Archives West Finding Aid

The J. Gordon and Betty M. Browning papers (1874-1999) are a collection of documents from the Browning, Foulger, and Menick families. The first six boxes are devoted to J. Gordon Browning (1909-1989) and Elizabeth ("Betty") M. Browning (1911-2001). They include personal and business correspondence, as well as documents pertaining to J. Gordon Browning's career in radio. Box 5 is devoted to their years in the Utah Democratic Party. The Brownings were very politically active, and this box includes correspondence from major Utah politicos, as well as invitations to Inaugural events and Governors' balls. Included are signed letters from Senator Frank Moss and Governor Calvin Rampton. There are also color photocopies of autographs from Robert F. Kennedy and Bob Hope. Box 6 contains documentation pertaining to Gordon and Betty's involvement with the University of Utah. The Brownings established the Gordon and Betty Browning Health Sciences Scholarship Fund, and in 1982, the University Hospital dedicated the Browning Plaza and Auditorium to the couple. Correspondence includes communication about the auditorium, as well as copies of certificates and plaques given to the Brownings. J. Gordon Browning was the son of John R. and Betty J. Browning. Box 5 contains correspondence and documentation from John R. Browning, as well as letters from Betty J. Browning. After they divorced in 1915, John R. married Margaret E. Sandall in 1923. Because of this relationship, boxes 8-11 are devoted to Margaret (1888-1969), her daughter, Imogene S. Culbertson, and Margaret's family, the Foulgers. The Foulger papers not only include correspondence, but have business documentation and brochures from their company, the Colville Ice Cream Company. In addition to this, there is a color photocopy of a handwritten and signed note to Margaret's brother, Charles Clifford Foulger, from King George V, during World War I. Box 12 contains the Menick family documents. Held here are baptism records, estate correspondence, and medical notices. There are also the wartime diaries and documents of Frank Prist, Olga Farley's first husband. He worked for General MacArthur during World War II and was killed by a sniper in 1944. Boxes 13 and 14 contain miscellaneous books and documents. Betty Browning's Russian birth certificate is in box 14. The originals of the color photocopies have been placed in the Manuscript Division Reserve collection. They can be accessed with permission from the curator or other authorized persons.