Idael Childers Makeever (December 7, 1867 – August 23, 1954) was an American poet, songwriter, journalist and clubwoman.

Early life

Idael Childers was born in 1867, in Porter County, Indiana, and educated in Valparaiso, the daughter of George Childers and Tryphena Ida Childers. Her father was a businessman, and her mother was born in Canada.Sharon Meyer, Cobie Ball, and Madeline Sheldon,
Finding aid for Idael Makeever Collection, 1888-1986
' (Valparaiso University Archives & Special Collections). After she was married and had two children in Nebraska, she returned to Indiana to take courses at Valparaiso University.

Career

Makeever taught school in Indiana for several years as a young woman. She published two books of her poetry: ''Prairie Flowers and Meadow Grasses'' (1889) and ''Golden Rod and Dialect Poems'' (1898). She read her poem "Nebraska" at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, in 1898. Makeever's poem "I'm Going Home" was included in a 1902 collection of Indiana writers' works. "She took up the unsung themes of the West," commented one profile in 1902. "In the broad prairies," noted another, "her poetic nature blossomed and flowered, and the notes of her songs mingled with the music of the meadowlark." Makeever was an active member of the

Western Association of Writers The Western Association of Writers was an American writers' organization founded in Indiana. It enrolled among its members men and women who were early or seasoned in their careers. Founding In 1885, a few ambitious Indiana writers agitated the ide ...

. Makeever also wrote song lyrics, including "The Dream Face" (1909, music by Blanche M. Tice). During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she worked as a reporter for Omaha newspapers. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was a newspaper columnist in Colorado, and worked at

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...

in Utah.

Personal life

Idael Makeever married lawyer and mining executive Milton Alexander Makeever in 1889; with him, she moved to

Stromsburg, Nebraska Stromsburg is a city in Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,028 as per the 2020 census. History Stromsburg was settled early in Nebraska history. A group of Swedish settlers from the town of Ockelbo arrived in the 1860 ...

, where their two daughters, Merle and Iva Lee, were born in 1889 and 1894. She moved to

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

in 1902, while her husband was working at a gold mine in Mexico. She was widowed in 1940, and she died in 1954, aged 86 years, in

Loveland, Colorado The City of Loveland is the home rule municipality that is the second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is the 14th most populous city ...

. Her papers are archived at Valparaiso University in Indiana.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makeever, Idael 1867 births 1954 deaths People from Porter County, Indiana People from Stromsburg, Nebraska American women in World War I American women civilians in World War II Valparaiso University people American women poets Poets from Nebraska Songwriters from Nebraska Songwriters from Indiana 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American poets 20th-century American poets American women columnists 19th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists 20th-century American journalists Journalists from Indiana Journalists from Nebraska Poets from Indiana American people of Canadian descent 19th-century American women journalists