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Description area
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Helen Bryant Wyman was born Nov. 26, 1901, in Odell, Neb., the youngest of four children. She moved with her family to Appleton, Colo., in 1904. After graduating from Appleton High School in 1919, she attended Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., for two years and then taught art in Nogales, Ariz.
She then attended the Chicago Art Institute and received a bachelor's degree in art education. During that time, she worked at Marshall Field's department store and ushered at Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts. In 1927, she taught at Albion (Idaho) State Normal School, but returned to Illinois to teach art at Illinois State Normal University. There she met and married Walker Wyman in 1930. The couple returned to school to further their education, Mrs. Wyman receiving a master's degree in art education and Mr. Wyman a master's and Ph.D. in history.
In 1932 they moved to River Falls where Mr. Wyman joined the social science faculty at what was then called River Falls State Teachers College (now UW-River Falls). Mrs. Wyman later taught art in the River Falls public schools. Her family said Mrs. Wyman enjoyed teaching and loved her many students. The Wymans moved to Whitewater when Mr. Wyman became president of Wisconsin State University-Whitewater. However, in 1967, they returned to River Falls. Upon Mr. Wyman's retirement in 1978, the couple began wintering in Green Valley, Ariz., where Mrs. Wyman continued her interest in painting wild flowers. Many of her paintings were commissioned locally and internationally. Mrs. Wyman also illustrated Mr. Wyman's books.
Mrs. Wyman was the last surviving charter member of the River Falls branch of the American Association of University Women, a group she helped organize in 1935. She was also interested in the environment, contributing to the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and other local, state and national environmental organizations.
(Obituary, via Find-A-Grave)