Louise Rockne ’63

Louise Rockne’s hometown was Zumbrota, MN, just down the road from Northfield. After Carleton, Louise got a masters degree from Brown University. She got a second masters in library science at Simmons College (now University) in Boston and was a reference librarian in Brookline, MA. She taught English for several years at the American College of Greece in Athens.

Louise emigrated to Australia, the native country of her husband, Anthony Frick. They lived in Monbulk, outside Melbourne, in the Dandenong Mountain Range. Louise was a librarian at Monash University and at the Victorian College of the Arts, both in Melbourne, before managing the library in the town of Lilydale.

She cared for her beloved donkeys, became a competitive Scrabble player, and published a poetry journal called Prints. As poetry editor of the literary journal Woorilla, she encouraged many new poets. She wrote poetry and short stories and taught creative writing at the University of the Third Age, an Australian program for seniors.

Louise and her husband retired to the town of Millicent in South Australia where she continued her interest in Aboriginal rights, arts and culture. She was early admirer of the celebrated Indigenous artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye, whose work she purchased. Louise was an avid traveler and made several trips around the world, especially including stops in Greece. She is honored each year in Australia when the Louise Rockne Woorilla Poetry Prize for Youth is awarded to two promising young poets.

– Elsie Holzwarth ‘63