Shirley Held

Shirley Held, 90, of Ames, passed away June 18, 2014, at Northcrest Communites. Shirley’s wish was to be cremated. Services are pending at this time.

Shirley Elaine Held was born Aug. 21, 1923, to Albert Herbert and Neva Lucille (Royer) Held in Hinton, and grew up near there on the family farm. Following graduation from Hinton High School, she went to Iowa State College where she earned a bachelor’s degree (1945) in home economics education. She taught homemaking in Lake City, LeMars and Humboldt before entering graduate school at Iowa State College in 1951.

After earning her master’s degree in home economics — applied art from Iowa State College in 1952, Shirley was an Assistant Professor of Textiles and Related Arts at Utah State College in Logan, Utah, for a year before returning to Iowa State College. Shirley held a 100 percent teaching appointment at Iowa State from 1953 to her retirement in 1990. She was appointed as assistant professor in 1953, promoted to associate professor in 1963, elected to associate member of graduate faculty in 1966 and promoted to full professor in 1975. Professor Held was awarded a Faculty Citation in 1979.

Shirley was widely known and respected for her weaving accomplishments. She authored the book “Weaving: Handbook for the Fiber Craftsman” (the name was changed to “Weaving: Handbook of the Fiber Crafts” for the second edition). Shirley also had magazine articles published in “Shuttle Spindle &Dyepot” and “Craftsman and Contemporary Craft Art in the World.”

From 1975 to 1980, Shirley served as a consultant for “Shuttle Spindle &Dyepot.” An impressive list of achievements included pieces accepted in over 30 national, regional and state juried exhibitions and competitions with many of the entries receiving awards.

Shirley had numerous entries over the years in both the Iowa Crafts and the Iowa Artists’ Annual competition. She also had pieces in over 20 local, state and regional invitational exhibitions. Her list of commissioned weavings number over a dozen.

In addition to her 37 years of working with students at Iowa State and her innovative work in fiber arts, Shirley advanced the field of weaving by leading workshops, presenting lectures and served as a judge for exhibits.

She conducted research on dyes from native Iowa flora tree blossoms as a source of material for natural dyes and solvents for producing dyes from wood chips. After her retirement, Shirley continued to develop new weaving techniques. Her leadership in the field included serving as president of Ames Weavers and a member of the national scholarship committee for the Handweavers’ Guild of America as well as membership in the American Crafts Council Midwest Weavers and the Iowa Federation of Handweavers and Spinners. Music activities were also important to Shirley. She was a long-time member of the Ames Choral Society as well as the Chancel Choir of Collegiate United Methodist Church. Genealogical research rounded out her busy schedule.

Survivors include her brother, Burnell (Edith) Held, of Fort Collins, Colo.; two sisters, Jacqueline Dirksen, of Monona and Hallie (Charles) O’Kelley, of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and 14 nieces and nephews.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Eugene Held.