Leona Wilcox was born in Osceola, Iowa, in 1891. She attended high school there and a newspaper report for 1908 noted her absence from the 11th grade for a week due to illness. After graduation, she may have taught elementary school for a few years before she enrolled at Drake University.
In 1922, Wilcox became a charter member of Alpha Sigma Alpha’s Iota Iota chapter. She was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Kappa Delta Pi. After graduating from Drake, she began teaching. She also did graduate work at Columbia University during summer vacations.
Wilcox served Alpha Sigma Alpha as a member of the Board of Supervisors on Standards and as Secretary from 1928 until 1936. On November 17, 1932, she was a speaker at the Founders’ Day banquet at the Grace Ransom Tea Room, which was located on the second floor above Walgreens at the southwest corner of Locust and Seventh Streets. Her topic was the “Early Founders of Alpha Sigma Alpha.”
For 42 years, Wilcox worked for the Des Moines, Iowa, school district. In 1934, she was Assistant Principal at Byron Rice School. That fall, she coordinated a production of Peter Pan. She did the scenery, costumes, and all incidental work. It was a resounding success. From 1936 until 1960, when she retired, she was Principal of Wallace School. It was located at 1404 East 13th Street.
A fellow Alpha Sigma Alpha said of Wilcox, “That she does her work faithfully and well is already known.” Wilcox was a member of P.E.O. and the Iowa State History Association. She died in November of 1979.
