Iowa Monuments Men

Nancy Trask, a historian from Winterset, Iowa, visited the Monticello Public Library on June 21 to present a program on Iowa’s connection to the WWII Monuments Men. This was a group of artists, museum curators, and sculptors who were chosen to help protect Europe’s artwork, churches and museums as the war moved across Europe. Trask particularly highlighted the leader of the Monuments Men, George Stout. Stout was born and raised in Winterset. In the movie “Monuments Men,” George Clooney’s character was based on Stout. Trask has done much research on Stout’s life, as well as that of many of Monuments Men, even befriending Stout’s granddaughter. (Photo by Kim Brooks)