Helen Heitmann

Valhalla Society Member

Helen M. Heitmann had an educator’s heart. And even though Helen passed away April 7, 2006, her passion continues at Vesterheim through a bequest to the museum. Thanks to her generosity, the new Asbjørnsen Gallery in the museum’s Main Building will be the venue for many upcoming exhibitions, like Sigvald Asbjørnsen, Sculptor on view this year.

Family member Barbara Champaigne, Neenah, Wisconsin, said, “I was delighted to hear about the honor the museum is giving my great-uncle, Sigvald Asbjørnsen, sculptor. I know that, when his granddaughter [Helen Heitmann] donated funds to the museum, she had hoped it would enable him to be so honored. So it pleases me that his works are being preserved and exhibited.”

Born in Chicago on August 8, 1926, Helen knew from an early age that she wanted to teach. After graduating from Von Steuben High School, she studied history and physical education at the College of Wooster in Ohio. While teaching high school in Skokie, Illinois, Helen earned her M.A. from Northwestern University in 1955 and a Ph.D. in physical education from Springfield College in 1967.

After pioneering individualized curriculum and teaching styles based on fitness levels in Skokie, Helen began teaching at the University of Illinois in Chicago, first as an associate professor, then as a full professor, and later as Head of the Women’s Physical Education Department and the Professional Teacher Education Program. In 1972, the women’s and men’s departments merged and Helen became the head of the unified department, making her one of the first women in the nation to serve in such role.

During this time Helen led the initial drive to convince the Illinois High School Association to allow girls to have the same opportunities in athletics as those afforded boys. Prior to the 1970s, Illinois girls were not allowed to participate in interscholastic sports, but with Helen’s passion for education, strong advocacy skills, and help from women supporters, her dream to improve physical education for all youth eventually came true.

Along with her teaching, Helen was a community leader and a writer. She authored roughly 70 publications in professional and popular journals and co-authored 5 books relating to the teaching of physical education.

Her desire to educate was not limited to youth physical education. Helen also cared deeply about her Norwegian heritage and longed to share it with everyone. She chronicled the works of her grandfather, Norwegian sculptor Sigvald Asbjørnsen, in From Fjord to Prairie: Norwegian-Americans in the Midwest, 1825 – 1975, donated the bronze casting named “Anitra’s Dance” to the museum, and bequeathed a gift to Vesterheim for the acquisition, conservation, and display of Sigvald’s art.

Helen’s long-time dedication to the museum and her devotion to her grandfather’s legacy will be celebrated this fall, beginning with the exhibition opening in September and highlighted by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Asbjørnsen Gallery in October by Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway. The exhibition honoring Sigvald’s works was made possible through the Helen M. Heitmann Charitable Remainder Trust, a fund established by Helen in 1996. 

Please consider including Vesterheim in your own estate plans. Once Vesterheim is notified of your intention to make a planned gift, you will become a member of the museum's honored Valhalla Society. It is a great way to benefit a charitable organization, still meet your current income needs, and provide for any heirs.

For more information about planned giving, contact Steve Grinna, Director of Development, at sgrinna@vesterheim.org, or call 563-382-9681, ext.109.