Faculty Profile
Featuring: Dr. Gail Romberger Nonnecke
Current Position: Professor
Hometown: A farm one mile east of Klingerstown, Pennsylvania
Extra Curricular Activities: Learning Communities, university academic advising, Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Iowa Wine Growers Association, American Society for Horticultural Science, North American Strawberry Growers Association, and North American Bramble Growers Association.
Hobbies: Exploring nature, reading, gardening, history, and being with my family.
Favorite Movie: I still laugh each time I see "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie's Christmas wish is a Red Ryder BB gun. . . It takes place in the 1950's in the Midwest.
Favorite Book: Mysteries intertwined with history. I like to read and have many favorites, but one I just read was "Midnight Assassin, A Murder in America's Heartland" by Patricia Bryan and Thomas Wolf. The plot takes place in ~ 1900 in Warren County, Iowa and is a combination of mystery and local history.
Another favorite book I read was "Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China" by Jung Chang. I enjoyed learning about three generations of Chinese women's lives in the historical context of the last century, and I was fortunate to have the chance to travel to China after I had read the book.
Advice to students: Take advantage of the rich opportunities that are available at Iowa State University: attend special lectures, go to concerts, see foreign films, join a club, cheer at a sports event, complete a class outside your discipline, meet a new friend, explore the Parks Library and other great collections on campus, and participate in at least one study abroad experience during your degree program - all of these will enrich your professional and personal life.
