150 Years EST. 1876 graphic

UNI 150: People you should know

Nominate someone for our UNI 150 profiles!

Mona Van Duyn

A world-renowned poet, Pulitzer Prize winner and the first woman to be named Poet Laureate Consultant to the Library of Congress discovered her calling at the Iowa State Teachers College.

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Maude Gilchrist

At just 16 years old, the first woman to graduate from our institution is also the youngest known graduate!

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Gary Kelley

An artistic journey beginning at UNI led to magazine covers, murals, book illustrations and professional sports.

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Gary Kelley smiling in his studio.

James Gilchrist

The first leader of the Iowa State Normal School in 1876.

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David Sands Wright

When the Iowa State Normal School opened in 1876, David Sands Wright taught the first class ever at UNI, and continued to teach for more than 50 years.

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James Hearst

An Iowa farmer turned acclaimed poet, “the Midwest’s Robert Frost” wove farm life into 600+ poems, taught at UNI for 34 years, and left a lasting legacy with the Hearst Center for the Arts.

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James Hearst posing in front of bookcase.