“Farm Women as Global Citizens: Post-WWII Authority of the 'First Lady of the Farm,'” April 24

Sunday, April 24, 2 p.m.

Presented the German American Heritage Center

The fascinating, boundary-breaking career of a native Iowan will be explored in an insightful German American Heritage Center presentation on April 24, when the Davenport venue hosts the virtual program Farm Women as Global Citizens: Post-WWII Authority of the "First Lady of the Farm,” a deep dive into the life, history, and remarkable contributions of trailblazer Ruth Boxton Sayre.

Born in Indianola, Iowa, in 1896, Sayre was the American president of the Associated Country Women of the World from 1947 until 1952. She was appointed to President Eisenhower’s Agricultural Advisory Committee in 1953, and 23 years later (and three years before her passing in 1980), she was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. Sayre's life story was chronicled in Julie McDonald's book Ruth Buxton Sayre: First Lady of the Farm, and during her lifetime, Sayre was an advocate for national and international social organizations with a rural, agricultural focus. Her involvement in the American Farm Bureau Federation began in 1922 and eventually led to an appointment as state chairman in 1930. Sayre also participated in the Rural Welfare Committee of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults.

The virtual presentation Farm Women as Global Citizens: Post-WWII Authority of the "First Lady of the Farm" draws upon the lifework of Sayre, and illustrates how she had to redefine the accepted characterization of women on farms not only to fulfill her own pursuits as a writer and speaker, but also to convince farm women that they were not exempt from the responsibility of postwar reconstruction. Sayre’s papers are currently housed at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City, and this project features materials included in that archive.

Presenting the April 24 program is Dr. Abby M. Dubisar, an Associate Professor at Iowa State University in Ames. She earned her PhD at Miami University of Ohio (where she wrote a dissertation about women peace activists’ rhetorical strategies), her MA at Ohio State University, and her BA at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Dubisar has presented her research at national and international conferences nationwide, and also teaches courses in popular-culture analysis, gender and communication, writing, and rhetoric.

The German American Heritage Center's Farm Women as Global Citizens: Post-WWII Authority of the “First Lady of the Farm” program will be presented virtually on April 24 at 2 p.m., participation is free, and more information and registration is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.