News : 1st Female Benton County Supervisor, Hope Rogers' Story Brings Recognition

Although Hope Rogers passed away nearly a year and a half ago in Vinton, her story continues to be told. Winning the George Mills Louise Noun Popular History Award, Michael Schreiber received a Certificate of Recognition for "The Hope Rogers Story: From Mental Illness . . . to Making a Difference," published in The Iowa Source, in May 2024.

The award recognized individuals, organizations, and communities who have made outstanding contributions to the study, practice, and preservation of Iowa history. Nine distinct awards with varying criteria are presented annually by the State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees.

Schreiber said, "I was so pleased and proud to accept a 2025 George Mills and Louise Noun Popular History Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines on June 26th! I received a wonderfully unexpected certificate of recognition for my article, "The Hope Rogers Story," which was originally published in the May 2024 issue of The Iowa Source." He continued, "It was an absolute honor and joy to know the remarkable Hope Sankot Rogers (1924-2023) in the final years of her long, extraordinary life. The grandniece of Frank Lloyd Wright, Hope rose from being a hardscrabble Iowa farmwife to a trailblazing politician who bravely, publicly revealed her journey through a past mental health crisis. I am working now on publishing a newly expanded version of Hope's powerfully and beautifully-written memoir Time and the Human Robot. This little award provides some mighty encouragement!"

Schreiber and his husband owned a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in northeastern Iowa until 2022. Shortly after they gave a "virtual talk" (via Zoom) for the Iowa Architectural Foundation in 2021 in support of their book, This American House: Frank Lloyd Wright's Meier House and the American System-Built Homes. Schreiber said that "Mary and Hope reached out to introduce themselves, and we all became fast friends. I was certainly interested to learn about their family connection to Wright (Hope was his grandniece), but in reading Hope's memoir, Time and the Human Robot, which details her journey through a mental health crisis as a young woman, I was completely astounded by how beautifully and compellingly written it was. I was lucky enough to then have rich conversations with her about her life before, during, and after that time. Hers is a story of self-empowerment that is nothing short of remarkable, courageous, and inspiring. My article provides just a brief introduction to it all."

Hope was also featured on Vinton Today Hope Rogers, relative of Frank Lloyd Wright, shares family stories in new book

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