Dixie Cornell Gebhardt
| Dixie Cornell Gebhardt | |
|---|---|
Dixie Cornell Gebhardt in about 1917.
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| Born |
Dixie Cornell November 18, 1866 Knoxville, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 1955 (aged 88) Knoxville Iowa, U.S. |
| Known for | Designer of Iowa State flag |
| Spouse(s) | George Tullis Gebhardt |
Dixie Cornell Gebhardt (November 18, 1866 – October 16, 1955) was a state regent and secretary of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Iowa during World War I, and designed the flag for the state of Iowa.
At the beginning of the war, Iowa had no state flag, and such a flag would have been expected to be carried by regiments from that state. (As the war progressed, however, it became obvious that regiments comprising men from individual states would no longer be formed.) Gebhardt's flag design was chosen from among several submissions by Governor William L. Harding and the Iowa Council on National Defense. It became the official flag of the state in 1921.
Dixie Cornell was born "Jim Dick Cornell" on November 18, 1866, in Knoxville, Iowa to Dr. Norman Riley Cornell and Mary Fletcher Timmonds. Her father, pioneer Knoxville physician who served as an army surgeon in the American Civil War with the Iowa Infantry, named his three daughters after his trotting horses, "Iowa Belle," "Jim Dick," and "Jackie." According to her obituary, her mother called her "Dixie" for the south-land and her Green Valley home in Kentucky, perhaps at Dixie's urging since, according to her nephews she did not care for her given name. Friends and relatives also referred to her as "Dickie."
With the exception of a year spent at the Visitation School for Girls in Ottumwa, Iowa in 1883, she lived all her life in Knoxville. She taught briefly after graduating from Knoxville Public Schools in 1885, but returned home to care for her aging parents. On March 20, 1887, she became a member of Knoxville's Chapter M of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an international women's organization. During her long membership, she served as chapter president, and also held offices in the state and supreme chapters.
In June 1900 she married George Tullis Gebhardt.
Originally a member of Abigail Adams Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (Des Moines), Gebhardt became the organizer and charter member of Mary Marion Chapter of DAR (Knoxville) in 1917. She served as Iowa DAR Recording Secretary (1913-1916), State Regent (1916-1918), and later as a DAR Genealogist at Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. (dates unknown).
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