Article, "Cather Plaque is Headed Home..."

Title

Article, "Cather Plaque is Headed Home..."

Subject

Cather, Willa, 1873-1947

Description

An article published in the Bulletin Board, vol. 53, no. 20, detailing the rediscovery of the lost Cather plaque and the plans for its return to UNL

Creator

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Publisher

Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Date

1988, Dec. 16

Rights

To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.

Text

Missing for years
Cather Plaque is headed home to UNL

Willa Cather is coming home for the holidays.
Actually, a plaque commemorating the celebrated Nebraska author is on its way back to UNL from where it disappeared nearly 20 years ago.

The memorial was donated to UNL in 1950 by the Nebraska Federation of Women’s Clubs. It was installed in Andrews Hall, where the University’s Department of English is located. Cather, who died in 1947, studied English at UNL.

When Andrews Hall was renovated in 1969, her memorial disappeared.

It remained missing until late October when it was found along a creek in Barton County, Kans., about five miles north of Great Bend.

While Detective J.L. Herold of the Barton County Sheriff’s Department searched for the owner, the memorial was placed on display in the Sheriff’s Office and deputies began reading about Cather and her works. Finally, a local historian helped locate the Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation in Red Cloud, Neb.

“We talked to the people at the Foundation and sent them a picture of the plaque,” said Detective J.L. Herold.

“We didn’t know where it came from,” said Pat Phillips, administrative assistant at the Foundation. “We thought it was tied to the Halsey Forest where the Federation had dedicated the planting of 1,000 trees at about the same time.”

A check, however, verified that the Halsey memorial was still in place. So, Foundation officials placed a notice in their newsletter and asked for help in finding its proper home.

Dr. Robert Knoll, UNL’s George Holmes distinguished professor of English and a member of the Cather Foundation Board of Governors, read the notice and remembered the missing bronze. His telephone call to the Foundation reclaimed it for UNL.

As soon as shipping [arrangements] can be completed, the memorial will be on its way home. UNL officials hope it will arrive in time to be back by Christmas.

Files

newsletter.jpg

Citation

University of Nebraska - Lincoln, “Article, "Cather Plaque is Headed Home...",” Nebraska U, accessed March 28, 2024, https://unlhistory.unl.edu/items/show/622.

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