Dr. Margaret Cynthia Warning was born November 1, 1914. She holds a B.S. in English from Morningside College, a B.S. and M.A. in Home Economics from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in Sociology with a minor in Textiles & Clothing from Michigan State University, the latter being granted in 1956. After retirement from the Iowa State University faculty in 1980, she returned to student life and received an additional M.S. in English from Iowa State University in 1988, with special emphasis in creative writing and poetry.
Her early career was as a high school home economics teacher in Snoqualmie, Washington and as an Instructor and Assistant Professor at University of Washington. She was appointed Head of the Textiles and Clothing Department at Iowa State University in 1955 and served in that role until 1973, but always enjoyed teaching more than administration. She taught courses in history of costume and in the social-psychological aspects of dress. She was active in several professional organizations including the American Home Economics Association (now the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences) and the Association of College Teachers of Textiles and Clothing (now the International Textile and Apparel Association). Dr. Warning received the Mary B. Welch Distinguished Professorship in Home Economics at Iowa State University in 1976.
Dr. Warning was interested in international work and was on foreign assignment in Baroda, India in 1961-1963 to assist in establishing a graduate program in textiles and clothing. In 1978 she was a visiting professor at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Throughout her lifetime she traveled widely visiting Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe, continually seeking information about textiles and clothing that she could bring to Iowa State students.
In the 1990s her poems have been published in Lyrical Iowa a volume published by the Iowa Poetry Association. She continues to write and currently resides at Northcrest Retirement Community, Ames, IA.
Margaret Warning is being honored by the Department of Textiles & Clothing,
Iowa State University 7/1/96 |
