Distinguished alumni

Henrietta Van Maanen ’55 Distinguished Service to Humankind

Henrietta Van Maanen earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland. She spent a distinguished career as a USDA extension home economist, often serving low-income families. Her work as an extension district program leader earned her recognition by the National Extension Home Economists, and she was honored as a distinguished alum from the College of Home Economics at Iowa State. Now retired, the resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa, serves in educational settings as a Volunteer in Mission with the Presbyterian Church. Van Maanen travels extensively, often spending months at a time volunteering in locales from North Carolina and New Mexico to Alaska. She has also worked with Habitat for Humanity in Nicaragua; volunteered with Hospice; and served as an elder, deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Award year: 2014