Katherine Willson papers
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The Katherine Willson papers date from 1945 to 2017 and measure 8 linear inches. The papers are arranged into one series: Biographical.
The Biographical series (1945-2017) includes various materials, such as certificates, licenses, booklets, and photographs, that pertain to Katherine Willson's academic career at the University of Iowa and her professional career as a pharmacist. This series also includes two diaries: one from the years 1953 to 1957 that describes the daily life of a student at the University of Iowa and of a newly licensed pharmacist in the 1950s, and one from the year 2011 that displays how she dealt with the loss of her husband of nearly sixty years. Additionally, this series includes a memoir written by her mother, Bettie Brookhart, and organized by her daughter, Esther Willson, in 1980. In this memoir, Bettie Brookhart provides some background on her family history, with pictures of relatives included, and goes into detail about growing up at the beginning of the 20th century. This memoir touches upon topics such as at-home childbirths, the social dynamics within a small town during this time, and information pertaining to Choctaw Native Americans, a tribe that Bettie Brookhart's grandfather was a minister for during the mid-to-late-19th century and early 20th century.
Dates
- Creation: 1945-2017
Creator
- Willson Katherine (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The papers are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/
Biographical / Historical
Katherine Brookhart Willson was born in 1930 in Haleyville, Oklahoma to Edmund and Bettie Brookhart. Her father's jobs as a railroad worker, a farmer, and a bus driver caused the Brookhart family to move back and forth between Oklahoma and Iowa throughout Katherine Brookhart's childhood. Through the years 1945 to 1948, Brookhart was a member of the Oklahoma High School Honor Society, and in 1949 she graduated from West Liberty High School.
In 1954, she graduated from the College of Pharmacy at the State University of Iowa, now referred to as the University of Iowa. While Brookhart was attending the University of Iowa, she was recognized for maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher and was a member of the Kappa Epsilon sorority.
After she graduated from college, Brookhart interned at Nollen's Drug Store in Newton, Iowa and became a licensed pharmacist in 1955. That same year, she married John Willson, and in 1960, she had her only child, Esther. Katherine Willson was a pharmacist for over fifty years, practicing between the years 1955 and 2009. Willson moved multiple times throughout her career due to her husband's job, which led to her being licensed to practice in not only Iowa, but Illinois, Missouri, and Virginia as well.
The Willsons had been married for fifty-six years when John Willson passed away in 2011, and Katherine Willson passed away in 2017 in West Liberty, Iowa.
Extent
8.00 linear inches
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Pharmacist from the years 1955 to 2009 and a graduate of the University of Iowa.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers (donor no. 1512) were donated by Keith and Janet Brookhart in 2017.
- Title
- Katherine Willson papers
- Author
- Bailey Petersen
- Date
- 2018
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)
lib-women@uiowa.edu