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Louise Hovde Mortensen

1904 - 1969

 

Set Rites For Teacher-Poet

Services for Mrs. Louise Hovde Mortensen, 64, of 705 Polk blvd., teacher, author and poet, who died of cancer Monday at Iowa Methodist Hospital, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dunn's on Grand with private burial at Glendale Cemetery.

Mrs. Mortensen recently retired as a member of the English department faculty at Iowa Western Community College at Clarinda. Prior to that she taught at the Klemme High School and several private girls' preparatory schools outside Iowa.

After graduation from the old North High School in Des Moines. Mrs. Mortensen received her bachelor of arts degree at Smith College and her master's degree from Columbia University.

Her first published book was "Child's Cradle of Verse" and was followed by many poems in various literary and popular magazines.

Perhaps her most extensive writing appeared in "Elementary English," an official publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, for which she wrote monthly feature columns for the past 25 years on subjects ranging from personal observations in teaching through a wide gambit of local historical notes and travel.

Mrs. Mortensen was an active member of the National League of American Pen Women, the American Association of University Women and St. John's Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her daughter, Mrs. Joseph Halbach, Milwaukee, Wis.; a sister, Miss Helen A. Hovde, New York, N.Y., and a brother, Dr. Howard T. Hovde, Beachwood, N.J.

The family requests that any memorials be made to the Polk County Chapter of the American Cancer Society.

source: Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 29 Jan 1969, page 7, column 4

 

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