Elaine Eisfelder Szymoniak
"She is a woman
who has done it all — she has been a wonderful, successful
mother; has had a career; has been a dedicated volunteer and public
servant;
and has been a mentor and a role model. She is a woman who has truly
made a difference."
—Connie Wimer, 1991
Elaine
Eisfelder Szymoniak of Des Moines was born in Boscobel, Wisconsin
in 1920. Her parents were deaf and an older brother had cerebral
palsy. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a
B.S. degree and a major in Education and Speech Pathology. Before
becoming an Iowa resident she worked in public schools in Wisconsin,
New York, and Kansas and at Army Hospital Aural Rehabilitation
Center in Oklahoma and the Wisconsin General Hospital and Medical
School. In Iowa, she devoted almost 30 years to assisting persons
with disabilities through the state Vocational Rehabilitation
Agency. During this period, Szymoniak obtained an M.S. degree
at Iowa State University. From 1978-89, she was a member of the
Des Moines City Council and worked to meet the needs of her constituents
with a special emphasis in economic development, equality and
justice. From 1989 to the present she has served as an Iowa State
Senator where she has been recognized as a leader in Health and
Human Services. She has served in leadership positions in many
legislative committees. She has also served on numerous committees
of the National Conference of State Legislatures and made presentations
to annual meetings on ethics, welfare reform, and child protection.
Szymoniak has been an active participant in many professional
and civil boards, commissions, and foundations. In 1943, she
married Casimir Szymoniak; together they raised five children
and have five grandchildren. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's
Hall of Fame in 1999.
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