Monica Wild MONICA WILD, I.S.T.C., DIES (The Register's lowa News Service.)
CEDAR FALLS, IA.--Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in the Evangelical church here for Dr. Monica Wild, head of the women's physical education department of Iowa State Teachers College. She died Tuesday night after suffering a stroke in her cottage on the Cedar River, where she was spending a month's leave because of illness. Born here March 3, 1891, Dr. Wild was a Teachers College graduate and took advanced work in the University of Wisconsin. She started teaching in the college in 1913 and was made head of her department in 1931. Dr. Wild was co-author of the books "Physical Education for Elementary Schools," and "Iowa Plan of Physical Education." Surviving are her mother, Mrs. C. J. Wild, a sister, Theresa Wild, Macomb, Illinois, and two brothers, Ralph, Cedar Falls, and Carl, Omaha, Nebraska.
Copyright Des Moines Register, September 11, 1947
History of the Monica R. Wild Memorial Library:
Following the death of Dr. Monica R. Wild on September 9, 1947, and at the instigation of alumnae who felt that some sort of memorial was in order, a departmental library was established at the Women's Gymnasium and was named the Monica R. Wild Memorial Library. The nucleus of the library was Dr. Wild's personal collection of physical education books, which were given by her family to the college in her memory. Alumnae were informally solicited for contributions to a fund to sustain the library, and a small room off the gymnasium reading room was designated as the location of the library. In a letter to President Price dated October 8, 1947, Miss Doris White, Miss Maude Moore, and Miss Grace Van Ness outlined the details for proceeding with the above and stated that the purpose of the library was to make it possible for major students to have access to physical education books for study during periods between classes when they were attired in gymnasium suits and could not go to the college library.
In the Alumnae Newsletter of 1948 it is further stated that "our objectives in establishing and maintaining this memorial to Miss Wild are to keep her name before the students who will come to the department in future years...." A letter dated October 28, 1947, from President Price to Miss White stated that on October 13 the Finance Committee had accepted and approved the plans outlined in the aforementioned letter. The Monica R. Wild Memorial Library Trust Fund was established and contributions were received from alumnae of the department, from Miss Wild's colleagues and former colleagues at the college, from professional associates, townspeople, family, and friends. On April 1, 1949, a letter to President Price from Mrs. Maude Michel, acting head of the department, outlined a suggested procedure for administration of the library and the Trust Fund. The Finance Committee of the Iowa State Board of Education approved the recommendations on April 18, 1949. It was stipulated that the Trust Fund be administered by a committee composed of the head of the department (permanent chairman), one staff member, two alumnae, one senior, one junior, and one sophomore major, and the college business manager ex officio.
On September 29, 1949, Dr. Jean Bontz recommended that the first such committee be named as follows: Miss Doris White, Mrs. Arthur Dickinson, Mrs. L. W. Whitford, Miss Theone Du Pre, Miss Margaret Fleig, and Miss Adelia Florine. In 1949 bookcases were purchased to line three walls of the room designated as the department library, and all books were cataloged according to a simplified system devised by Miss Margaret Fullerton of the college library. In December of that year, majors and staff set aside one day to move the books from the main office on the third floor of the south end of the building to the library on the second floor, north. The Alumnae Newsletter of 1950 describes this as a "Bucket Brigade" operation.
In September 1949, a plaque was placed on one wall of the reading room. It reads "Monica R. Wild Memorial Library - 1913-1947 - (the dates of Miss Wild's association with the department). Besides Miss Wild's books, the original library included books owned by the department. It has been increased by donations of books from alumnae, by annual purchasing from the Trust Fund, by the addition of books purchased from department funds for use by instructional staff, and, most recently, by the addition of the personal professional library of Miss Doris E. White, who retired from her position as Professor of Physical Education for Women in December 1953. The library currently houses about 1200 books. All of Miss Wild's personal books are marked with a plate designed for the department by Mrs. Jessie Loomis. In June 1950, government bonds amounting to $1500 were purchased from the Trust Fund. Interest accumulating from these bonds is available for annual expenditure. October 25, 1954 bjs (Bette Stover?)