WEST DES MOINES , Iowa - The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) will celebrate the "Iowa Girl" as part of its celebration of the 100th Girls State Basketball Tournament in Iowa by honoring former student-athletes from its earliest days as an organization. Over 75 women age 90 and older will be honored along with the Oldest Known Living Iowa Girl, Velma Maxine McCool.

Last December, the IGHSAU launched an online campaign in search of the "Oldest Known Living Iowa Girl" with the intention of celebrating the trail-blazers of the early six-on-six player game as part of the 100th Girls State Tournament. Over the course of the next month, nearly 150 nominations were received from friends and family of former high school basketball players, all including stories and memories of the early game of girls basketball in Iowa.

"The stories and memories that these Iowa Girls shared in their nominations were wonderful to receive", says IGHSAU Executive Director, Jean Berger. "This campaign has brought our organization tangible links to the past and has been a fantastic complement to the 100th Tournament celebration."

Of the 75 women to be honored, 28 will make the trip to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for a special halftime ceremony during the 4A Championship game on Saturday, March 2nd. A special video board segment will celebrate those that are unable to attend.

"At the Girls Union we say, 'Once an Iowa Girl, Always an Iowa Girl'", says Berger. "There is no better way to celebrate the 100th Girls State Basketball than by celebrating the women from the early years of the IGHSAU."

A full list of the women being recognized and their respective high school is below.

Name (Age Order, Oldest First)School
Velma Maxine McCoolBayard
Dorothy Barker SordenMillersburg Consolidated
Beatrice WhiteUnionville High School
Leona "Maxine" Coffin FischerAlleman
Margie Kendrick FritzNew Market
Wyona WilliamsCasey
Dena Logli RandolphAnkeny
Dorothy MooreAyrshire
Thelma L. (Harness) ElijahClarence
Wilma Moore CornwellAnkeny
Linda KeyAnita
Margaret May (Gade) FuhrmanOwasa,
Janell Spencer HinesCumberland
Viola Ruth KoenenAlexander Consolidated
Esther Collins ChambersDallas Center
Anna "Ann" Mae (Robertson) SteelmanHubbard
Kathryn (Ostercamp) BrouwerAplington
Joyce WilkenWall Lake
Janet Hendrickson KleinRichland
Darlene (Wilson) ScarDexter
Edith Arlene SandersGibson
Betty NeighborToddville
Marie Howard BallardAnkeny
Virginia HarringtonFarragut
Vicky Anderson BergstromOlds
Juanita SchubertRock Falls
Mary Ann Ruzicka-CoryElkhart
Marge (Caboth) RandolArmstrong
Maxine (Sieler) NobleWesley
Vera ErpeldingWesley
Charlotte Weltha KoenigsbergRandall
Myra Lugene Hendrickson KriegerRichland
Elaine SorensonLake Center
Tina Gioffredi BattaniAnkeny High
Reva Caster DostalUnion
June (Hasley) WilliamsSearsboro
Louise Tolander UnkrichOlds
Lorraine Laidley EddyRockwell
Lois (Brokaw) BrownLenox
Jean BloomHamilton & Bussey
Alice Elizabeth Welton BarnardCedar
Barb BloomNorthboro
Dorothy (Hadacek) HayekClutier
Leone Ellen (Monk) LarsonRuthven Consolidated
Wanda DunsbergenLynnville
Harriet Irene BruggemanHartwick
Dolores RawsonNorway
Hazel Irene Van Horn Banwart-GoffRodman
Mae Dean Blair FriskAnkeny
Grace EricksonPlover
La Ora Steele MilesFremont
Marjorie Elaine JohnsonIreton
Wilma BakerWinterset
Betty (Looft) OpsalArmstrong
Mary Irene (Scebold) KenyonMissouri Valley
Verneil "Tootie" Arlene (Steffens) SteinesLowden
Jeanne JonesRuthven
Doris Davis RisenhooverHedrick
Marlis Nadine Oehlert-AmesSheffield
Laura SlachWest Branch
Colleen David KinnickCoon Rapids
Helen (Harrison) ThompsonMaxwell
Betty HartwigDunlap
Elnora Steele NorrisFremont
Ruth Richie BelichLansing
Eleanor AlexPerry
Barbara Jean HicklinLacy
Erna Horstmann BrendesLowden
Dolores M Perdue SwopeLewis
Thea LeslieCenter Point
Mona Jean McLuen SellmanGuthrie Center
Delores Alvina (Yaddof) WulfGooselake
Venetah Andrews TubaughMoravia
Lois Mae (Whitman) DieckmannCalamus
Virginia Lee Stewart MooreLacey
Joann SlagterCedar Consolidated

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ABOUT THE IGHSAU

The IGHSAU is the only state activity association in the nation solely devoted to promoting, directing and regulating interscholastic athletics for junior high and high school girls. Our mission is to govern fair, safe and sportsmanlike interscholastic competition that emphasizes the educational enhancement of all of participants.

The IGHSAU sanctions 10 sports for Iowa girls. This website helps provide athletes, coaches and administrators news, information, forms, policies, guidelines, rules, scores, schedules and more to aid in the promotion and success of every Iowa Girl.