Special Announcement September 19, 1940 To the Members of the Faculty
Word has been received in this office that Miss Sara M. Riggs, Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Social Science, passed away last evening at 8:30 o'clock in the home of her sister, Mrs. L. D. Franklin, at Nashua, Iowa. Miss Riggs has been a member of the instructional staff of this college since 1887 and held the rank of Head of the Department of History from 1899 to 1922. During her fifty-three years of service to this college Miss Riggs contributed much to the problem of teacher training in our state.
The funeral service will be held at the Greenfield Funeral Home, Nashua, Iowa, at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, September 21st, with the Reverend Paul Zieke in charge. In respect to her memory and her many years of faithful service to the college the Campanile will play appropriate music at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon following the .funeral service. Please make announcement of these observances in one of your classes on Friday morning, September 20th.
Respectfully submitted, Malcolm Price, President.
SARA RIGGS DIES IN NASHUA
Funeral services will be in Nashua Saturday for Sara M. Riggs, 81, former head of the history department at Iowa State Teachers College, who died last night at the home of her sister there. Miss Riggs had been ill for the past few mouths and had been in critical condition for two weeks. The Reverend Paul Zieke, pastor of the First Congregational Church here, will conduct the services. Burial will be in Nashua. Roger Leavitt, longtime friend of Miss Riggs, will speak at a special memorial service in the Congregational Church Sunday, A special carillon recital will be played on the college campus from 4:00 to 4:30 Saturday afternoon in "respect to the memory of Miss Riggs and to her years of faithful service." Miss Riggs, who three years ago completed fifty years of teaching at the college, was graduated from the elementary course at the college in 1882.
She served as librarian and faculty secretary for a year and in 1883 went to Nashua where she stayed two years. She was principal of the high school there when the first class was graduated in 1885. In that same year she received her B. Di. degree and moved to Charles City, where she taught for two years. She came to Teachers College in 1887 as associate in the Department of English Language, a position she held until 1891. She joined the department of history and in 1899 became head of the department. This post she retained until 1922 when she became associate professor of history. During the past few years she has taught only a few classes and has been listed as member emeritus of the department. She was a member of chapter R. P.E.0., she was past president of the Civic Social Science department of the Women's club, and she was a long-time sponsor of the V.O.V., Sigma Phi sorority. For over fifty years, she has been a member and worker in the Congregational church here.
Copyright Cedar Falls Record, September 19, 1940, page 12.