Helen Lemme' Death, Lemme Elementary School Dedication, and U of I Honors
On December 15, 1968 Helen Lemme died from smoke inhalation due to a house fire in her home. She was 64 years old. The cause of fire was never discovered.
In 1970 the Iowa City Community School District built a new elementary school at 3100 Washington Street. The Iowa City Community School District named the new school Helen Lemme Elementary School in her honor. A memorial fund was established to purchase books for the library in her honor. When the school opened in 1970, 230 students attended the school. They decided to name the school in her honor because Helen dedicated her life to helping others, and as a tribute to a woman who valued education. Helen and her husband Allyn provided housing to University of Iowa African American students who were not allowed to live in the dormitories on campus because of their race. According to an interview Paul Lemme gave to the Cedar Rapids Gazette on March 31, 2014, “She provided a home and guidance to many young college students who were experiencing an integrated American for the first time in their lives. They were trying very hard to be successful in that world, that in many cases, fought hard against them.” Helen Lemme was the first African American woman to have a school named after her in Iowa City. In the fall of 1970 Helen Lemme’s sons Lawrence and Paul and many friends of Helen’s attended the dedication of the school. It was an honor that her son Paul described as remarkable. In an interview with the Cedar Rapids Gazette, given on March 31, 2014, Paul Lemme stated, “How would you react if you simply went through your life doing what you thought needed to be done, and then found out later that others were very grateful for your efforts?”
In 1984 the Helen Lemme Reading Club was founded by University of Iowa African American graduate students. This club’s goal was to focus on African American literature, invite African American guest speakers to campus and to serve as a support group for African American students attending the University of Iowa. In 1993 Helen Lemme was one of the first graduates to be inducted into the UI’s Black Alumni Association’s Hall of Honor.