Nora Lee Mayhew Wendland
Temple, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(September 10, 1896 - April 15, 1988)Born in Levita (Coryell Co.), Nora Lee Mayhew attended Meridian College and the College of Industrial Arts in Denton (now Texas Woman’s University). A classically trained violinist, she also studied as a postgraduate at Cornell University (New York). She taught at several colleges before marrying Robert Ernest “Bob” Wendland in 1924. With his siblings, he operated the family’s grain company in Killeen before moving it to Temple in 1928. Nora Lee and Robert raised two children. Nora Lee became involved in Temple clubs, joining the music club and becoming its president in 1931. She was elected president of the State Federation of Music Clubs in 1940. During her tenure, the federation donated musical items for the World War II effort. Wendland volunteered at McCloskey Army General Hospital in Temple and the music club organized programs for hospitalized soldiers. Wendland emphasized music therapy in the hospital, paralleling a similar national focus. In 1944, she coordinated and launched a symposium on music therapy. After World War II, her music in hospitals program expanded throughout Texas. From 1946 to 1960, Wendland served as director-at-large to the National Federation of Music clubs, during which time she also chaired the Young Artists auditions in New York City. By the late 1950s, Wendland turned her focus to the arts in Temple, co-founding the cultural activities center, a model for multi-disciplinary arts organizations. Wendland left public life near the time of her husband’s death in 1981, and she died in 1988. Nora Lee Wendland’s efforts and vision have left an enduring legacy of music and the arts in Temple and throughout the state and nation. 175 Years of Texas Independence 1836 * 2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A classically trained violinist educated at Cornell and what is now Texas Woman's University, Nora Lee Mayhew Wendland made central Texas a center for music advocacy. She led state and national music clubs, and during World War II pioneered music therapy programs for wounded soldiers at Temple's McCloskey Army General Hospital, work that later spread across Texas. In her later years she co-founded Temple's Cultural Activities Center, a model for multidisciplinary arts organizations.
Why it matters
Wendland's career shows how women's club networks shaped American cultural life, and how wartime hospitals helped launch music therapy as a recognized practice.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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