Campus News

Iowa History Center announces award

Nov. 3, 2009

The Iowa History Center at Simpson College has announced the first recipient of the Center’s award for outstanding master’s thesis in Iowa history.

Sara Egge received the award for her thesis, “The Grassroots Diffusion of the Woman Suffrage Movement in Iowa: the IESA, Rural Women and the Right to Vote.”

Egge, now a doctoral student at Iowa State University, completed her master’s in history through the Agricultural History and Rural Studies Program at Iowa State in May 2009.

Her thesis examined the woman suffrage movement from the perspective of rural Iowa women. Though many individuals have studied the woman suffrage movement, Egge’s thesis is unique because few scholars have examined the grassroots efforts of women in rural communities.

The Iowa History Center was founded at Simpson College in 2006 to connect the state’s historians, authors and students to capture and preserve the story of Iowa. Last year, its director, Dr. Bill Friedricks, received the inaugural Iowa History Prize from Humanities Iowa. The award designates Friedricks, professor of history at Simpson College, as Iowa’s public historian for the next two years.

Last Updated: 11/3/09