UUS_mss320.xml Guide to the Ione Bennion papers 1908-1997 Bennion, (Ione) papers 1908-1997 Finding aid/Register created by Clint Pumphrey Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives ©2011
Merrill-Cazier Library Utah State University 3000 Old Main Hill Logan, Utah 84322-3000 Business Number: 435 797-8248 Fax Number: 435 797-2880 scweb@usu.edu https://archives.usu.edu/
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-07-08. Finding aid encoded in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard). 2009 Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines. Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Ione Bennion papers UUS_COLL MSS 320 13 boxes 4.5 linear feet 1908-1997 This collection contains Bennion's papers documenting her considerable contributions as a professional, an activist, and a volunteer. Material in English

Processed in September of 2007.

The papers comprising this collection were donated to USU Special Collections and Archives by Richard Sadler in 1998 and Ross Peterson in 2003.

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Ione Bennion papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.

Initial Citation: Ione Bennion papers USU_COLL MSS 320, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations: USU_COLL MSS 320, USUSCA.

Ione Spencer Bennion was born October 6, 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah. After graduating from the University of Utah in 1930, she worked as a teacher, and she later married Wayne Bennion in 1937. Tragically, after only five years of marriage, he died in an accident. Soon after her husband's death, Bennion enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University, later transferring to the University of Utah and the University of Washington. In 1945, she became the dean of women at Utah State University, where she me, and in 1947, married T.W. Daniels, a member of the forestry faculty. Bennion would later divorce Daniels in the 1970s, but they remained close friends. She was replaced as dean in 1952 because of an anti-nepotism law that stated that women could not be teachers or administrators if their husbands were employed by the university. Though she fought to keep her position, the university's board stood by their decision, and Bennion began work as a teacher for the Logan City School District. For the next 28 years, she worked with disadvantaged and disabled students; her work included the creation of the Young Mothers program, which encouraged teenage mothers to complete their high school degrees.

Bennion also became very politically active at the state and local level. She fought for women's rights, helped to establish Planned Parenthood in Logan, supported the Women's Legislative Council, participated in the League of Women Voters of Cache County, and advocated on behalf of the ultimately unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment. In the 1950s and 1960s, Bennion worked with the Utah Committee on Civil Rights to secure the passage of the Utah Voting Rights Act of 1965. She was a strong advocate for the elderly, supporting the RSVP/Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Voluntary Action Program, and serving on the Sunshine Terrace board of directors. Also, a strong supporter of Utah State University, she was instrumental in the creation of the Women's Center, served as a volunteer on the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum board, and was inducted into the Old Main Society. She was awarded the university's Distinguished Service Award in 1981. When Bennion passed away on November 22, 1997, at the age of 89, her obituary described her life as a "continuous struggle against injustice."

This collection contains the papers of Ione Bennion which document her considerable contributions as an educator, an activist, and a volunteer. Her professional papers and correspondence detail her work as Utah State University's dean of women and a teacher with the Logan City School District. Also included are items related to civic and political events in Utah and Cache County in which Bennion was involved. The collection also contains personal and family materials.

Arranged by subject matter and then chronologically.

Related collections include the League of Women Voters of Cache County papersColl Mss 155,

the Alison Comish Thorne papersColl Mss 216,

the Proposal for Change in Cache County Government Structure papersColl Mss 318,

the Theodore Daniels photograph collectionP0373

and the Theodore Daniels papers (USU Archives 14.7/2:17).

Ione Bennion photograph collection, P0371

 Obituary, Logan Herald Journal Logan, Utah. November 24, 1997. Cache County (Utah) Social advocacy--Utah. County government--Utah--Cache County. Education--Utah--Cache County. Correspondence Colleges and Universities Civic Activism Professional Papers 1947-1953 (10 folders) AAUW – History undated 1 1 AAUW – Biennial Convention Speeches 1953 1 2 AAUW – Money Management Portfolio undated 1 3 Native American Education Programs undated 1 4 USU Women Honor Residents 1947-1950 1 5 Correspondence with Austrian Students undated 1 6 Correspondence with Chinese Students undated 1 7 Correspondence with Sudanese Students undated 1 8 Correspondence with Iranian Students undated 1 9 India undated 1 10 Professional Correspondence 1946-1973 (4 folders) Dean of Women Correspondence 1946-1952 2 1 Correspondence Concerning Bennion's Dismissal from USAC 1953 2 2 Logan Director of Civil Defense Correspondence 1954-1955 2 3 Correspondence Concerning Bennion's Retirement 1973 2 4 Honors/Awards 1930-1997 (20 folders) Public Speaking Club Certificate, LDS College 1930 3 1 Ione Spencer University of Utah B.A. Diploma 1930 3 2 Theta Alpha Phi Membership Certificate 1930 3 3 Alpha Chi Omega Certificate 1934 3 4 Civil Defense Course Completion Certificate 1953 3 5 Secondary Teaching Certificate 1954 3 6 Teaching Certificate 1955 3 7 University of Utah Alumni Association Life Membership Certificate 1962 3 8 Utah State University President's Club Membership Certificate 1969 3 9 Community Volunteer Award 1977 3 10 USU Distinguished Service Award 1981 3 11 Women Helping Women Award 1982 3 12 USU International Student Council Award 1982 3 13 KSL Radio "People Make the Difference" Award 1986 3 14 American Association of University Women Recognition 1991 3 15 Program from Friends of HASS Society Recognition Ceremony 1994 3 16 Sunshine Terrace Award 1997 3 17 Old Main Society Membership undated 3 18 Sunshine Terrace Certificates undated 3 19 USU Women's Center Awards undated 3 20 Honors/Awards – Pins and Medallions undated 4 Utah and Cache County Politics 1951-1956 (12 folders) Utah Women's Issues/Equal Rights Amendment undated 5 1 Utah – Misc. Political Issues undated 5 2 Utah – Political Newsletters undated 5 3 Utah – Volunteer Material undated 5 4 Cache Valley, Utah, Women's Legislative Council undated 5 5 Cache Valley, Utah, Women's Legislative Council Correspondence 1951-1956 5 6 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – Report of the Logan City Mayor's Commission on Government Organization undated 5 7 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – General Information about Logan/Cache County undated 5 8 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – Articles About County Government undated 5 9 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – General Information about Utah Local Governments undated 5 10 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – Letters and Notes undated 5 11 Alternate Forms of Cache County Government – LWVCC Studies undated 5 12 National Politics undated Education undated 6 1 People for the American Way undated 6 2 American Civil Liberties Union undated 6 3 Misc. Newsletters undated 6 4 League of Women Voters 1973-1976 (27 folders LWVCC – Meeting Minutes 1973-1974 7 1 LWVCC – Cache County Voter undated 7 2 LWVCC – Newspaper Articles undated 7 3 LWVCC – Membership Lists undated 7 4 LWVCC – Bylaws 1974 7 5 LWVCC – Fact Sheets undated 7 6 LWVCC – Mosquito Abatement undated 7 7 LWVCC – "A Study of Cache County and Logan City School Districts" undated 7 8 LWVCC – "Low Income Housing" undated 7 9 LWVCC – "Solid Waste: Our Only Growing Resource" undated 7 10 LWVCC – Misc. undated 7 11 LWVU – ERA undated 7 12 LWVU – Meeting Agendas and Minutes 1975-1976 7 13 LWVU – Budgets and Treasurer's Reports 1975-1976 7 14 LWVU – Utah Voter undated 7 15 LWVU – "Children, Children Everywhere…Who Cares?" undated 7 16 LWVU – "Review of Utah Election Laws and Procedures" undated 7 17 LWVU – "Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law" undated 7 18 LWVU – "Revenue Sharing" undated 7 19 LWVU – "Health Services in Utah: Recent Developments" undated 7 20 LWVU – "Does Utah Promote the General Welfare?" undated 7 21 LWVU – "Making Sense of Your Property Taxes" undated 7 22 LWVU – "Challenges of the Future for Utah's Water Policies" undated 7 23 LWVU – Misc. undated 7 24 LWV – Informational Booklets undated 7 25 LWV – Pamphlets undated 7 26 LWV – Misc. undated 7 27 Political Buttons undated 8 Non-political Utah and Cache County Materials 1987 (14 folders) LDS Material undated 9 1 Utah Material undated 9 2 University of Utah Material undated 9 3 Logan, UT Material undated 9 4 Bear River Water Seminar 1987 January 9 9 5 Friends of the Logan Library undated 9 6 Logan Canyon Nature Center undated 9 7 Logan 24th Ward Relief Society undated 9 8 USU/USAC Newspaper Clippings undated 9 9 Utah Newspaper Clippings undated 9 10 Logan, UT Newspaper Clippings undated 9 11 Marjorie Gardner undated 9 12 Marjorie Gardner – Cassette Recording of Funeral undated 9 13 George Meyer undated 9 14 Personal Papers 1908-1994 (20 folders) Patriarchal Blessing 1908 10 1 Certificate of Baptism and Confirmation 1917 10 2 Autograph Book of Birthday Wishes to Ione 1931 10 3 Wayne Bennion and Ione Spencer Marriage Certificate 1937 10 4 Wayne Bennion and Ione Spencer Wedding Invitation 1937 10 5 Temple Recommend 1955 10 6 Bennion Family Newsletter 1993 May 10 7 Ione Bennion Interview 1994 October 3 10 8 ID Cards and Passports undated 10 9 Around the World Travel Itineraries undated 10 10 Around the World Travel Brochures undated 10 11 Travel Journals undated 10 12 Notices of Appointment as instructor at USAC undated 10 13 Notices of Appointment as teacher in Logan City Schools undated 10 14 80th Birthday Party Guest Register undated 10 15 Ione Bennion's Will undated 10 16 Trust Agreements undated 10 17 Ione Bennion Newspaper Clippings undated 10 18 Ione and Wayne Bennion Endowment and Teacher Workshop undated 10 19 Wayne and Ione Spencer Bennion Fund for the Women's Center at USU undated 10 20 Personal Correspondence 1940-1999 (9 folders) Personal Correspondence 1940-1949 11 1 Personal Correspondence 1950-1959 11 2 Personal Correspondence 1960-1969 11 3 Personal Correspondence 1970-1979 11 4 Personal Correspondence 1980-1989 11 5 Personal Correspondence 1990-1999 11 6 Personal Correspondence undated 11 7 Christmas Cards undated 11 8 Letters to the Editor undated 11 9 Family Materials 1930-1982 (16 folders Wayne Bennion – Patriarchal Blessing undated 12 1 Wayne Bennion – Investment Records undated 12 2 Wayne Bennion – Leland Stanford Junior University MBA Diploma 1933 12 3 Wayne Bennion – Univ. of Utah B.S. Diploma 1930 12 4 Wayne Bennion – High School Teaching Certificate undated 12 5 Wayne Bennion – Death Certificate undated 12 6 Wayne Bennion – USAC Notices of Appointment and Transcript undated 12 7 Wayne Bennion – US Army Certificates undated 12 8 Wayne Bennion – Univ. of Washington Transcripts undated 12 9 Wayne Bennion – Certificates of Ordination and Baptism in LDS Church undated 12 10 Lowell L. Bennion Newspaper Clippings undated 12 11 Milton Bennion undated 12 12 George Spencer undated 12 13 Cassette Recording of the Spencer Reunion 1982 12 14 Pencil Drawing of T.W. Daniel undated 12 15 Genealogy Materials undated 12 16 Class Essays and Notes undated (6 folders Folklore undated 13 1 Physics undated 13 2 Political Science undated 13 3 Spanish undated 13 4 Speech undated 13 5 Misc. Writings undated 13 6