23 Facts About Louise Noun

Louise Frankel Rosenfield Noun was a feminist, social activist, philanthropist, and civil libertarian.

An Iowa native, Noun wrote extensively on the history of feminism in Iowa and the United States, writing four books on the subject and an autobiography.

In failing health, Louise Noun died by suicide on August 23,2002.

Louise Noun Frankel Rosenfield was born on March 7,1908, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Louise Noun's father, Meyer Rosenfield, was a successful owner of a Younkers department store.

Louise Noun's mother, Rose Frankel Rosenfield, was a community activist who was very involved in the women's suffrage movement in Iowa and was close friends with Flora Dunlap, the president of the Iowa Women's Suffrage Association and the first president of the Iowa League of Women Voters.

Louise Noun attended West High School in Des Moines, attending half-day sessions due to overcrowded conditions.

Louise Noun finished high school at the newly established Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and graduated in 1925.

Louise Noun pursued a bachelor's degree at Grinnell College, transferring to Wellesley College for her junior year, but returning to Grinnell upon hearing of her father's declining health.

Louise Noun briefly attended Drake University Law School in 1967 for one semester.

In 1936, Louise married Maurice "Maurie" Noun, a successful Des Moines dermatologist.

Louise Noun began her art collection at age thirteen when she was given an oil painting by Harry Lachman on her birthday, a story that was published in the Des Moines Register.

Louise Noun first collected art by women in 1963, purchasing art by Isabel Bishop.

One artist Louise Noun collected, Dorothea Tanning, refused to show her work in women's only art shows.

Louise Noun left part of her collection to the Des Moines Art Center.

Louise Noun served as the president of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union for 8 years from 1964 to 1972.

Louise Noun was a founding member of the Iowa Women's Political Caucus and the National Organization for Women Des Moines chapter, serving as coordinator from 1972 and president from 1972 to 1974.

Louise Noun served on several committees including the Bernie Lorenz Recovery House, of the Young Women's Resource Center, and the American Friends Service Committee.

Louise Noun founded the Chrysalis Foundation in 1989, serving as president until her death in 2002.

The Louise Noun Library opened in March 2017 at Des Moines' Young Women's Resource Center.

Louise Noun was preceded in death by her daughter, who died one day earlier from complications related to brain cancer.

Louise Noun was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1981.

Louise Noun wrote four books on feminism in Iowa and an autobiography.