Douglas Owen Woodruff was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 10, 1895 to Naomi Abbott Butterworth and Asahel Hart Woodruff. He was the grandson of Wilford Woodruff, the fourth president of the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints. Graduating from Granite High School in 1916, Douglas commenced his undergraduate studies that fall at the Agricultural College of Utah. The following year he embarked on a three-year mission to the Northern States Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After completing his mission, Woodruff entered the University of Utah, where he majored in business administration and received a B.S. degree in 1922. On September 6, 1923, Douglas Woodruff married Alta Olivia Crawford (1895-1986); together, they had three children.
From the mid-1920s and through the mid-1930s, Douglas was involved in a variety of business ventures, including a land and livestock partnership and a popcorn confection company. The bulk of his professional career was centered upon his employment at the University of Utah where, between 1931 and 1964, Woodruff managed the U of U's student union. While at the University of Utah, Douglas served as the executive director of the alumni's development fund and acted as the managing director of the publication
Woodruff joined several professional, sport, and social organizations, the most prominent of which were the Association of College Unions, the American Alumni Council (AAC), the United States Figure Skating Association, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Woodruff served a committee and board member and as an officer in all these groups. He was president of the Association of College Unions (1947-1948), the Utah Figure Skating Club (1950-1958), the Salt Lake City chapter of the AARP (1964-1966), and the American Association of Retired Persons (1974-1976). As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Woodruff was a member of Salt Lake City's Ensign Third ward, held the position of stake superintendent in charge of the Sunday School program from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s, and served as a member of the 316th Quorum of the Seventies. Douglas O. Woodruff died on May 14, 1989.
The Douglas O. Woodruff photograph collection consists of 2 boxes containing 619 black-and-white and color photograph prints depicting Woodruff's career at the University of Utah and his involvement in various groups and committees; meetings with politicians; and events. The collection includes some photographs of members of the Woodruff family and their friends, as well as images related to Woodruff's membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The collection dates from approximately 1923 to 1970.
Arranged by subject
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It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Douglas O. Woodruff photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Purchased from Benchmark Books in 2017.
Processed by Special Collections staff.
See also the
Individuals depicted include: Hal Rumel; Renee Young; Earl J. Glade Jr.
Meeting held at Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah. Individuals depicted include: Ernest Diederich, Douglas Woodruff, Geo. W. Schluederberg; Ken Coffin (sp?)
Buildings on the University of Utah campus. Individuals depicted include: Milt Hollstein.
Includes the Parke Memorial Committee. Individuals depicted include: Tom Merill, George Hansen.
Portraits of University of Utah Alumnus and business employees. Individuals depicted include: Governor Charles Rendell Mabey; Frank W. Evans; William R. Wallace; George C. Wallace.
Individuals depicted include: Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy of Massachusetts; Senator Adali Stevenson Jr. of Illinois: Senator Frank Church of Idaho; Governor Francis Sargent of Massachusetts; Senator John E. Flynn of the New York State Legislature; Governor Meldrim Thompson Jr. of New Hampshire; President Gerald Ford.
Individuals depicted include: Senate Majority Leader Warren M. Anderson; Governor Malcom Wilson.
Visit with Governor Wendell R. Anderson of Minnesota. Individuals depicted include: Mrs. Florentine Prody; Douglas O. Woodruff; Josephine Gustafson, Thales Webster; Llyal Hanson; Olaf Kaasa; Melvin Voxland; Boris Steiman.
Individuals depicted include: Naomi Woodruff (Mrs. A.H. Woodruff); Ken Kimberly.
Events and locations depicted include: Niagara falls; return from a mission; Woodruff family at Pendrest; AARP events and meetings; Salt Lake City temple; London, England; Paris, France; paintings of leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Individuals depicted include: Vioa Weiess; Mary Willie; Gene Sloan; Bill Nebeker; Rex Williams; Dr. Lorraine Clark; Clayton Graves and wife; Ed Scheid; Priscilla Engolia; Roscoe A. Grover; Foster Pratt; Judith Johnson, daughter of J.S. Johnson; Edmund, Margaret, and Alta Crawford.
Events and locations depicted include: American Alumni Council conference; AARP events. Individuals depicted include: Ed Henderson; J.M. Farris; Herb Apple; Earl Armstrong; G.J. Chriustensen; Lile Wellonson; Creek Richardson; Amy Pratt Romney; Dr. Ralph V. Chamberlin; Ruth Russell; Clarence Madsen; John T. Rice; French and Virginia Dennison; Dr. Louis B. Gerrard.
Constructed 1930-1933, David Gardner Hall served as a student union until 1954, the opening of the Olpin Union.