PICKEN, Kathleen (1950-2023)

PICKEN

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 4/29/2023 at 11:23:12

Kathleen "Kitty" Picken
(December 7, 1950 - March 3, 2023)

Kathleen “Kitty” Picken was born in Chicago, IL in 1950. She was adopted by a loving couple, Robert and Doris Picken, who owned the Peerless Confection Company, the company that produced the original, ever-popular “starlight” mints. They gave their little girl every advantage that the Hyde Park neighborhood near the University of Chicago had to offer. When Kitty was 3, she broke a leg and Doris took her to the Oriental Institute on the University’s campus because it was wheelchair accessible. By the time she was 4, she had already given her first tour of the Oriental Institute. After Doris died in 1975, Bob married Rita Tallent, who shared Kitty’s passion for the Oriental Institute. When the Institute began its docent training program, Kitty and Rita were the first to sign up.Kitty’s dedication to the Oriental Institute never waned. She developed a particular interest in Nubia, ancient Egypt’s southern neighbor. In the 2000s, Kitty and Rita funded the Institute’s permanent gallery dedicated to Nubia, the Robert F. Picken Family Nubian Gallery, which remains the only permanent gallery dedicated to this ancient African civilization anywhere in the United States. Through her interest in Nubia, Kitty established a partnership with University of Michigan archeologist Geoff Emberling. Kitty encouraged Geoff to begin a new field project in Sudan on the ancient empire of Kush, offering financial, intellectual, and moral support. Her continuing support of his excavations led to more collaborative archeological practices that included Sudanese colleagues and engaged the local communities. Her passion for archaeology and education inspired the establishment of an archaeology major at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. She loved to meet with the students and share her stories and experiences with them. Kitty was embraced by the Berea community and happily traveled abroad with students from many programs, participating in tours of Ireland, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia. A lifelong world traveler and former professional tour guide, Kitty had many more trips planned, including repeat trips to Great Britain and Iceland. Kitty’s family shared a love of music and a desire to support the performing arts. Kitty endowed the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, a building affectionately called “The Rita.” This endowment includes tuition assistance for hundreds of students. She was delighted to have Des Moines Metro Opera close at hand, attending productions every summer and hosting DMMO artistic director Michael Egel for regular dinners at her home. Kitty also was a member of the President’s Society at Simpson College and enjoyed attending the operas performed by the students. Kitty was also an avid player of the recorder and play at local events in Indianola. In addition to her other pursuits, Kitty was passionate about the history of Indianola, where her Picken and Piffer ancestors arrived in the 1850s. Kitty especially admired her grandmother, Emma Piffer Picken, who was widowed early in her marriage and taught school in Indianola for most of her life. Emma’s father established what Kitty called the “Home Place,” the farm that Kitty visited often as a child. After Rita’s death, Kitty retired to Indianola and felt she had really come home. She joined the Warren County Historical Society and enthusiastically helped with several exhibits while also researching the history of her family in the area. She arranged for film and photos of the Picken family’s century farm to be used in the sets of DMMO’s inaugural production of A Thousand Acres. Kitty had a gift for making friends wherever she was. She had an open, generous spirit and used the services of generations of dogs to create bonds with her neighbors. As one of her friends said, “We loved Kitty, even when she did kooky things or changed her mood. She was Kitty—unique, unfettered, and original.” Another friend, noting the destruction of her condominium on Sanibel Island, remarked, “The lighthouse on Sanibel was just finally relit for the first time since the storm. It seems like perfect timing—symbolizing the light Kitty brought into so many people’s lives!” Kitty will be missed by many relatives in the Indianola, Iowa area and would like us to particularly remember her cousin Steve Piffer and his wife Darcy and Steve’s son Joe. Others who will never understand how Kitty could have left us so soon include dozens of dogs, hundreds of friends centered around Kenosha, WI, Chicago, and Indianola, and thousands of museum visitors across the world. Kitty will be buried in Indianola near her beloved grandmother Emma. A celebration of her life will be held on April 29 at 3:30 p.m., here in Indianola. The place is yet to be determined. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 3:30 p.m., April 29, 2023 in the Pote Theatre in Blank Performing Arts Center, Simpson College Campus. Memorial contributions can be made to one of the organizations closest to Kitty’s heart: the Oriental Institute, the Kelsey Archaeological Museum at the University of Michigan, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and Warren County Historical Society. [This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/]