DP Retires

Iowa Wesleyan University honored one of its’ own Friday night. Dr. Delores Graf Poulter Wilson came to the Mount Pleasant University as a student and stayed to share her knowledge for 60 years. Her retirement party was planned before the University announced it would close May 31. But she wanted to gather anyway to celebrate the community that welcomed her all those years ago.  The Howe Student Activity Center Social Hall was filled with former students, faculty and staff, community members and friends. DP, as she is so fondly called, greeted all her guests sharing many stories of the years she taught all things science at Iowa Wesleyan. A lot of those stories were about the legendary field trips with DP including one that lasted ten weeks. That went one included Hawaii. Former student and science teacher Alan Peck spoke sharing his mentor’s trick for staying awake while driving on those field trips….holding an unlit pipe in her mouth.  If she started to doze off the pipe would drop bringing her attention back to the road! Peck said he told students  that if they couldn’t eat it, wear it or sleep in it then don’t bring it on the trip. DP is known for 20 hour work days. She said in retirement she will do what she wants, when she wants.  But she does plan to stay busy on her family farm including renovating the farm house.  Her dream is to turn it into a retreat that will take visitors back in time to a simpler way of living and let them experience her favorite classroom…the great outdoors.