Hope A. Hilton papers, 1815-1999

Hope Averell Hilton (1924-1999) was born 15 August 1924 to Hugo Joseph and Annalee Kohlhepp Averell. She was educated in the public schools of California and was awarded a BA in History by the University of California at Berkley. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hope served a mission to the central states. She moved to Utah, where she attended the University of Utah and married Lynn M. Hilton in 1948. The Hiltons traveled extensively in the middle east, living in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In 1968 they organized the Middle East Foundation, a charitable organization devoted to helping students from the middle east obtain an education in the United States. Hope was active in community affairs, with an emphasis on issues related to parks and historic sites. She was the author of numerous articles, and wrote a biography of her great-grandfather, William Adams Hickman. She also wrote several pieces about her mother, Annalee Skarin, an author of books deemed heretical by LDS church authorities. Hope Hilton died in Salt Lake City on 26 October 1999 after an extended illness.