STRIBLING, Lauretta M.

STRIBLING, Lauretta M. (Bellingham, WA, Sept. 18, 1927--August 16, 2014). Lauretta had been a resident of Dubuque since 1970, when her husband was hired as a Speech Communication professor and Director of the Loras Players at LORAS COLLEGE. She worked for several years as an advertising agent for the TELEGRAPH HERALD. She received her Bachelor's Degree at Loras with a double major in Communications and History and went on to receive her Master's Degree from the University of Iowa.

With her husband Don, Lauretta served as co-director of the Loras Players from 1970-2000. During those thirty years, they directed over 100 plays and musicals, and added Children's Theatre to the Loras Players repertoire. Many of the Children's Theatre productions went on tour to schools and professional theatres in the Tri-State area. They also directed melodramas performed by the Loras College Faculty and Staff. She was delighted to celebrate and participate in the 100th anniversary of the Loras Players during their 2010-2011 season. She believed the heart of the Loras Players has always been characterized by collaboration and dedication to the Arts; she was a proud part of that tradition.

A lifetime interest in Educational, Regional, and Community Theatre culminated in a script she co-authored with her husband, with music and lyrics by Paul HEMMER, titled JOE SENT ME!. The production was staged at the Five Flags Theater in 1978, and re-staged at the Grand Opera House in March of 2007 as the Striblings celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

She was active as a coach and judge in both college and high school forensics/speech communication tournaments, and was a member of the Iowa Communication Association (ICA) where she served as co-editor of their newsletter with Frances Hedeman for seven years. In 1998, she was honored with the ICA "Citation Award" for her work in the field of communication.

Her research on "Joe Sent Me" was superb - including interviews with residents who patronized various establishments that we referenced in "Joe." It was great fun working on that project together while discovering the very "wet" past of our city during prohibition. We also did a children's theater production in 1977 called "Dr. Graymatter's Dilemma" which was produced by the Loras Players and then at The Paramount in Cedar Rapids. She and Don will always be Dubuque's Dynamic Theatre Duo in my mind. Truly a great lady. (Paul Hemmer)

---

Source:

Obituaries. Dubuque Today by the Dubuque Advertiser, Aug. 18, 2014

ObitsforLife.com August 18, 2014

E-mail. Paul Hemmer, August 19, 2014