Wheat
Mary Agnes Wheat was born on April 24, 1911, in Marshalltown, Iowa, the daughter of Clark Wilbur Wheat and Lena May Hill Wheat. She was educated in rural schools and at New Hampton High School. Her early family life included several siblings, and her later years combined academic work with family responsibilities. She married Murvel H. Hanawalt on June 2, 1934; after his death in 1948, she married Billy Van Graves on June 24, 1960.
Graves attended rural schools and New Hampton High School before entering Iowa State Teachers College, now the University of Northern Iowa. She received an A.B. from the college in 1931. She then pursued graduate study at the State University of Iowa, receiving an M.A. in 1933 and a Ph.D. in 1935. Her doctoral work included a thesis on Spenser's imagery, and she undertook additional postgraduate study at the State University of Iowa during the 1941–1942 academic year.
Graves began her professional career as a teacher in the public schools of Iowa and Kansas after completing her undergraduate degree in 1931. One documented early appointment was at Ireton Public Schools. From 1942 to 1945 she worked at the State University of Iowa, first as an instructor and then as director of its extension division. She subsequently joined Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne, later Wayne State Teachers College, where she taught English, became professor of English, and served as chair of the English department during the late 1940s. In the autumn of 1949 she returned to the University of Northern Iowa, then Iowa State Teachers College, as a member of the Department of English Languages and Literature. She became an associate professor of English and remained on the university staff until illness led to disability leave in 1965. Her teaching and scholarly interests included Spenser, Chaucer, myth in contemporary literature, modern writings and violence, and the major British writers. She died at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, on October 18, 1968.
Graves belonged to the American Association of University Professors, the American Association of University Women, the Iowa College Conference on English, the Modern Language Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Education Association, the Iowa State Education Association, Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Omega Pi, and Sigma Tau Delta.
American Association of University Professors , United States
American Association of University Women , United States
Iowa College Conference on English , United States
Modern Language Association , United States
National Council of Teachers of English , United States
National Education Association , United States
Iowa State Education Association , United States
Kappa Delta Pi , United States
Pi Omega Pi , United States
Sigma Tau Delta , United States
Colleagues remembered Graves for her perceptive and patient concern for students, her generosity with time and encouragement, and her wise good humor. A university memorial described her as a teacher who sought out students' abilities and encouraged both gifted and less experienced learners to develop them.
Quotes from others about the person
Louise Forest wrote that Graves' influence survived in the memories and lives of the people she touched. University tributes emphasized her dedicated teaching, her understanding of students, and her sustained concern for their intellectual development.
Graves was the daughter of Clark Wilbur Wheat and Lena May Hill Wheat. She was first married to Murvel H. Hanawalt, who died in 1948, and later married Billy Van Graves, who survived her. She had two children, Patricia and David, and two grandchildren. Her family established a memorial fund at the University of Northern Iowa, and the university later named an English scholarship in her memory.
