Dates

• Existence: 1911 - 2002

Biography

Faith Knowler was born January 22, 1911 in Muscatine. She married Lloyd Knowler in Des Moines in 1935. She recieved a BA in Sociology from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) and an MA from the School of Social Work in St. Louis.

She was an active member of the Johnson County and Iowa City communities for more than forty years. Knowler's involvement in one local group, the Nineteenth Century Club, began in 1952. Over the next forty-two years, Knowler presented original papers on topics from the women's movement to health care policies, from evolution to Tolstoy.

In 1971, Knowler became a member of the Johnson County Regional Planning Commission and served on the Family and Individual Life Subcommittee. In 1979, Knowler was instrumental in organizing the Needs of Children and Families in Johnson County Forum.

During this period, Knowler was a member of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, serving as president from ca. 1973 to 1975 and has served on the board of directors for many years. She and other League members assisted with a daycare study focusing on the needs of working parents and abused, neglected and delinquent children. From this project came a new organization, the Youth Emergency Shelter (later Youth Homes, Inc.). Active in securing the necessary funds and support for this shelter, Knowler also served as a board member from 1971 to 1995. During this time, she worked on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Personnel Committee.

Another leadership role Knowler took on was that of board member of the Women's Institute for Community Leadership (WICL). Having completed the WICL certificate program in 1975, Knowler served on the Board of Directors from 1976 to 1978. Knowler's interest in community involvement and politics extended to the national level in addition to the local level. She was diligent about letting her representatives in Congress hear her views on many issues, of both personal and professional interest. Faith Knowler passed away in 2002.

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