Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BIGGINS, Mary
BIGGINS, Mary. (Zwingle, IA- ). Recipient, FIRST CITIZEN AWARD. Biggins, one of Dubuque's most enthusiastic participants in volunteer organizations, received the First Citizen Award from the TELEGRAPH HERALD in 1983 after she received 353 nominations. The newspaper article announcing her award, carried the story of how Biggins was known for helping needy parents outfit their children using money from her own wages as an employee of Penney's.
Biggins was a charter member of WA-TAN-YE in Dubuque and was chairperson of its concession, known as "Mary's Booth," at the county fair for thirty-one years. She was a member of the Women of the Moose for over 44 years during which she held most of its offices. Biggins devoted over twenty-five years of service to the American Cancer Society and ten years with the local chapter of the blood bank.