CAMILLA SPERATI STROM PAPERS (1904-1995)

BIOGRAPHY

Emma Camilla (Sperati) Strom was born in Tacoma, Washington to Carlo and Emma (Hoffoss) Sperati on February 3, 1904; she was the seventh of eight children. In 1905 the Sperati family moved to Decorah, Iowa where Strom’s father was a member of the music faculty from 1905-1943. Strom spent the remainder of her growing up years in Decorah.

Strom graduated from Decorah High School in 1921 and then attended the University of Iowa from 1921-1925 majoring in Latin, English and French. She was certified to teach Latin in 1925. On June 5, 1931 Strom was married to Carl W. Strom. Carl W. Strom attended Luther College from 1914-1918 and then after graduation became a member of the faculty at Luther until 1935. Two children were born to the Stroms: Sonja, born in 1932 and Karen, born in 1935.

In 1936 Carl W. Strom entered the Foreign Service, taking the family to Washington, D.C. Through Carl Strom’s time in the Foreign Service the family lived in Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea, Cambodia and Bolivia. While her husband was in the Foreign Service Strom was instrumental in forming music societies and choirs in the different locations she lived, including organizing a performance of Handel’s Messiah while in Cambodia.

The Stroms returned to Decorah in 1962 after Carl W. Strom retired from the Foreign Service. Strom then taught Spanish part-time at Luther and spent winters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with her husband until his death in 1969. After her husbands death Strom remained in Decorah and began work on a biography about her father, Carlo A. Sperati. The book, Grand Old Maestro was published in 1988 by the Luther College Press. Camilla Sperati Strom died in 1995 at the age of ninety-one.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The collection is arranged into 3 series: Series I Correspondence; Series II, Grand Old Maestro; and Series III, Personal papers.

The first series, Correspondence, contains correspondence to Camilla Sperati Strom and her sister Marie dating from 1960 to the 1980’s. The series is arranged beginning with correspondence to Camilla Sperati Strom, most of which regards to her book Grand Old Maestro. Correspondence to Marie Sperati, the sister of Camilla Sperati Strom, finishes out the series.

Series II, Grand Old Maestro, comprises the great majority of the collection. Camilla Sperati Strom wrote Grand Old Maestro, a book about her father Carlo A. Sperati ‘88 and long-time faculty member at the college. This series first contains notes collected by Camilla Sperati Strom while doing research for Grand Old Maestro. Also included is a speech Camilla Sperati Strom gave about her father, Carlo A. Sperati, on April 6,1979, and photographs used in Grand Old Maestro. In addition, several drafts with revisions are included in this series along with the finished work published in 1988. The final part of this series II is a research paper on Carlo A. Sperati done by Kim W. Jones, a student at the University of Iowa on to be published in Iowa Musicians.

The third and final series in the collection, Personal Papers, begins with a diary kept by Camilla Sperati Strom while writing Grand Old Maestro from 1976-1980. Also included is Camilla Sperati Strom’s personal journal from 1962 along with her records from the University of Iowa. Rounding out this series are items collected by Camilla Sperati Strom while she was in charge of the Foreign Service Choir.

ASSOCIATED COLLECTIONS

The researcher is encouraged to refer also to the papers of the Carlo A. Sperati family in Record Group 15. This collection contains primarily correspondence between Carlo A. Sperati and his wife Emma Hoffoss Sperati. Carlo A. Sperati and Emma Hoffoss Sperati were the parents of Camilla Sperati Strom. Also included in this collection is information on the early years of the Luther College Concert Band. The researcher is also encouraged to refer to the Carl W. Strom collection. Carl W. Strom was the husband of Camilla Sperati Strom and this collection in Record Group 15 contains records regarding their lives while in the Foreign Service.

PROVENANCE AND DONOR

The collection was donated to the Luther College Archives by Camilla Sperati Strom.

A Box Inventory is attached.

RG15

Camilla Sperati Strom Papers

1.2 Cubic Feet

Box 1, 0.2 c.f.

Series I: Correspondence

Camilla Sperati Strom/Incoming

Folder 1: General Correspondence, 1957-1975, n.d.

Folder 2: Correspondence regarding Grand Old Maestro, folder 1, 1969-1984, n.d.

Folder 3: Correspondence regarding Grand Old Maestro, folder 2, 1965-1983, n.d.

Mrs. Karen Marie Sperati/Incoming

Folder 4: 1963, n.d.

Box 2, 0.2 c.f.

Series II: Grand Old Maestro

Folder 1: Notes collected for Grand Old Maestro, folder 1, n.d.

Folder 2: Notes collected for Grand Old Maestro, folder 2, n.d.

Folder 3: Notes collected for Grand Old Maestro, folder 3, n.d.

Folder 4: Notes collected for Grand Old Maestro, folder 4, n.d.

Folder 5: Symra talk about Carlo A. Sperati, April 6, 1979

Folder 6: Photographs used in Grand Old Maestro, n.d.

Folder 7: Revisions made to Grand Old Maestro, n.d.

Box 3, 0.2 c.f.

Series II: Grand Old Maestro

Folder 1: Draft of Grand Old Maestro with notes, 1985.

Folder 2: Hand written drafts of Grand Old Maestro, folder 1, n.d.

Folder 3: Hand written drafts of Grand Old Maestro, folder 2, n.d.

Box 4, 0.4 c.f.

Series II: Grand Old Maestro

Folder 1: Draft of Grand Old Maestro with corrections, 1986.

Folder 2: Draft of Grand Old Maestro with corrections, n.d.

Folder 3: Draft of Grand Old Maestro with authors notes, n.d.

Folder 4: Clean draft and with introduction and chapter 8, 1985.

Folder 5: Ready for copy draft of Grand Old Maestro, n.d.

Folder 6: Grand Old Maestro, 1988.

Folder 7: Research paper by Kim W. Jones, 1979-1980.

Series III: Personal Papers

Folder 8: Diary kept while writing Grand Old Maestro, 1976-1980.

Box 5, 0.2 c.f.

Series III: Personal Papers

Folder 1: Personal Journal, 1962.

Folder 2: University of Iowa Records, 1925.

Folder 3: Choir in Foreign Service, n.d.