Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | spring 1999

SPRING 1999
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Cover Story:
The Bells of Iowa State

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Driving Dr. Carver

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MARTHA-ELLEN'S MUSIC

The phrase "patron of the arts" brings forth a certain image. A pearl bedecked heiress, perhaps, who carries white gloves in one hand, opera glasses in another.

But those who knew Martha-Ellen Tye will say, “Wrong! New image required!” Tye was not just an observer of the arts; she was a participant who invested in communities, young people, and ideas. Tye, who took up bike riding at age 70 and once performed as a singing washerwoman in a local Marshalltown production, found a unique way to connect with budding, young opera singers.

For 20 years, she volunteered at a music camp for young people in Graz, Austria. The Marshalltown millionaire’s lodging was an unairconditioned dorm room; her job was delivering mail to the students and instructors. But her two-month stay at the American Institute for Musical Studies gave her tremendous joy, say her friends.

Tye, who died in May 1998, was known worldwide for her generosity to the arts. Her most recent $1.5 million gift to Iowa State University has provided for a performing arts scholarship endowment; renovation of the sound and lighting system in Music Hall’s recital hall, recently named the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall; and an Institute, coordinated by the Iowa State Center, which will present and support education and outreach programs in the performing arts.

‘A remarkable woman’
Martha-Ellen Tye’s gift is part of Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best, the largest private fund-raising effort in the history of Iowa State.

“Mrs. Tye was a remarkable woman,” said ISU President Martin Jischke. “Her gift has tremendous potential to broaden Iowa State’s academic reputation in the arts. It exemplifies Mrs. Tye’s lifelong desire to keep the arts alive and to benefit youth.”

About the Writer | Karol Crosbie is the former associate editor of VISIONS magazine.