Elaine Eisfelder Szymoniak (May 24, 1920 – May 20, 2009) was a State Senator from the U.S. state of Iowa, a former City Council Member representing the city of Des Moines, Iowa and a retired hearing and speech specialist, counselor, and administrator for the Iowa Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Szymoniak, an elected Democrat, served in the Iowa State Senate from 1988 to 2000 (when she chose to retire and did not seek re-election) representing the northwest area of Greater Des Moines, Iowa (serving both 42nd and 36th Districts during her tenure). Her main areas of concern while serving in public office were in health, education, and human resources. She earned degrees from both the University of Wisconsin and Iowa State University.
Biography
Early life and education
Szymoniak was born on May 24, 1920, to Hugo and Pauline Eisfelder in Boscobel, Wisconsin. Both her mother and father were deaf and this led to her interest in the science of audiology and later to pursue a career in speech therapy and in speech and hearing rehabilitation. She had two older brothers. One of these brothers was challenged with cerebral palsy and the other brother died during military service in World War II.
In 1941, Szymoniak earned a bachelor's degree in education and speech pathology from the University of Wisconsin. She married Casimir (Chuck) D. Szymoniak on December 7, 1943. Together they were to raise five children. One of their children, Tom Szymoniak, is an esteemed engineer working for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Career
She worked in public school systems in the states of Wisconsin, New York and Kansas before moving to Iowa in the 1950s after her husband's military service came to an end. She also put her skills to use in the medical field, at one point working at Army Hospital Aural Rehabilitation Center in Oklahoma.
Elaine was a speech and hearing specialist, counselor, and administrator for the Iowa Department of Vocational Rehabilitation from 1957 to 1988 and she was dedicated to working for the benefit of those with disabilities. She actively worked with the deaf community and at one time was the state's sole rehab counselor for the deaf. In 1977, Elaine earned her master's degree in family environment from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Purportedly, an avid outdoor enthusiast, Elaine canoed and whitewater rafted throughout the West with a group of women called the River Spirits. She loved sleeping outside under the stars, walking in the woods, and learned to pilot a whitewater raft when she was 77.
Political life
She served on the Des Moines City Council from 1977 to 1988 representing the First Ward. Szymoniak won a seat on her first attempt by defeating a twelve-year incumbent. She was the second woman to ever serve on the City Council and the only woman serving during her time on the council. As a member of the Des Moines City Council she worked to meet the needs of her constituents with a special emphasis in economic development, equality, and justice.
She unsuccessfully campaigned to become the mayor of Des Moines in 1979 and again in 1987. Following eleven consecutive years on the Des Moines City Council, Szymoniak set her goals on a different political office and started campaigning for the State Senate.
In the Iowa State Senate from 1988 to 2000, Szymoniak has represented both the forty-second and thirty-sixth districts. Szymoniak’s main areas of concern while serving in public office were in health, education and human resources. This is reflected in the committees she served on in the Senate: Appropriations Committee on Human Services (vice-chair), Education, Human Resources (chair), Judiciary, Local Government and the Ways and Means Committee Many of the bills that she authored and sponsored concerned education, family welfare, or care of the elderly and disabled.
Szymoniak played a key role in revamping Iowa's Welfare System in the early 1990s. Reported on the Iowa State University website is the following information:
"One of her more significant events as a State Senator was to shepherd through the Senate Iowa's Welfare Reform efforts of 1993. In her typical fashion, she read about an idea and decided Iowa was the place to attempt such a reform. She organized a process to design a program based upon the needs and expectations of Iowans. She played an active role in keeping all parties at the table and in finally passing the Iowa Human Investment Act with no dissenting votes in the Senate."