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As the family and friends of Donnabelle Mullenger, more widely known as Donna Reed, along with the City of Denison, celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth on Jan 27, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared today (Wednesday) as Donna Reed Day. In her announcement, Gov. Reynolds says that even though she passed away in 1986, her legacy lives on and she is encouraging “Iowans to be like Donna Reed and follow their dreams with integrity, courtesy, equity and humanity.” This echoes the Donna Reed Foundation mission of inspiring young people to serve their communities and pursue careers in the performing arts. Turner Classic Movies is airing Reed’s movies from the 1940s and 1950s today. There are commemorative displays in the Donna Reed Heritage Museum in Denison and the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines. The museum will also host an online presentation on March 25 when Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen of Iowa City, will share rarely seen family photos from her mother’s early days in Iowa. Other events are planned for December, when Reed’s most iconic work, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” will mark its 75th anniversary. Reed traveled to California when she was 17 to pursue her dreams. After winning a beauty pageant, she rode in the Rose Bowl Parade and got her photo on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Soon after came a contract with MGM Studios. Reed won an Academy Award for the 1954 movie “From Here to Eternity,” and co-founded her own television production company, producing “The Donna Reed Show,” from 1958 through 1966.
