The Kramer Girls

In case you haven't read the book, the Kramer Girls is about three sisters--Georgie, Annie and Rose--living in a small town in Iowa. Their mother is an invalid, their father is busy with his business and almost absent for much of the book, and the two oldest daughters have cared for the house and raised Rose since she was a young girl. Rose, the baby, is a pretty girl with brown eyes and hair, a little on the plump side: she is an intelligent girl and has many hopes and dreams. Her older sisters are protective of her, and do their best to see that she has the opportunities they were denied, due to their mother's illness.

Many of the themes seen in other Suckow stories are seen in this book as well. Join us for a lively discussion of the book, led by retired UNI Professor Dr. George Day.

Directions to the Cedar Falls Library

1) If you are driving WEST on Highway 20, take the first Cedar Falls exit (it will say Highway 58 and Industrial Park and George Wyth State Park). This exit is to your right. Turn to your right off the exit and stay on this road (Highway 58) for about 4 miles. You will go through 3 stoplights (the first as you corss Ridgeway Ave., the second as you cross Viking Road, and the third as you cross Greenhill Road).

Look for the 18th Street exit. Exit there and turn left from the exit onto 18th Street. Continue on 18th Street (heading west) for about 2 blocks, and turn right on Main Street. Continue on Main Street for 12 blocks and you will see the Cedar Falls Public Library on your right (524 Main Street). You will see the parking lot in front. The library's Conference room is on the second floor; there is an elevator located near the Circulation Desk, which is right inside the front door. Restrooms are located on both the first and second floors.

2) If you are driving EAST on Highway 20 (from Des Moines Hawarden, etc.), take the third (and last) Cedar Falls exit--saying Highway 58, George Wyth State Park. Turn left at the exit and follow the directions above.

Announcement: Annual Meeting June 12, Cedar Falls Library

The annual meeting of the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Cedar Falls Public Library.

Here is an overview of the Agenda for the day. There will be a business meeting from 10:00 to 12:00.

At noon, we will have our lunch.

At 1:00 we will discuss the book for this year: The Kramer Girls (1929). This is Ruth's fifth book. Dr. George Day will lead our discussion.

If you are interested in joining us for the day, and would like to eat lunch, here are your choices:

1) Roast beef wrap, potato chips, baby carrots, chocolate chip cookie and beverage, $10

2) Chicken salad sandwhich on homemade Kaiser roll, sun chips, seasonal fresh fruit, chocolate chip cookie and beverage, $10

3) Smoked turkey on a Pretzel roll sandwhich, creamy potato salad, fruit cup, chocolate chip cookie and beverage, $10

Payment can be made that day; however, you need to get your order made by Sunday, June 6 (the deadline for the caterer).
Email: lounsberry@gmail.com
Phone: 319-268-0502

You can also mail a check to Barbara Lounsberry, our Suckow Society President
2120 Tremont
Cedar Falls, IA 50613-3939

Or, you may submit your request on line and either mail your check or pay at the meeting.

Reflecting on Ruth's legacy

My Community College literature class just finished reading and discussing Suckow's short story, A Rural Community, last week. In spite of all of the changes to our society from the 1920s, when this was written, I find that my students can still relate to the characters in the story.

Ruth Suckow Website Updated

Hi all,

With some help from Mike, I have added a few updates to the official Suckow website.

Some pesky pictures on the gravesite page now show up correctly! There is also a new section at the bottom, honoring Ferner Nuhn. We were able to go to the cemetary with Barbara and took some photos of Ferner's stone, just installed this Spring. It matches that of Ruth and her father beautifully. It brought all of us such a sense of satisfaction to see those three stones in a row, and FINALLY know that Ruth is buried between the two men who were so important to her in life: her father and her husband.

Notice too several updates on the home page:

First, we realized that the link for Country People was too big to download very efficiently. So, I broke it down into four parts, matching the organization of Suckow's book. The links are now posted.

Second, there is a link to Mike's new Wikipedia entry on Suckow under the Resource page link.

I will undoubtedly do a better job of posting on the blog and not make as many changes to the official website; however, it is wonderful to hear from people who discover our organization through both! I would like to think that Ruth--who was both pragmatic and a woman of her times--would approve.

Who was Ferner Nuhn?

Most of our members know Ferner as Ruth Suckow's husband. However, he was also a scholar, artist, teacher, writer and Cedar Falls native. I was intrigued to learn more about him when George Day loaned me a small booklet by Nuhn that included a two page biography. I knew that Ferner had been one of the founders of the Supper Club that Mike and I attend; he was good friends of James Hearst, and it turns out that Ferner also helped to found the Cedar Falls Art Association.

I found it rather romantic that he and Ruth met in 1926, after he read something she wrote. He visited her in Earlville, where she was taking care of her bees, earning money so that she could spend time writing. Both of them were writers and had stories or articles accepted by H. L. Mencken, the editor of The American Mercury. After a courtship of three years, Ferner and Ruth were married in California in 1929. They did a lot of traveling and lived in several areas of the country,including Washington, D. C., Cedar Falls, Arizona and California. They were heavily involved with the Quakers.

After Ruth's death in 1960, Ferner worked to ensure her memory,and her literary work, would endure. He helped to found the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association. In 1965 he remarried--his wife, Georgeanna Washburn Dafoe, was a cousin of Ruth Suckow. They lived in Claremont, CA for many years. I am looking for more informatin about their marriage, as well as about Georgeanna. All I know now is that Ferner died on April 15, 1989 at the age of 85. He was living in a retirement facility for the last three years of his life. Since nothing is mentioned of Georgeanna, I am assuming she preceded him in death. If anyone knows more, I would appreciate your help, because Mike and I are working on a wikipedia entry for Ferner.

I came across a reference to a book that Ferner wrote and ordered it online: The Wind Blew from the East was written in 1940 and published by Harper and Brothers. The subtitle is "A Study in the Orientation of American Culture." He meant it to be the first of three books, but I don't think the others were ever written. Once I've finished it, I will be sure to post a brief summary/review.

More Pictures of the Suckow Graves, Greenwood Cemetary

Michael took a series of pictures of the three tomb stones: Ferner's was just installed this spring and matches those of Ruth and her father.

To see his Picasa web album, click here.