| Citizen
of the world Bertha Clow, professor emeritus
of Montana State University, celebrated her
100th birthday in September at the Mountain
View Care Center in Bozeman. |
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| More
than 15 years ago retired home economics professor
Clow hit the centennial mark in her travels,
having visited 100 countries. Her treks began
in 1949 when she was teaching a course in
world nutrition problems at Montana State
College. She traveled to Mexico and took a
personal look at the food conditions in that
country. She returned and shared those experiences
with her students and colleagues. |
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| An
avid amateur photographer, by 1975 she had
given more than 400 talks and showed some
6,000 slides to friends, students and organizations. |
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| "She
took her job very seriously," said former MSC home economics
professor Beth Begej. When teaching her world nutrition
course, if there was no text available, Clow would correspond
extensively with contacts in other countries to get materials
for the course. |
| Begej
recalls that when Clow would present her slide shows at
her home on Hayes Street, known affectionately as the
"Clow's Basket," she would serve her special mulled chokecherry
juice or homemade tomato juice. "The tomato juice was
always served with whole wheat crackers, never soda crackers
because soda crackers had no food value." |
| Clow,
a native of Wisconsin, began her career at MSC in 1929
and remained with the university until her retirement
in 1970. In June 1991 the Herrick Hall fireplace room/student
lounge was dedicated as the Bertha Clow Lounge. |
| She
was remembered by her students as an enthusiastic teacher
whose deep interest in her subject and wide travels showed
her students the vital importance of the world food situation. |
| "Bertha
would come to the alumni 50-year reunions to see her former
students," said Jaynee Drange Groseth, '73, '91
M, MSU Alumni Association executive director. "She was
always delighted to come, and you could tell that she
enjoyed every encounter and conversation." |
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Groseth recalls at the end of a long evening of sitting
during the reunion events it would take a bit of effort
for Clow to get up and walk. "I remember that she would
sit in her chair and rock back and forth until she gained
enough momentum to actually stand up. She would jog in
place until she had her joints lubricated and the blood
flowing, and then she would be on her way." |
