Edith Rose Murphy Sackett

"There are... a group of persons that are ‘behind-the-scenes doers.’ They do many things voluntarily that in and of themselves may not be that impressive. Taken as a whole, however, their accomplishments are great. Edith Sackett is one of those doers."
—James R. Grove, 1983

Edith Rose Murphy Sackett has pursued a career of voluntarism to her community of Spencer, Iowa, to Iowa, and to the concerns of women for more than 50 years. She helped found local branches of the AAUW and League of Women Voters and also lent her talent and energy to the Spencer Women's Club, YWCA, and Clay County Republican Women. As a leader at the state level, she served on the State Library Board, on the state board of the AAUW, and on the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, where she chaired the first Iowa Women's Hall of Fame Committee. Sackett's love for the theatre resulted in her founding the Spencer Drama Club, the forerunner of many drama organizations in the Iowa Great Lakes region. In addition to many other honors, Edith was named Iowa Mother of the Year in 1969. She was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1901. Sackett was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.

UPDATE: Sackett died in 1987. Established by the AAUW of Spencer, an award honoring Sackett is presented each year to a student whose entry to the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women’s Write Women Back Into History Essay Contest focuses on the life of public service and volunteerism.