HYDE, Mabel Alberta (CARLILE)

FISHER, CARLILE, HYDE, BRIGGS

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/16/2016 at 02:03:48

BIOGRAPHY ~ MABEL ALBERTA (CARLILE) HYDE
Lamoni, Iowa

Mabel Alberta (Carlile) Hyde was born on February 5, 1896 in Underwood, Iowa, the daughter of Isaac Jr. and Lucinda E. (Fisher) Carlile. She was one of the key leaders in developing the public school music curriculum at Graceland.

Mabel began learning to play the piano through lessons by her mother and gave her first recital at the age of five. She attended Graceland during the 1918-19 school year and then taught music for two years at the Lamoni Public School system. Just after receiving her public school music diploma from Des Moines University, Mabel accepted President George N. Briggs to join Graceland's faculty in the fall of 1921 to teach voice lessons and to develop a public school music department. After joining the faculty, Mabel quickly placed Graceland's music department on an accredited academic basis. She also developed a musical attitude on campus.

Mabel was probably best known for her long tenure as director of the A Cappella Chorus, which she organized in 1923.

She continued her education at Iowa State Teachers College, obtained her bachelor's degree in music education in 1928, and her master's degree in education in 1936, both from the Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois. In 1929, Mabel was the founder and director of the Lamoni-Graceland Oratorio Society, perhaps the largest regular choir in the State of Iowa at that time. In the spring of 1928, the choir consisted of 150 voices and an orchestra of 30 pieces, performing their annual rendition of The Messiah. Mabel returned to teaching at Graceland in 1943 and remained on the faculty until 1945. She served on Graceland's Post-War Planning Committee in 1943.

Mabel left Graceland to stay at home with her daughter. She did however return to Graceland in 1955 [1956 by some accounts] and taught part-time music literature and conductor of the Chapel Choir. Graceland's musical pioneer retired in 1961 with emerita status, the first woman in the college to receive that honor. Mabel dedicated nearly thirty years of directing, coaching, teaching and creating in the musical area.

Always interested in dramatics, Mabel was responsible for "makeup" for a good many years as well as carrying an occasional part on stage herself.

Charles L. Hyde was born in Nebraska on November 16, 1883. He served as Mayor of Lamoni for 1947 to 1949. He died at age 86 years on August 16, 1970. Mabel died at Lamoni on April 23, 1988. They were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa.

SOURCES:

"About Our Town." Lamoni, Iowa Semi-Centennial: 1879-1929. 1929.

Hy-Vee Food Stores: The Early Years in Lamoni
Edwards, Paul M. "The Hilltop Where . . . An Informal History of Graceland College." Pp. 92, 156-57. Venture Foundation. Lamoni IA. 1972.

Goehner, David. “The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z.” p. 418. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997.

Rose Hill Cemetery transciption

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2016

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen