About Louine Schaufler:
Born in 1923, in Lebanon, South Dakota, Louine Wheeler was the oldest of six children. Her mother died when she was nine, and she and two of her siblings were raised by her mother’s sister and husband in Salem. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School, she married “Butch” Schaufler and together they ran a successful farming operation for over fifty years. To bring in extra money, but mostly I think because she enjoyed the people, she also worked at Humboldt Supply.
She was active in the community and her church and made the most wonderful pies.
Although she never had any of her own, my Aunt Louine had a soft spot for children. I suspect each one of her nieces and nephews thought he or she was her favorite. I don’t know if she enjoyed poetry, but she praised my attempts as if they rivaled Frost or Dickinson. She lived to be 96 years old and I still sent her my poems. Every writer needs a cheerleader and it is my hope that this contest will pass on some of my Aunt Louine’s encouragement to others.
- By Jane Wheeler, who established the contest in her aunt's honor.
Teacher Resources: Lesson plans with questions to answer before reading, the poem link, poetry analysis questions, and writing prompts based on the analysis *Note I include a link to read each poem, but we cannot republish them here.
Lesson plans and revision tips written by Jodi Andrews, MA.