Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Mormons for ERA photograph collection, 1977-1983
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Mormons for ERA.
- Title
- Mormons for ERA photograph collection
- Dates
- 1977-1983 (inclusive)19771983
- Quantity
- 1 box, (0.25 linear ft. )
- Collection Number
- UUS_P0144
- Summary
- 122 photographs and 81 negatives chronicling the activities of the Mormons for ERA from 1977 to 1983. Included in the collection is the ERA Mother's Day March in 1980 and the White House demonstrations in August 1981 and September 1982. Also included are photographs depicting the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King March and the plane tow during the LDS General Conference in October 1983.
- Repository
-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Restrictions
Open to public research.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Alice Allred Pottmyer
Alice Allred was born in South Dakota but spent her early years as an active Mormon growing up in Texas in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her father was transferred to Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1954. She attended Brigham Young University and received her B.S. degree in Journalism. During her time at BYU she became friends with Maida Rust Withers and Hazel Davis Rigby (later to be founding members of Mormons for ERA).
Allred worked for 12 years in Washington D.C. as a trade and professional editor. After having young children, she started to work from home. For the next five years, she produced and wrote articles for Dialogue magazine. She also wrote numerous articles for Sunstone magazine, was twice an Arlington delegate to the Virginia Democratic Convention, volunteered for Arlingtonians for a Better County, a member of the PTA, a leader for Girl Scouts, and worked for the LDS Church public communications department.
Allred had long supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and in 1975 the issues of ERA began to heat up. With the increasing anti-ERA activity from conservative groups, including the LDS Church (which formally opposed ERA on Oct. 22, 1976), Allred's friends from BYU, Maida Rust Withers and Hazel Davis Rigby, along with Teddie Wood and Soina Johnson co-founded Mormons for ERA in 1978.
Allred did a great deal of background work with Mormons for ERA. She organized and gave background information to the media about the organization and their activities, including their lobbying efforts, their views on the complexities of ERA issues, and their public debates on ERA issues. She also developed press kits that were given to the media. This proved to be an invaluable task once the media coverage exploded when the Mormon Church excommunicated Sonia Johnson on December 5, 1979.
On December 11, 1982 Alice Allred Pottmyer succeeded Sonia Johnson as president of Mormons for ERA and took over the newsletter. She functioned as president until 1987 when funds and interest began to diminish.
Hazel Davis Rigby
Hazel Davis grew up in Salem, Utah and was an active member of the Mormon community. She attended Brigham Young University with childhood friend Maida Rust (Withers). Davis received her B.A. from BYU and then went on to receive her M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Hazel Davis grew up in Salem, Utah and was an active member of the Mormon community. She attended Brigham Young University with childhood friend Maida Rust (Withers). Davis received her B.A. from BYU and then went on to receive her M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Davis served as the treasurer for the organization. In November of 1980, Mormons for ERA held a demonstration in front of the Washington Temple in Washington State. A scuffle erupted between the demonstrators and anti-ERA supporters. Subsequently, the police were called and Davis was one of several demonstrators who were arrested. In the years following, she played other important roles in Mormons for ERA activities and development.
Maida Rust Withers
Maida Rust was born October 13, 1936 in Kanab, Utah, and was the youngest of eight children. She was raised in Salem Utah, as a member of the LDS Church from which she was a sixth generation pioneer descendant. She graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1954, and then attended Brigham Young University where she received her B.S. in Music and Dance in 1958. She completed her M.A. in Dance from the University of Utah.
Withers began her teaching career at Purdue University. In 1963, she took a teaching position at Howard University for one year. During that time she marched with the other Faculty members (she being the only white female faculty) to the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King was giving a speech.
At the end of 1963, she accepted a position in the Department of Theater and Dance as an Associate Professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During her career at George Washington University, she directed the M.F.A. dance program, taught advanced dance, dance and movement improvisation, choreography, and performance art theory. She also served on the Board of Directors of Washington Projects for the Arts for eight years, and served a three year term on the Kennedy Center Education Committee. In 1974 Withers founded the critically acclaimed dance troupe Maida Withers Dance Construction Company.
During the early seventies, she became increasingly involved in the social and political issues of the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movement. In 1975, the issues of the Equal Rights Amendment began to heat up. It was during this year that Maida Rust Withers and one of her friends, Teddie Wood became active participants in the pro-ERA movement.
During the 80's Wither's focus on social reform turned to environmental awareness. The social issues of the past and her activism in the Equal Rights movement prepared her for her passionate environmental activism. In 1992, she and her dance troupe participated with other international artists for ecology at the United Nation's Conference on Environment and Development. Withers continues to tour nationally and internationally with her dance company and uses dance as interpretive means for environmental awareness. She has created over 35 distinctive works for the stage and video, and subsequently has received a myriad of prestigious awards and accolades from her peers, critics, and the public.
More details concerning the history of Mormons for ERA and bios of Allred, Rigby and Withers, are also available in COLL MSS 225.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection of photographs chronicle the activities of the Mormons for ERA from 1977 to 1983. Included in the collection is the ERA March in 1980 and the White House demonstrations in August 1981 and September 1982. Also included are photographs depicting the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King March and the plane tow during the LDS General Conference in October 1983. The collection consists of 122 images with 81 negatives housed in one acid-free box.
The collection is divided between photographs donated by the three women heading the organization. The photographs are primarily color prints with several black and white photographs. Negatives are available for the prints of the White House demonstration in 1981 and the plane tow in 1983. Note: The description of the photographs in folders 1-2 and 5-7 are quotes written by Alice Pottmyer on the back of the prints.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
CopyrightIt is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Utah State University Libraries, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Permission to publish material from the Mormons for ERA photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.
Preferred Citation
Mormons for ERA photograph collection, 1977-1983. (P0144). Utah State University. Special Collections & Archives Department.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into subcollections from three influentual members of the organization: Alice Allred Pottmyer, Hazel Davis Rigby, and Maida Rust Withers.
Acquisition Information
Alice Allred Pottmyer, Hazel Davis Rigby, and Maida Rust Withers donated this collection to Utah State University Special Collections and Archives on November 21, 1996. The photographs in this collection were taken from the Mormons for ERA manuscript collection.
Processing Note
Register completed by Sarah Elliott, May 1998 and revised by Jessica Alexander, December 2006.
Related Materials
Mormons for ERA recordsCOLL MS 225
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Mormons for ERA from Alice Allred Pottmyer, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 1
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:01:01: Marie's "Ru" Dan on left, Tish on right
inspecting the food before we ate |
undated | ||
01:01:02: Around the table: "Ru" Atkinson, Robert Head,
Dan, the great non-LDS, Tish and Dave Disinore |
undated | ||
01:01:03: Our "2 little ladies from Pasadena" then
unnamed guest. From right side toward back: Lynn Weatherford, her boyfriend in
red shirt standing in back of her, Dave, and Audrey |
undated | ||
01:01:04: Beth and Price Gibb |
undated | ||
01:01:05: Ron discusses great things with
Price |
undated | ||
01:01:06: Beth Gibb and "Mary's" friend "Betsy" (She is
actually dying in this shot-so shocked was she!) |
undated | ||
01:01:07: Same death scene-Ru, Tish, Robert, and
? |
undated |
Mormons for ERA from Alice Allred Pottmyer, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 2
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:02:01: Beginning at back right: Dave Disinore, AJ
Ryan, Kip Grant, and Michael Johnson |
undated | ||
01:02:02: Lynn and boyfriend in hall door (no more room
to sit.) |
undated | ||
01:02:03: Wayland from his seat in library named for
him |
undated | ||
01:02:04: Wayland citing a source |
undated | ||
01:02:05: Our booth at the L.A. Women's Faire in
April |
undated | ||
01:02:06: Booth at L.A. Women's Faire in
April |
undated | ||
01:02:07: Margot Cheney, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Marlene
Hill in Hotel Utah lobby |
undated |
Mother's Day ERA March, Chicago, IL , 1980Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 3
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:03:01: Left to Right: Marjory Hart, Sonia Johnson, and
Alice A. Pottmyer (blue purse.) |
undated | ||
01:03:02: Left to Right: Teddie Wood (red shirt), Alice
Pottmyer, Virginia Graham, and Kathy Harvey |
undated | ||
01:03:03: "You Can't Excommunicate Equality: Mormons for
ERA" banner |
undated |
Equality Day Parade, 1977Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 4
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:04:01: Sonia Johnson behind banner |
undated | ||
01:04:02: Sonia Johnson carrying banner, Ron Rigby in
background |
undated |
California Mormons for ERA, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 5
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:05:01: Love the looks on Sam and Gay Taylor's faces:
Alice is reading the R.S. lesson! |
undated | ||
01:05:02: Alice pledging allegiance? |
undated | ||
01:05:03: Gay Taylor is asking why we need the
ERA |
undated | ||
01:05:04: AJ Ryan chatting with Wayland |
undated | ||
01:05:05: Marlene Head, Marlene Hill and Vicki
Selmier |
undated | ||
01:05:06: Alice Pottmyer and Marlene Head before song at
board meeting |
undated |
California Mormons for ERA, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 6
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:06:01: The looks on the faces of Alice Pottmyer and
Marlene Head tell the story before they sang |
undated | ||
01:06:02: Oh! Here she comes |
undated | ||
01:06:03: Why isn't Marlene singing with
Alice? |
undated | ||
01:06:04: Total exhaustion- the song is ended and so is
Marlene |
undated | ||
01:06:05: Which is pregnant for the first time, Marlene
or Alice? |
undated | ||
01:06:06: Marlene Head learned "the look" real well- all
the gestures and stances real fast |
undated | ||
01:06:07: Alice Pottmyer- Home Sweet Home |
undated |
Hotel Utah, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 7
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:07:01: Alice Pottmyer's Hotel Utah letter to T.K.-
droopy eyelids denote lateness of hour |
undated |
Cheryl Dalton, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 8
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:08:01: Mormons for ERA present Cheryl Dalton
SISTERS! |
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 9
(Negatives Available)
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:09:01: "ERA Yes! There's No "E.R." without the "A."
Banner
|
undated | ||
01:09:02: "Without ERA All Women are in Chains" Banner
|
undated | ||
01:09:03: Demonstrators chaining themselves to the fence
|
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 10
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:10:01: Demonstrators chained to the fence
|
undated | ||
01:10:02: Demonstrators chained to the fence
|
undated | ||
01:10:03: Demonstrators chained to the fence- Sonia
Johnson third from left |
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 11
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:11:01: Demonstrators from Florida, Carolina, Alabama,
Arkansas, and Utah - Sonia Johnson on the far right
|
undated | ||
01:11:02: Demonstrators from Oklahoma, Florida, Carolina,
Alabama, Arkansas, and a female minister
|
undated | ||
01:11:03: Demonstrators from Oklahoma, Florida, Carolina,
and a female minister
|
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 12
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:12:01: Demonstrators from Oklahoma, Florida, Carolina,
Alabama, Arkansas, and a female minister
|
undated | ||
01:12:02: Demonstrators from USA, Louisiana, Virginia,
and others
|
undated | ||
01:12:03: Demonstrators from Virginia, USA, and Illinois
|
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 13
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:13:01: Demonstrators from Louisiana, Virginia, and
USA
|
undated | ||
01:13:02: Demonstrator from Utah
|
undated | ||
01:13:03: Sonia Johnson |
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 14
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:14:01: "Without ERA All Women are in Chains" Banner
|
undated | ||
01:14:02: Chains connecting women to the fence
|
undated | ||
01:14:03: Chains holding the women to the fence
|
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 15
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:15:01: Women chained to the fence |
undated | ||
01:15:02: Alice Pottmyer and television crews at the
demonstration
|
undated | ||
01:15:03: Alice Pottmyer and demonstrators |
undated | ||
01:15:04: Crowd at demonstrations
|
undated |
White House ERA Demonstration, August 1981Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 16
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:16:01: Crowd of demonstrators
|
undated | ||
01:16:02: Television crews interviewing demonstrators
|
undated | ||
01:16:03: Television crews filming demonstrators
|
undated |
20th Anniversary of Martin Luther King March, August 27, 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 17
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:17:01: From left to right: Debra Evenson, Alice
Pottmyer, and Marjory Hart |
undated | ||
01:17:02: From left to right: Debra Evenson and Alice
Pottmyer |
undated | ||
01:17:03: From left to right: Debra Evenson and Marjory
Hart |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 18
(Negatives Available)
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:18:01: "ERA-The Pearl of Great Price"
Banner |
undated | ||
01:18:02: Banner between two buildings in Salt Lake
City |
undated | ||
01:18:03: Banner between the LDS Church Office building
and LDS Temple |
undated | ||
01:18:04: Banner over Hotel Utah |
undated | ||
01:18:05: Banner between Church Office building and
Temple |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 19
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:19:01: Banner over Temple and Seagull
Monument |
undated | ||
01:19:02: Spectators in front of LDS Tabernacle looking
at the banner |
undated | ||
01:19:03: Banner by the side of the Temple |
undated | ||
01:19:04: Banner in the sky |
undated | ||
01:19:05: Spectators at Temple Square |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 20
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:20:01: Crowd at Temple Square |
undated | ||
01:20:02: People at Temple Square |
undated | ||
01:20:03: Plane towing the banner |
undated | ||
01:20:04: Spectators watching the banner |
undated | ||
01:20:05: Banner in the sky |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 21
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:21:01: Close-up shot of the banner |
undated | ||
01:21:02: Banner in the sky |
undated | ||
01:21:03: Banner on the right of the LDS Church Office
building |
undated | ||
01:21:04: Banner on the left of the LDS Church Office
building |
undated | ||
01:21:05: Banner over the Temple |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 22
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:22:01: Banner over the Temple and Hotel
Utah |
undated | ||
01:22:02: Banner in the sky |
undated | ||
01:22:03: Banner over the Temple |
undated | ||
01:22:04: Banner over the Temple and Hotel
Utah |
undated | ||
01:22:05: Banner over Hotel Utah, Temple on the
right |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference , October 1983Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 23
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:23:01: Close-up shot of the banner |
undated | ||
01:23:02: Banner in the sky |
undated | ||
01:23:03: Banner over the Temple |
undated | ||
01:23:04: Banner over Hotel Utah, Temple on the
right |
undated | ||
01:23:05: Man pointing to the banner in the
sky |
undated |
Plane Tow during LDS General Conference, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 24
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:24:01: Banner in the sky |
October 1983 | ||
01:24:02: Debra Evenson speaking |
undated | ||
01:24:03: Debra Evenson being interviewed by KSL Channel
5 |
undated | ||
01:24:04: Debra Evenson being interviewed by KSL Channel
5 |
undated |
Hazel Davis Rigby, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 25
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:25:01: Group photo taken in Rochester |
1980 |
Maida Rust Withers , Spring 1982Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 26
The Day Women Climbed the White House Fence to Deliver a Message to President Reagan
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
01:26:01: ERA Demonstrators |
undated | ||
01:26:02: Women holding banners marching down the street
"Susan B. Anthony Blvd." |
undated | ||
01:26:03: Woman dressed as Susan B. Anthony delivering a
speech |
undated | ||
01:26:04: Maida Rust speaking at the April Alliance on
Rev. David H. Eaton and Dr. Charles V. Bergstrom on the right.
|
April 29, 1980 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Demonstrations--Utah--Photographs.
- Demonstrations--Washington (D.C.)--Photographs.
- Equal rights amendments--Utah--History--20th century.
- Mormon women--United States--Photographs.
- Women's rights--Utah--History--20th century.
Personal Names
- Pottmyer, Alice Allred--Photographs.
- Rigby, Hazel Davis--Photographs.
- Withers, Maida--Photographs.
Corporate Names
- Mormons for ERA--Photographs.
- White House (Washington, D.C.)--Photographs.