Acknowledgements

“The collections of interviews and [such other documentary material as may be acquired] will be gathered together and organized so that future generations of researchers, scholars, students and private citizens may learn [how and why unions developed in Iowa and the contributions they have made] to Iowa life. The project will add to the historical record, [illuminate] a large cross section of human enterprise and finally, be a gift to all the people of Iowa, now and in perpetuity.”

– Paul Kelso [edited by Ellis Hawley], “Project Explanation and Focus,” August? 1977

Thanks to all the individuals and organizations that have helped to make ILHOP and this website possible:
Between 2018 and 2021, the National Endowment for the Humanities provided $195,000 for transcription and processing of transcription indexes, revision and expansion of the ILHOP Master Transcript Index, and initial website development. Additional funding provided by the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Iowa, the UI’s Office of the Vice President for Research, and the State Historical Society, Inc. of Iowa.

Thanks to the staff at the University of Iowa Libraries for their support. Special thanks to Mark Anderson, Justin Baumgartner, Jennifer Bradshaw, Bethany Davis, Ethan DeGross, Daniel Johnson, Tom Keegan, Jenna Silver, and Janet Weaver for their time, advice, and technical support. Thanks also to Margaret Gamm and to Paul Soderdahl for supporting ILHOP’s collaboration with the libraries.

Likewise, thanks to Mary Bennett, Allison Johnson, Hang Nguyen, and Charles Scott, who maintain and provide access to the physical ILHOP and Iowa Labor collections at the State Historical Society of Iowa’s research center in Iowa City. Thanks also to State Archivist Anthony Jahn, whose administrative support has been crucial to paving the way for ILHOP’s collaboration between SHSI and the UI Libraries.

Thanks to all of our colleagues at the University of Iowa College of Law for their support for ILHOP and the rest of the Labor Center. Special thanks to Kevin Washburn, Cesar Rosado Marzan, and to all our colleagues at the UI’s Center for Human Rights.

Thanks to Mariana Ramirez, Ashley Dorn, Marius Kothor, Dwain Coleman, and Elizabeth Flick for their assistance conducting interviews, and to Ashley Dorn, Janice Laue, Patrick McMillan, Megan McEvoy, Justin Rempe, Ellen Huggins, and John Lyons for all your hard work auditing and editing transcripts. Thanks also to our two Obermann interns, Michael Goldberg and John Tappen, for helping us bring ILHOP to a wider audience.

Thanks to Will Thomson at Armadillo Arts in Iowa City for our wonderful new ILHOP logo. Thanks also to all the other people who took time to review and comment on drafts of website materials, especially Lindsay Mattock, Jaycee Vos, Janet Weaver, and Shel Stromquist.

Thanks to the board of directors, members, and affiliates of the Iowa Labor History Society and to the entire Iowa Labor movement for their support of ILHOP. Special thanks to Ken Sagar, Charlie Wishman, and Peter Hird at the Iowa Federation of Labor for your enduring support. Last, thanks to all the Iowa workers and other people who have contributed their stories to ILHOP over the last four decades. Without you, this project would not have been possible. We hope that this site serves as an enduring reminder of your struggles and triumphs, and as well as a useful tool for new generations of people seeking to build a more just and democratic world.