The Union Block building a representation of female empowerment through history

MT. PLEASANT - Mt. Pleasant's history is ripe with groundbreaking women. On Thursday, three individuals who became the 'first woman” in their field shared their experiences at the Union Block Building.

Kathy Nellor, Barb Welander and Lori Glanzman addressed community members who had shown up for lunch and to support Mt. Pleasant's Union Block entry to the Vote Your Mainstreet campaign. The lunch panel was part of a days worth of events on Thursday, Oct. 17, the only day community members could vote in-person as part of the competition. Vote Your Mainstreet is a national campaign that gives grant money to restore historical buildings. This year's theme was properties representative of prominent women in the nation's history. The competition is sponsored by National Geographic, American Express and Delta.

Pat White, known as the city's historian and a member of the Henry County Heritage Trust, noted that supporting the event and competition is important because the building is 'a physical reminder and a testament to the historic things that have happened,” in the town. White gave a short introduction to the building to kick off the event, highlighting prominent historical figures from the U.S. that had spoken or spent time in the building, most notably Arabella Babb Mansfield, who is famously known as the first woman to pass the bar and practice law in the U.S. Mansfield studied for her exams and passed the bar in the Union Block. Other notable figures included Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas as well as senator James Harlan and his wife Ann Eliza Peck.

Following White, Kathy Nellor spoke to the crowd about her experiences becoming the first female bank examiner in the state of Iowa in 1974. Nellor noted that she hadn't been looking to do anything new or different but was simply attempting to find a job after earning her degree in business. The former bank examiner shared anecdotes from her time working for the state that included being mistaken as a secretary for the other men that she worked with as well as facing judgment when meeting with banks in more conservative areas. In one instance, Nellor, while working with a bank, noticed a benchmarker on a typewriter with a piece of paper left for her that said 'a woman's place is in the home raising a family.” Despite the challenges, Nellor expressed gratitude toward those who supported her including her family and fellow bank examiners.

Barb Welander, the first female to become a certified architect in the state in 1974, similarly pointed out family members and prominent mentors throughout her lifetime that allowed her to have become an architect. Welander faced her first obstacle in high school when she was banned from taking shop to gain skills she knew she would need before entering college. When her father took the issue to the school board and superintendent, the board persisted and voted not to let her take the class, which was later overturned with the entrance of a new superintendent. Welander went on to explain that she was one of only 12 women to enter the architecture program at Iowa State University in her freshman year. By the time she was a sophomore, Welander was the only woman still in the program. Following her graduation, Welander was encouraged by her husband to continue pursuing architecture and to become certified under the state. Welander would end up taking her certification exams several years later as she was pregnant with her first son. The former architect eventually went on to work for Mt. Pleasant's permits and zoning department for 27 years.

'I'm not a radical feminist. I didn't know what I was heading into. I am definitely for women being accepted and allowed to do things but I am more an equalist. I think anybody who has an interest in something, whether they be male or female, should be allowed to go ahead and pursue that,” Welander said.

Lori Glanzman, like Welander and Nellor, didn't expect to become the first female general manager of Municipal Utilities. What started as a job opportunity after high school lead to a career with the company. Glanzman would spend 38 years at Municipal Utilities in Mt. Pleasant, 17 of which she served as general manager, which she took over in 1992. Glanzman would later lead and serve as the first female president of the Municipal Utilities Association.

'Back when I was growing up, working in utilities for over 38 years did not come to mind. But it was a great learning experience and I'm proud of our local utility and I'm very happy to have been a very small part of it,” Glanzman said as she concluded her remarks.

Lisa Oetken, the director of Main Street under Mt. Pleasant's Chamber Alliance said that in the first hour of voting, which took place in the morning, the town collected 654 votes, which prompted calls to the program organizers because Mt. Pleasant was on course to run out of ballots. Subsequently, extra ballots were printed to accommodate the voting. Oetken is hoping to collect 1,000 in-person votes. If Mt. Pleasant collects the most in-person votes, it will be granted an extra $50,000 for the Union Block. Currently the Union Block is in eighth place out of twenty. The building must remain in the top ten through Oct. 29 in order to receive grant money for restorations. To vote for the Union Block, visit https://www.nationalgeographic.com/voteyourmainstreet/mount-pleasant/.