Mildred L. Middleton Collection
Collection
Identifier: 19/67
Dates
- 1899 - 2015
Creator
- Middleton, Mildred (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions. Materials are open for research.
Technical Access
Some materials are recorded on obsolete technology. They have not been digitized and require special playback equipment. SC&UA staff will determine options for access and use on a case by case basis.
General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies
Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code § 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF MILDRED MIDDLETON
- 1871, October 12 – Miss Middleton’s father Otis is born.
- 1875, July 9 – Her mother Maude Hackthorn is born.
- 1899, January 17 – Otis Middleton and Maude Hackthorn marry.
- 1900, March 13 – Miss Middleton’s sister Vera is born.
- 1908, October 8 – Her sister Bethene (Beth) is born.
- 1913, July 4 – Mildred Middleton is born in Stuart, Iowa.
- 1915 – The family moves to Coon Rapids, Iowa.
- 1919, July 19 – Vera Middleton marries Will Haldan in Waterloo, Iowa. They divorce within a year.
- 1920 – Miss Middleton’s father is elected mayor of Coon Rapids.
- After 1920 – Vera marries her second husband, Morel Miller (precise date unknown).
- 1921, October 10 – Otis Middleton dies in Coon Rapids, Iowa, at age 49.
- 1926 – Miss Middleton wins a spelling award from the Des Moines Register.
- 1931, Spring – Graduates from high school in Coon Rapids.
- 1931, Summer – Completes her Normal Training Certificate, which allows her to teach.
- 1931, Fall – Begins her teaching career at Heald Rural School in Carroll County, Iowa.
- 1931, Fall – Buys her first car.
- 1931-1940 – Continues to teach in rural schools in Carroll County.
- 1933, September 3 – Beth Middleton marries Roswell Jordan in Coon Rapids.
- 1940, Fall – Miss Middleton enrolls at Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC) in Cedar Falls.
- 1942, September 25 – Her niece Marilyn Jordan (Johnson) is born in Coon Rapids.
- 1942-1943 – Miss Middleton teaches at the laboratory school while attending ISTC.
- 1943, May 18 – Serves as Army Air Corps band accompanist.
- 1943 – Serves as accompanist for Herb Hake’s weekly radio show.
- 1943, May – Completes her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education at ISTC.
- 1943, May – Receives Old Gold Award for outstanding elementary education major.
- 1943-1949 – Teaches seventh grade in Janesville, Wisconsin.
- 1943-1949 – Works on master’s program through the University of Wisconsin.
- 1949 – Moves back to Coon Rapids, Iowa.
- 1949-1958 – Serves as Supervisor of Elementary Education in Carroll County.
- 1950 – Enrolls at Drake University to complete master’s program.
- 1951 – Receives her Master of Science degree in Curriculum Development.
- 1957, January 13 – Is installed as Worthy Matron in the Malta Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
- 1957, January 28 – Maude Hackthorn Middleton dies in Coon Rapids, Iowa, at age 81.
- 1958 – Miss Middleton is hired as Coordinator of the Language Arts Curriculum in Cedar Rapids School District.
- 1959 – Completes a Reading Specialist degree through the University of Chicago.
- 1980, May 15 – Beth Middleton Jordan dies in Coon Rapids, Iowa, at age 71.
- 1980, June – Miss Middleton retires from Cedar Rapids School District.
- 1980-2009 – Teaches many workshops and mentoring programs.
- 1985, February – Vera Middleton Miller dies in San Diego, California, at age 84 (precise date unknown).
- 1988 – Morel Miller dies in San Diego, about age 89 (precise date unknown).
- 1994, February 11 – Roswell Jordan dies in Coon Rapids, about age 89.
- 1999 – Miss Middleton receives the Distinguished Leadership Award from the University of Northern Iowa.
- 2005 – Receives Outstanding Mentoring Award from the State Department of Education.
- 2015, January 19 – Mildred Middleton dies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the age of 101.
BIOGRAPHY
A chronology of events does not begin to do justice to a person’s life and career, particularly not someone who lived as long and accomplished as much as Mildred Middleton did. She was the youngest of three daughters of Otis V. and Maude Hackthorn Middleton. Her sisters were Vera Miller and Bethene Jordan.
Miss Middleton’s middle name was usually listed as Lois, but on a few official documents it appears as Louise. Similarly, her mother’s name was sometimes spelled Maud and other times Maude. Mrs. Middleton herself never seemed to settle on a preferred spelling. Maude is used here, because that is what appears on her tombstone.
Miss Middleton’s father Otis, who went by Ote, was elected mayor of Coon Rapids, Iowa, in 1920. On October 10, 1921, two days short of his fiftieth birthday, he drowned in the town’s water tower. Though his death was listed as an accident, the circumstances were suspicious, given his hard line stance against local moonshiners. The mystery affected Miss Middleton for the rest of her life. However, it drew her closer to her mother, and from then until Maude’s death in 1957, the two were seldom far apart.
Music played an important role in Miss Middleton’s life from the beginning. There were many musicians in her family line, and her sisters Vera and Beth were excellent pianists. She started by playing duets with them when she was very young. By the time she was twelve, she was an accomplished pianist in her own right, and during World War II she served as accompanist for the Army Air Corps band on campus. She also played piano on Herb Hake’s weekly radio program. Miss Middleton derived a great deal of pleasure from her music, and she continued to play at community events almost until her death at age 101. She once stated that she was always nervous before a performance, but the moment her fingers touched the piano keys, she relaxed and felt completely at ease. Playing was as natural as breathing to her.
In 1926 she won her school’s spelling bee, foreshadowing her life-long interest in spelling. She was class president of Coon Rapids High School her senior year, and graduated with honors in 1931. In those days a four-year college degree was not a requirement in order to teach. One needed only a Normal Training Certificate. The summer after her graduation she earned that, and began teaching that fall at Heald Rural School. She continued teaching at rural, one-room schools in Carroll County until 1940.
Miss Middleton never married, although one unnamed suitor captured her heart sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s. He was likely the inspiration for her poem “Solitude,” which is present in this collection (Box 1, "Miscellaneous Shorter Works"). Unfortunately, the gentleman went off to World War II and never returned. She wore his ring for the rest of her life.
In the fall of 1940 she enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College (later the University of Northern Iowa), where she majored in Elementary Education. She gave piano lessons to help pay for her college education. Miss Middleton also worked at the campus laboratory school from 1942-1943, first as Critic in Training, then as Junior Supervisor.
After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943, she was hired by the Janesville, Wisconsin, school district to teach seventh grade, a position she held until 1949. In Janesville she was part of an experimental education program developed by the University of Wisconsin. She began work on her Master’s degree in Curriculum Development there, a program she later completed at Drake University in Des Moines.
Throughout her life Miss Middleton held increasingly responsible educational positions. In 1949 she returned to Carroll County, where she was hired by the school district as Supervisor of Elementary Education. During this time she finished her Master of Science degree in Curriculum Development at Drake, and in 1951 she completed her thesis, Initiating a Program of Elementary Supervision in the Public Schools of Carroll County, Iowa, 1950-1951. This paper was used as a model for supervision throughout the state for many years (Box 1, "Bound Material Written by Miss Middleton").
On January 13, 1957, she was installed as Worthy Matron in the Malta Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Her mother Maude participated in the ceremony, but died soon thereafter, on January 28. In 1958 Miss Middleton became the Coordinator of Language Arts Curriculum for the Cedar Rapids School District, a position she held until her retirement in 1980. Throughout her career as a teacher and administrator, Miss Middleton was committed to the success of her students and to the development of good teachers. She wrote extensively, publishing numerous professional articles and educational books. Her Improving Spelling Performance textbooks were used throughout the United States and Canada, as was her series Learning to Spell, one volume of which she co-authored with Eddie Yang. Books written or edited by her are in Box 2.
Generations of students and teachers have paid tribute to her positive influence in their lives. Several of their letters and dedicatory poems are represented in this collection (Box 2, "Works Written For or About Miss Middleton," and Box 3, "Correspondence").
After retirement Miss Middleton served as a consultant to, and editor for, Kendall-Hunt Publisher. She traveled the country to conduct workshops for educators, and also taught as adjunct faculty for a number of universities. She became a public speaker for civic organizations throughout the state, and presenter and evaluator for administrators, teachers, board members, and parent groups on local, state, and national levels.
In addition to her teaching, writing, and curriculum development activities, Miss Middleton was involved in numerous organizations as president, chair, member, mentor, or consultant. Many of these are shown below, although this list is not exhaustive: Rural Teachers Association; the National Educational Television Committee; Iowa State and National Education Association; First Congregational United Church of Christ in Cedar Rapids; Plymouth Circle of the Church; Diaconate of the Church; Cedar Rapids-Marion Council of Churches; Chapter MG of PEO (philanthropic organization in education); the Quota Club (services for the deaf); Malta Chapter of the Eastern Star (where she served as Worthy Matron); Maude Carpenter Association of Past Matrons; Educational Funds for the Order of the Eastern Star; National Educational Committee; Theta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma; Phi Delta Kappa; Kappa Delta Pi; Retired Teachers Association; the Board of Trustees of the Cedar Rapids Community School Foundation; Experiment in International Learning; the State Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development; the Secondary Division of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English; the UNI Mildred Middleton Cadre Conference; Campfire Leadership; Red Cross Board; Red Cross Youth Services Committee; Advisory Committee on Academic Education to the State Training School for Boys; the North Central Association Evaluation Teams; and pianist and organist for many musical events.
Miss Middleton was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Distinguished Leadership Award from the University of Northern Iowa in 1999, and the Outstanding Mentoring Award from the State Department of Education in 2005.
When she took vacations, she loved to travel, as can be seen by the numerous photographs in this collection of her adventures in Colorado, California, and many other locations. She was also quite fond of her cat Howard, who turns up in many photos. Photographs may be found in Boxes 3 and 4.
She lived a long and accomplished life, remaining healthy and vibrant until just before her death. Her 80-year educational career was impressive by any standard, and her influence is likely to be felt for many years to come. As her 100th birthday approached, UNI faculty member Cheryl Timion proposed writing a book about her. The project was never completed, but some of Dr. Timion's notes for the book are present in this collection (Box 2, "Personal Documents.") Mildred Middleton died after a brief illness on January 19, 2015, in Cedar Rapids. She is survived by a niece, Marilyn Jordan Johnson, of Redwood City, California, and friend Linda Strausser.
Extent
11.21 Linear Feet (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Middleton donated the material in this collection to SC&UA in several installments over the years.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Library Associate Dave Hoing, March-April 2015. Updated by University Archivist Gerald Peterson, April 16, 2015; Dave Hoing, October 2017; and Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, April 2020.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin