manager in Iowa City.