Lorna Dawes, 89, of Dayton, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Nov. 30, 2024. Lorna was born on June 22, 1935, in Jefferson, Iowa. Lorna lived a life that bridged a significant era for women.
She is survived by her daughter Laura Anderson Jett and granddaughter Rebekah; son Fredrik Scot Anderson and his son Bret; stepson Mark Dawes, his wife Nancy, and their children Stephanie and Sam, great-grandson William; stepson Tim Dawes, his wife Lisa, and their children Liv and Jack; and stepson Dave Dawes, his wife Patty. She was predeceased by her husband Preston Dawes in 2016, her father Ronald Swain in 1992, and her mother Esther Mae Claus Swain in 1972.
She grew up in Paton, a small town in western Iowa. Raised in a close-knit Iowa community, she was adored by her devout father and free-spirited mother, both parents working together as equals running their Paton Telephone Company.
Initially she engaged in the usual course for women of the 1940s through 1960s, going to Iowa State in home economics with a foundational science curriculum. She loved English, and valued child development and the arts, which she later pursued professionally.
Then came the 1970s. She completed her bachelor’s degree, and explored her interests in English and education as well as child development. She began her second marriage to Preston Dawes, who would be her partner for 43 years. She built her place in her community with determination and integrity. She immersed herself in the arts and music that fed her soul. Her story in Dayton and at Wright State is known throughout the service, arts and education communities including The Rotarians, the Muse Machine, Wright State University, Sinclair, The Overfield School, WDPR, music and the performing arts, and more.
Lorna worked at Wright State for many years, administering the University Artist Series, The Madrigal Dinners, and was involved at the regional, state, and national levels with the Association of College Unions International, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the Midwest Regional Arts Conference, the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Presenters Network. She served as the director of the Wright State University Center from 1981-1992. She was instrumental in planning the renovation and expansion of the physical education buildings into the WSU Student Union. Thirty years ago, she was honored by the establishment of the Wright State Lorna G. Dawes Achievement Award, which continues to support recognition of excellence shown by undergraduate and graduate students. In later years, she reaffirmed her commitment to Wright State as a member of the WSU Foundation Board.
Lorna prioritized volunteering in her community, including for WDPR, the public radio station she loved. She valued and was an active member of the Rotary Club of Dayton. Her culinary skills, and especially her beloved lemon cakes, cheesecakes, and soups, are renowned, as were her elegant dinner parties, with which she brought her dear friends together.
Lorna served as executive director of Muse Machine from 1994-2002, though she collaborated with Muse long before then and continued to actively support Muse through the present day. Hundreds of Muse alumni, families, teachers and artists have known her as a gracious and passionate force in the arts community who celebrated educators and elevated young people. Messages sent to Lorna from alumni over the past several decades lovingly credit her as a key figure in their successful creative careers and someone whom they aspire to emulate.
After retiring from Wright State, then retiring from the Muse Machine, Lorna came out of retirement again to act as interim director for the Overfield School in Troy, Ohio. There, the school employed the Reggio Emilia philosophy to encourage children’s lifelong pursuits of arts and learning, an approach she wholeheartedly supported.
Lorna’s personal and professional commitment to education, to the flourishing of the arts and the empowerment of artists, and her dedication to Wright State, the Muse Machine, and the Dayton Community will stand as an example of how one person can contribute to the development of resilient, benevolent institutions.
Lorna lived the end of her life with grace and dignity. In her last days, she spoke of her hope that, perhaps, she may have contributed to making the world a slightly better place. Those of us who sat with her assured her she did. In her room, surrounded by the art she loved, she often gazed at one painting in particular, titled “Silent is My Return,” at its grey-blue ocean waves and gull flying away over the sea. She said of this painting, “That is my life,” and “I’ll always be there.” She admired the mist, haze, the constancy of sea. And so, she left us.
A celebration will be planned for this spring.
Donations in Lorna Dawes’ name can be made to the Muse Machine through its website or by sending a check to Muse Machine, 126 North Main Street, Suite 310, Dayton, OH 45402. Alternatively, donations in her name can be made to the Wright State University Lorna G. Dawes Achievement Award.
