Personal Connections to Cather’s Hometown Inspire Kohout’s Legacy Gift

During the Willa Cather Spring Conference, Sharon Kohout always makes time to say hello to her “Mama Simons.” Kohout’s great grandmother, Belle K. Simons, died in 1972 at 102 years old and is buried in her hometown of Red Cloud, Nebraska.

Kohout grew up in Texas, but each summer she visited her mother’s family in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has vivid memories of time spent with Mama Simons, who had moved from Red Cloud to Lincoln to be closer to her daughter and son-in-law. It was during these visits that Kohout discovered her grandfather’s large basement library. He worked at one time as a book salesman for Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, and was an avid reader. Kohout attributes her love of reading to him. Even with her family connection to Nebraska and Cather’s hometown, it wasn’t until Kohout was in college that she encountered Cather’s writing for the first time.

“Like many students, my entry [to Cather] was My Ántonia,” Kohout said. “It just spoke to me. Her writing continues to speak to me. In any work I can find an emotion that I can relate to. Her use of the language is simple, but evocative. She was a craftsman, but she makes me feel something—that’s very rare in a writer, for me.” 

Kohout studied English at Texas Tech University and holds both bachelor’s and master's degrees in the subject, but she devoted the majority of her career to public health. By the time she retired in 2012, Kohout was a proud and committed public health advocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With more free time on her hands, Kohout travels often, and devotes more of her time to her first interest–literature. She splits her residences between Vermont and Texas, and often takes her grandson Jayden Kohout with her on adventures to places associated with Cather's writing. Recents stops include Quebec City and Jaffrey, New Hampshire. “My heart is drawn back there, and Cather loved it too,” Kohout said of New England.

Kohout’s travels don’t stop there. She has attended the Willa Cather Foundation’s immersive weekend in Taos, New Mexico, and this summer traveled to explore Cather’s cool island retreat at Whale Cove in Grand Manan, New Brunswick, with friends she met through Cather events. She looks forward to rekindling those friendships every summer at the Willa Cather Spring Conference, an event she first attended in 2013. 

“I love the fact that it’s just scholarly enough to pique my background in English,” Kohout explained. “I like the challenge of the scholarly presentations, but I love that you don’t have to be a scholar to appreciate the rich tapestry of Cather’s writing.”

With her family connection to Red Cloud and her growing interest in the Willa Cather Foundation, Kohout said it was an easy decision to include the Willa Cather Foundation in her estate plan. She says she most admires the devotion of the organization to educational programs and preservation. 

“I remember the first time I went out on a visit to the properties, and people read passages from Cather’s writing at each place. It was so special to connect Cather to the collection of historic sites. The properties really are a rare gift,” Kohout said. 

In joining the Cather Legacy Society, Kohout ensures the Foundation’s work can continue long past her lifetime, and visitors can experience the same engaging tours, conferences, and seminars that she has.

“The Willa Cather Foundation is just so special to me. It’s like I’m keeping a part of my mother’s family and my great grandparents alive,” she said. “It’s Cather, but it’s an intersection of all of these pieces: my family, my love for Cather, and the many friendships that now enrich my life.” 

If you would like additional information about the Cather Legacy Society, or if you have named the Willa Cather Foundation as a beneficiary in your estate plans, please contact Jeniffer Beahm, Development Coordinator, at jbeahm@willacather.org.