Iowa official register

Beall, Daryl – Fort Dodge (D) 

District 25 

Term: Serving second term in Senate. Profession: Former 

teacher and journalist. Taught political science courses at 

Urbandale High School, created the government intern program, 

and earned the Teacher’s Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at 

Valley Forge. Education: Earned A.A. from Iowa Central 

Community College, B.A. from Buena Vista University, and 

M.P.A. from Drake University. Military Service: Military liaison 

for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve assigned to the 

133rd Air National Guard Squadron. Memberships and 

Activities: Designated a Fellow at the Taft Institute of Government 

at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. Elected justice of the peace 

in Dallas County. Served two terms on the Fort Dodge School 

Board. Ran for Secretary of State at the age of 25 and holds the 

record for being the youngest statewide candidate in Iowa. Editor 

and publisher of weekly and daily newspapers in Iowa, Colorado, and South Dakota. Member of 

Kiwanis, Izaak Walton League, and Trinity United Methodist Church. Birth and Residence: 

Born in 1946 in Fort Dodge. Resides in Fort Dodge. Family Members:  Wife  Jo  Ann;  three 

children and nine grandchildren.  

Behn, Jerry – Boone (R) 

District 24 

Term: Serving fourth term in Senate. Profession: Farmer. 

Education: Graduated from United Community Schools near 

Boone.  Memberships and Activities: Former county supervisor. 

Member of Iowa Association of Business and Industry, Iowa Farm 

Bureau, the National Federation of Independent Business, the 

NRA, and Iowa Soybean Association. Birth and Residence: Born 

in 1954 in Ames. Resides in Boone. Family Members: Wife 

Dennise; two sons, two daughters, and three grandchildren.  

Black, Dennis H. – Lynnville (D) 

District 21 

Term: Served six terms in House. Serving fourth term in Senate. 

Profession: Retired professional conservationist of 35 years; writer 

of Civil War history and individual vignettes on military valor and 

intrepidity.  Education: Received B.S. in forest management and 

M.S. in natural resource economics from Utah State University. 

Memberships and Activities: Board of Directors, Iowa Earthpark; 

Board of Directors, Jasper Community Foundation; Society of 

American Foresters; Regional coordinator and research director, 

Medal of Honor Historical Society of America. Author: Over 300 

professional and technical publications on natural resources 

management and protection.  Author, “Profiles of Valor.  Iowa’s 

Medal of Honor Recipients, Civil War.” Author, “Profiles of Valor, 

Iowa’s Medal of Honor Recipients, Indian Wars through Vietnam.” 

Co-author:  CD-ROM, “Iowa’s Medal of Honor Recipients,” 

available at the State Historical Society of Iowa Museum.  

Photographs and personal narrative of 115 Medal of Honor 

recipients with attachments to the State of Iowa. Legislative liaison 

for international trade, Southeast Asia, primarily Taiwan. Selected 10 times as “Legislator of the 

Year” by various business and natural resources interests. Birth and Residence: Born in 1939 in 

Randolph, Nebraska. Resides in a rural area near Lynnville. Family Members: Wife Faun; two 

sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren. 

 

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LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 

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Boettger, Nancy J. – Harlan (R) 

District 29 

Term: Serving fifth term in Senate. Profession: Farmer, bed and 

breakfast owner, and former educator. Education: Received B.S. 

in sociology from Iowa State University and B.A. in education 

from Buena Vista College. Memberships and Activities: Member 

of PEO; American Baptist Homes of the Midwest Board of 

Directors; Iowa Prayer Breakfast, board member; National 

Foundation for Women Legislators; Board of Directors for the U.S. 

Center for Citizen Diplomacy; Midwest Higher Education 

Commission; Education Commission of the States; and First 

Baptist Church. Birth and Residence: Born in 1943 in Chicago, 

Illinois. Resides in Harlan. Family Members: Husband David; 

three sons, one daughter, and 10 grandchildren.  

 

 

Bolkcom, Joe – Iowa City (D) 

District 39 

Term: Serving third term in Senate. Profession: Outreach and 

Community Education Director, UI Center for Global and 

Environmental Research. Education: University of Iowa, Masters 

of Arts, Public Affairs, 1988. Saint Ambrose University, Bachelor 

of Arts, Sociology, 1985. Black Hawk College, Moline, IL., 

Associate of Arts, Political Science, 1978. Memberships and 

Activities:  Member of Iowa Chapter of Sierra Club, Iowa 

Environmental Council, Environmental Advocates of Iowa City, 

Johnson County Heritage Trust, Bicyclists of Iowa City, Iowa 

Bicycle Coalition, American Federation of Teachers, Local 716, 

and ARC of Johnson County. Birth and Residence: Born in 1956 

in Bloomington, Minnesota. Resides in Iowa City. 

 

Courtney, Thomas G. – Burlington (D) 

District 44 

Term: Serving third term in Senate. Profession: Retired from 

Case Company in Burlington. Served six years as bargaining chair 

for UAW Local 807 and was the union production safety 

representative from 1988 until retirement in 2002. Military 

Service: Served six years active duty in the U.S. Air Force as an air 

traffic controller. Memberships and Activities: Served as S.E. 

Iowa Community Action Program chair. Served eight years on the 

Burlington School Board, six years as president. Former chairman 

of the Burlington Civil Service Commission. Served on the Iowa 

Judicial Nominating Committee, currently serves on the Workforce 

Development Commission, and member of AMVETS. Served on 

steering committee for Community Health Center of S.E. Iowa and 

Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety Board. Past 

chair of the Des Moines County Democrats. Birth and Residence: 

Born in 1947 in Burlington and raised in Wapello. Resides in 

Burlington. Family Members:  One son, two daughters, and four 

grandchildren.  

 

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IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

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