Visiting professor gives talk on ‘First Lady of the Farm’ Ruth Buxton Sayre

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Public Library and Carnegie Historical Museum partnered to sponsor a talk by a visiting college professor last week, who spoke about one of Iowa’s most influential leaders and thinkers.

Abby M. Dubisar is an English professor at Iowa State University, and she was invited to speak at the Carnegie Historical Museum on Thursday, April 3 about the life of Ruth Buxton Sayre, an Iowan who was known as “First Lady of the Farm.” According to a news release from Fairfield Public Library, Sayre “dedicated her life to advocating for rural women and championing their role as leaders, citizens, and global influencers. From her family’s farm near New Virginia, Iowa, to the far corners of the world, Sayre's work transformed how women viewed themselves—not just as homemakers, but as powerful agents of change.”

Dubisar’s talk was titled “Farm Women as Global Citizens,” and was about Sayre’s journey from “local farm wife to internationally recognized advocate.” Sayre lived from 1896 until 1980, and her first speech in which she advocated for farm women to become global citizens was in 1935. Dubisar noted that Sayre spoke and wrote about how homemakers like Sayre had a special role to play in issues such as nutrition, the needs of the hungry, and the importance of trade. Dubisar showed a slideshow of photographs from Sayre’s life, including one image that shows a room with dozens of policy makers, where Sayre is the only woman.

Sayre traveled extensively to countries in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. In 1956, she wrote a three-part series for Farm Journal about her travels and what she saw, including one titled “Trouble in the Land of the Pyramids.”

Dubisar’s talk Thursday was sponsored in part by Humanities Iowa along with the library and museum. Carnegie Historical Museum Research Assistant Charlotte Wright was the one who invited Dubisar said Fairfield Public Library Director Alecs Mickunas gave the museum a long list of possible speakers, and asked which of them would be of interest to Carnegie members to bring to Fairfield for a talk.

“Dubisar's work appealed to me because of my own training in American Studies and women's history,” Wright said. “I also thought the topic dove-tailed quite nicely with the museum's Century Farms interviews and displays, so would appeal to many of the Carnegie's visitors.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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