Hilda Neihardt
Encyclopedia
Hilda Neihardt was one of her father John G. Neihardt's "comrades in adventure," and at the age of 15 accompanied him as "official observer" to meetings with Black Elk
, the Lakota holy man whose life stories were the basis for her father's book, Black Elk Speaks
and for her own later works.
She was born in Bancroft, Nebraska
, on December 6, 1916, to her writer father and sculptress mother. In 1920 her extended family moved to Branson, Missouri
, in the Ozark Mountains, then to Springfield and on to St. Louis in Missouri
as her father's work changed.
Hilda Neihardt attended Southwest Missouri State Teachers' College
in Springfield, Missouri, and Wayne State College
in Wayne, Nebraska and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After graduation, she worked for the Swiss Consulate in St. Louis, Missouri
. In 1944, she left the Consulate to join the WAVES. While in the service, she sang with the Ray Charles Orchestra on the "Waves on Parade" radio program broadcast from Hunter College in New York City. At her request she transferred to Pasco, Washington, where she served as a control tower operator.
She married Albert J. Petri, April 4, 1944. They had three children: Gail, Robin, and Coralie. (Her son, Robin, took the Neihardt surname and used Petri as his middle name.)
In 1960, she entered the University of Missouri
Law School, graduating with a JD degree in 1963. She was the first woman to practice law in central Missouri. During her years in Columbia, Neihardt was instrumental in obtaining the land and doing the legal work for the creation of the Rock Bridge State Park in Columbia, Missouri
.
After retiring from her law practice, Neihardt became very active in promoting her father's works. She wrote The End of the Dream and other Stories and The Giving Earth as compilations that are representative of all Neihardt's writings. She authored "Black Elk Speaks and Flaming Rainbow" her personal memoirs of Black Elk and John Neihardt, and edited Black Elk Lives: Conversations with the Black Elk Family with Lori Utecht. Her last book, The Broidered Garment: The Love Story of Mona Martinsen and John G. Neihardt, was about her parents.
Hilda Neihardt received the first Word Sender Award from the John G. Neihardt Foundation in 1999. Her book, Black Elk Lives, was the non-fiction winner of the 2001 Nebraska Book Awards Program sponsored by The Nebraska Center for the Book. A special ceremony awarding her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Wayne State College was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 23, 2004.
Black Elk
Heȟáka Sápa was a famous Wičháša Wakȟáŋ of the Oglala Lakota . He was Heyoka and a second cousin of Crazy Horse.-Life:...
, the Lakota holy man whose life stories were the basis for her father's book, Black Elk Speaks
Black Elk Speaks
Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story and spirituality of Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux medicine man or shaman. It was based on conversations by Black Elk with the author and translated from Lakota into English by Black Elk's son, Ben...
and for her own later works.
She was born in Bancroft, Nebraska
Bancroft, Nebraska
Bancroft is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.John Neihardt, who later became Nebraska's poet laureate, lived in Bancroft for twenty years and wrote many of his works there. His study is preserved at the John G...
, on December 6, 1916, to her writer father and sculptress mother. In 1920 her extended family moved to Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, in the Ozark Mountains, then to Springfield and on to St. Louis in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
as her father's work changed.
Hilda Neihardt attended Southwest Missouri State Teachers' College
Missouri State University
Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
in Springfield, Missouri, and Wayne State College
Wayne State College
Wayne State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Wayne, Nebraska. The current enrollment is 3,571. The college opened as a State Normal School in 1910 after the State purchased the private Nebraska Normal College . The State Normal College became State...
in Wayne, Nebraska and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
After graduation, she worked for the Swiss Consulate in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1944, she left the Consulate to join the WAVES. While in the service, she sang with the Ray Charles Orchestra on the "Waves on Parade" radio program broadcast from Hunter College in New York City. At her request she transferred to Pasco, Washington, where she served as a control tower operator.
She married Albert J. Petri, April 4, 1944. They had three children: Gail, Robin, and Coralie. (Her son, Robin, took the Neihardt surname and used Petri as his middle name.)
In 1960, she entered the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
Law School, graduating with a JD degree in 1963. She was the first woman to practice law in central Missouri. During her years in Columbia, Neihardt was instrumental in obtaining the land and doing the legal work for the creation of the Rock Bridge State Park in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
.
After retiring from her law practice, Neihardt became very active in promoting her father's works. She wrote The End of the Dream and other Stories and The Giving Earth as compilations that are representative of all Neihardt's writings. She authored "Black Elk Speaks and Flaming Rainbow" her personal memoirs of Black Elk and John Neihardt, and edited Black Elk Lives: Conversations with the Black Elk Family with Lori Utecht. Her last book, The Broidered Garment: The Love Story of Mona Martinsen and John G. Neihardt, was about her parents.
Hilda Neihardt received the first Word Sender Award from the John G. Neihardt Foundation in 1999. Her book, Black Elk Lives, was the non-fiction winner of the 2001 Nebraska Book Awards Program sponsored by The Nebraska Center for the Book. A special ceremony awarding her an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Wayne State College was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 23, 2004.