Louise Frankel Rosenfield Noun (March 7, 1908 – August 23, 2002) was a feminist, social activist, philanthropist, and civil libertarian. An Iowa native, Noun wrote extensively on the history of feminism in Iowa and the United States, writing four books on the subject and an autobiography. As president of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union from 1964 to 1972, she was actively involved and helped fund the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District case. In 1992, she accomplished a long-term goal and co-founded the Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa with activist Mary Louise Smith. In failing health, Noun committed suicide on August 23, 2002. Early life and education Louise Frankel Rosenfield was born on March 7, 1908, in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father, Meyer Rosenfield, was a successful owner of a Younkers department store. Her mother, Rose Frankel Rosenfield, was a community activist who was very involved in the women's suffrage movement in Iowa and was close friends with Flora Dunlap, the president of the Iowa Women's Suffrage Association and the first president of the Iowa League of Women Voters. In a 1985 interview with Howard Simmons, Noun asserted that her father was more reticent and that her mother "ran the show with a firm hand." Both parents were children of German-Jewish immigrants. Louise Rosenfield had two siblings, Ruth and Joseph. Louise Noun attended West High School in Des Moines, attending half-day sessions due to overcrowded conditions. She finished high school at the newly established Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and graduated in 1925. Noun pursued a bachelor's degree at Grinnell College, transferring to Wellesley College for her junior year, but returning to Grinnell upon hearing of her father's declining health. She graduated from Grinnell in 1929, later earning her M.A. in art history and museum management from Radcliffe College, graduating in 1933. Noun briefly attended Drake University Law School in 1967 for one semester. Personal life Marriage and child In 1936, Louise married Maurice "Maurie" Noun, a successful Des Moines dermatologist. After Maurice Noun returned from serving in World War II, the couple adopted a daughter, Susan, in 1946. During these years, Noun worked as a volunteer in community affairs. The couple divorced in 1967. Soon after, Maurice suffered a fatal heart attack. Louise Noun never remarried. Art collection Noun began her art collection at age thirteen when she was given an oil painting