Alumni Memories

Richard Freeman

Farm Operations, B.S., 1950

… Nelson Wagaman (Wag) was manager of the Memorial Union Grill for so many years. Unfortuately, Wag passed away in December.

My wife and I both worked for him in the late ’40s, and then two of our daughters worked for him in ’70s. All of us who worked for him loved him, and we had such a family relationship while there. Our “crew” has met several times over the years to reminisce about our experiences while there. I even borrowed his car to go to Nevada for our license to get married in 1949.

Wag helped all of us grow up. He was a very kind and caring person. When I think of Iowa State, he is the one that I think of first, and probably the one who had the most influence on me. Wag was very talented in artistic painting. Many of us have pictures of the Campanile and other pictures that he painted for us.

Postscript: Ellen and I are both retired and living in the Cedar Rapids area (Ellen graduated in 1949 with a B.S. in institutional management). I was a county extension director from Jan. 1956 to Dec. 31, 1987. Ellen was a dietitan for basically the same period.