USU’s first lady compiles booklet
Current first lady of Utah State University, Phyllis Hall, gave the Agricultural College Women’s Club a 32-page birthday present this year.
The club celebrated it’s 100th birthday in February and to honor important women of the one time Agricultural College and USU, Hall compiled a booklet highlighting the wives of the presidents of the university.
As a member of the club Hall volunteered to do the research and started her work on the booklet in early December 2001.
“Gradually I just pieced it all together,” she said.
The pieces were found by talking to family members of the women, finding obituaries, using the genealogy program Family Search on the Internet to find birth dates and places and by help from Bob Parson in Special Collections of the Merrill Library.
Thirteen presidents and their wives preceded current President Kermit L. Hall and his wife Phyllis. She said although it was difficult to find information on first wife Belle Graham Osborn Sanborn, Hall did find biographical information enough for a small sketch on each presidential wife.
In her research Phyllis Hall found many interesting and courageous stories in the lives of USU’s first ladies.
The second president’s wife, Annie Maria Pettegrew, served as president of the Daughters of the Mormon Battalion and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Jennie Harrington Tanner, wife of the third president Joseph Tanner, shared the first lady spotlight with wives Annie and Josephine. This caused quite a controversy in 1896 as polygamy had been outlawed six years prior. Leah Widtsoe, wife of John A. Widtsoe, the fifth president, suffered through the deaths of four of her children in their youth and a son who died at the age of 25. She was the granddaughter of Mormon prophet Brigham Young and later wrote a book about him. The stories, including her own, paint a picture of the lives of all these women.
Phyllis Hall also found it interesting that nine out of the 14 wives have at some level been teachers, she said.
Phyllis Hall, who was previously a school library media specialist, loved doing the research for the biographical booklet and said on many occasions she has helped President Hall do research for his jobs.
“I loved it. There’s nowhere I’d rather spend time than in a library,” she said.
Phyllis Hall believes the booklet will help readers understand and appreciate USU more.
As for being a president’s wife herself, she said there are many perks to the marital role.
“It’s really quite rewarding and fun because you get the chance to meet so many great people,” Phyllis Hall said.
She did say ,however, that as a president’s wife she have to watch her waistline because of all the banquets she attends.
Wives of the Presidents: Agricultural College of Utah to Utah State University 1890-2002 is available at Special Collections and Archives in the Merrill Library.