Kate Stevens Harpel M D

HARPEL

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/8/2010 at 17:07:26

Mrs Kate Stevens Harpel, the wife of Llewellyn V Harpel, who is mentioned in the preceding sketch, is successfully engaged in medical practice in Boone. She was born near Springfield, McHenry county, Illinois October 22, 1867 and is a daughter of Asher M and Johanna (Chesley) Stevens. Her paternal grandmother, who in her maidenhood was Miss Julia Kellogg, was a granddaughter of an officer of the American Revolution and a member of the Kellogg family whose history in both this country and Great Britain has been so well written.
Mrs Harpel of this review was but six months of age when her family removed to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, later settling on a farm in Owen township, which is still owned by members of the family. Her mother died in 1878, leaving seven children, the youngest of whom was three years old. Kate, with an older sister, did the housework for the family, attending at the same time the district school. At the age of fifteen she went to Mason City for the purpose of attending high school, by permission of her family, but without means or assistance except that she had a place where she would work for her board and expenses. Despite this outside work she covered a double course in tow years, graduating with in that period from a four years’ course and at the head of her class. She was immediately offered a position in the Mason City pubic schools and taught fifth grade pupils until 1887 when she entered the Iowa State College, having saved the means to defray one years’ expenses from her teaching. The other three years of her college course were cared for by what she was able to earn while teaching during the winters and by service as assistant college librarian. In 1890 she received the degree of Bachelor of Letters, ranking second in a class of forty-four. The college commencement being held in November she taught the balance of the school year in the Marshalltown public schools and the next year acted as principal of the Webster City high school.
In July 1892, Miss Stevens was united in marriage to Llewellyn V Harpel, an attorney at law, and they lived in Perry she filled for six months a vacancy as high school teacher and served for three years by popular election on the board of education, assisting in organizing the Wednesday Study Club, which is still inexistence. Having received a doctors degree from the medical department of Drake University, where she was matriculated, she began the regular practice of medicine in 1903 and has ever since been very successful as a physician. She is careful in diagnosis and has made few mistakes, if any. Many are those who have come to her and who have found relief by reason of her treatments. To her professional and home duties she has also added church work in the Universalist church and Sunday school and club work, being an organizer of the Outlook Club and serving for two years as its president. She is moreover active in the Political Equality Club, the Civic League and the Iowa Women’s Medical Association and is a past commander of the Ladies of the Maccabees and a past worthy matron of the Eastern Star. Mrs Harpel has been of utmost value to he community, being a leader in all movements which are undertaken for the betterment of mankind. She is a noble representative of American womanhood, and although she is active in so many public and semi public capacities, she has not lost a particle of that sweet womanhood of which we all are so proud.

1914 Boone County History Book