Bob and Gwen Dahlberg

If the Cyclones were playing a home football or basketball game, you could count on one thing — Bob and Gwen Dahlberg would be there.

“I don’t think we missed too many football or basketball games,” Gwen said.

The two Iowa State alumni and Des Moines residents were not only fixtures at the games, but over the years the couple were significant contributors to Cyclone athletics as well. The couple’s support for the National Cyclone Club extended beyond annual contributions.

Gwen and Bob established an endowment in honor of their son-in-law Steve Spikes, an All-American diver for the Cyclones. This endowment was later transferred to the indoor football practice facility.

After Bob passed away in 2005, Gwen continued to support Cyclone athletics, both with her attendance and monetarily.

“I still like to honor my husband with gifts to Iowa State,” she said.

A memorial gift honoring Bob was given to FarmHouse Fraternity. Bob, a 1950 agricultural engineering graduate who later worked at Pioneer, was a member of that fraternity.

Gwen has also supported her academic department over the years. She was the longtime coordinator of the annual Ring of Life dinner that the College of Family and Consumer Sciences sponsored.

“This was my chance to become a gift giver in a different way. I could serve my university with my talents also,” said Gwen, a 1950 child development alumna. “My years of working with the Ring of Life dinner sparked my desire to be a contributor to my college.”

That includes supporting the Sally Rapp Beisser Student Services renovation. The project created a space that is used to better support programs and assistance for students in the College of Human Sciences.

Her support also extends back to her own interest as a child development professional. Gwen served as the lead teacher at Des Moines’ Westminister Weekday Preschool when the facility first opened its doors in 1968. At Westminister Gwen was responsible for equipping the facility with everything a 4-year-old would need to play, grow and learn. She remembers buying the best toys and equipment she could find.

So when she learned that Iowa State’s Palmer Human Development and Family Studies Building would house a laboratory preschool, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to fund a program that was dear to her heart.

The Gwen Dahlberg Early Childhood Education Endowment continues to ensure that the laboratory school is equipped with the same essential books and learning toys that she purchased years ago at the Westminister Weekday Preschool.

“I’m a strong believer in early education, especially for 4-year-olds,” Gwen says. “Children are our future — and my endowment has helped provide for Iowa State’s early childhood education program.”