Margo Frankel

Margo K. Frankel
Cornelius Amory Pugsley Bronze Medal Award, 1932
Margo K. Frankel (1870-1948) received the Pugsley Bronze Medal "for her services in extending the Iowa State Park system." By the end of nineteenth century, Iowans no longer could ignore the destruction that had accompanied the state's first fifty years of statehood. In the process of building a strong farm economy, stable industries, growing cities, and an efficient transportation system, many of the natural features and resources of the land were ravaged. Visionary leaders began to call for protecting some of the remaining natural heritage. Margo Frankel was one of those outstanding visionaries.
Frankel was married to Henry Frankel who was a prominent business leader in the Des Moines community. Her social standing in Iowa gave her access to the leading political, education and media people in the state, and she used it to advance the cause of conservation. By 1920, Frankel was in leadership roles with the Des Moines Garden Club, Audubon Society, and the Greater Des Moines Committee. One of her early initiatives as chairman of the Garden Club was to beautify the grounds of Des Moines' schools. She contacted Dr. Louis Pammel who was head of the botany department at Iowa State College requesting him to produce "pamphlets entitled, Native shrubs of Iowa, Iowa Birches and Maples, also material on Iowa trees. I have a number of your pamphlets but find them too technical for use in the grade schools."
Frankel intended to have students initiate plantings in the school grounds and use the exercise as a platform for them to learn more about Iowa's trees, shrubs and flowers. This program established a strong bond with Dr. Pammel, who responded enthusiastically to her request and expanded it to include classroom presentations and field trips for students and their teachers. In many ways Pammel became her mentor and was a source of inspiration for Frankel. In return, Pammel had considerable respect for Frankel's opinions, knowledge and ability, and he valued the influence she wielded both in the community and in political circles.
The conservation movement in Iowa was begun in earnest by two botanists, Thomas McBride of the University of Iowa and Louis Pammel of Iowa State College. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of the Iowa State Board of Conservation in 1917 and three years later the dedication of Backbone, Iowa's first state park.
McBride and Pammel found powerful allies in the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs (IFWC). Leaders in this group exerted a strong influence in political circles because most of them, like Margo Frankel, were married to prosperous business and professional men. The visible role of women surfaced in 1922 when May McNider was appointed to the five member board, where she served until she gave up her seat in 1926. Margo Frankel was appointed her successor and joined the board in 1927, soon after Pammel had retired. Although four other women subsequently served on the board, none of them assumed a leadership position that equaled Frankel's. One of her colleagues on the board observed, "Mrs Frankel takes hold of the work with great enthusiasm."
In 1930, when the Devil's Backbone area was renamed and dedicated as Pammel State Park, it was Frankel who coordinated the program. Her thoughtfulness and vision brought Willaim Trelease to the ceremony. Trelease, who had been Pammel's mentor for years, came from Illinois to surprise the guest of honor. Frankel also had the acumen to ask Jay Darling, Pammel's conservation successor, to give the keynote speech. Yet, Frankel's major contribution to conservation was still five years away.
The push for conservation continued to gather momentum. In 1931 the Iowa State General Assembly directed the State Board of Conservation (the parks agency) to join with the State Fish and Game Commission (which oversaw wildlife management) to prepare a twenty-five year conservation plan that would serve as a blueprint for the "orderly and scientific development of natural resources, recreational areas and park systems of the whole state." Given that this was a time when the farm economy was suffering and much of the country was sliding into the Great Depression, this was a remarkable commitment to conservation, and Frankel was one of those at the forefront of the effort. The plan was published in 1933 and many of its ambitious recommendations were implemented. Indeed, the 1933 plan became a catalyst for conservation in Iowa.
In 1935, the state legislature acted on one of the recommendations and merged the Board of Conservation with the Fish and Game Commission. The new entity was called the State Conservation Commission (or alternately the Iowa Conservation Commission). When the governor appointed the new Commission's first seven members, Margo Frankel was the only Board of Conservation member appointed to the new body, and she was also the only woman. Furthermore, as the senior representative from either board she was appointed the Iowa Conservation Commission's first chairman.
As chair, Frankel held tremendous influence over the state park system. All development plans for state parks originated and were approved by the Commission, but it was Frankel who was chiefly responsible for approving the design and construction plans. Since Frankel handled park design matters, it was her influence that led to the high design and construction standards in Iowa parks. Her expertise was such that other board members deferred to her judgment.
Frankel retired from the Commission in 1937, leaving behind a remarkable legacy. During her involvement with the IFWC, the State Board of Conservation, and the State Conservation Commission, Iowa served as a model to other states for conservation. In 1925, the state was ranked fourth in terms of number of state parks. By 1931, a total of forty properties were under state jurisdiction as parks and wildlife preserves. After her retirement, Frankel continued to devote time and energy to developing state parks. For example, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, she assisted her successor, Louise Parker, in acquiring the land that would later become Effigy Mounds National Monument.
At the time of her death in 1948, Henry Frankel, donated a small tract of woodland on the (then) outskirts of Des Moines and named it Margo Frankel Woods. It was a fitting memorial for a woman who gave so much to conservation.
Sources:
Conrad, R. (1997). Place of Quiet Beauty: Parks, Preserves, and Environmentalism. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources. (2002). Portrait of the Land. [World Wide Web]. Found at, (http://www.state.ia.us/government/dnr/portrait/4call/calls.htm). February 2, 2002