Leave the dishes in the sink : adventures of an activist in conservative Utah

Alison Thorne provides a small-town Utah perspective on the progressive social movements that in the mid to late twentieth century dramatically affected American society. A born activist, Thorne has fought for women's rights, educational reform in public schools and universities, the environment, peace, and the war on poverty. Her efforts have been all the more challenging because of the conservative social and cultural environment in which she has undertaken them. Yet, Thorne, who has deep personal and familial roots in the politically conservative and predominantly Mormon culture of Utah and much of the West, has worked well with people with varied political and social perspectives and agendas. She has been able to establish effective coalitions in contexts that seem inherently hostile. She demonstrated this through her election to the local school board and through her appointment by both Republican and Democratic governors, eventually as chair, to the statewide Governor's Committee on the Status of Women. Alison Thorne's background prepared her to challenge restrictive social contexts, see the broader picture, and encourage progressive change. Educated in the field of consumption economics, which studies those aspects of consumption that operate outside the market system, especially government services and unpaid household production, primarily by women, she received a Ph.D. in economics after graduate study at the University of Chicago and Iowa State, a first for a woman at the latter. Moving with her husband after he was hired at Utah State University, she soon discovered that her education and abilities were undervalued and that tight nepotism rules kept her out of an academic position. She devoted herself to research and writing about alternatives to the narrow definitions of a housewife's role and duties prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. Both her scholarly work and her personal inclinations prepared her for the emergence of the second wave of feminism in the 1960s. Her participation in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment honed her skills as an activist, which she applied to multiple other causes. But Alison Thorne's style has never been mere protest of injustice; she has always been fully engaged with her communities, directly working for social change and betterment. Rather than be discouraged by initial rejection, she found ways to contribute to education on the USU campus, eventually achieved academic standing, and helped create women's studies programs and a women's center. She met other challenges in her city and state similarly, by taking her gloves off, reaching out to others, building coalitions, and getting to work. Alison Thorne provides a small-town Utah perspective on the progressive social movements that in the mid to late twentieth century dramatically affected American society. A born activist, Thorne has fought for women's rights, educational reform in public schools and universities, the environment, peace, and the war on poverty. Her efforts have been all the more challenging because of the conservative social and cultural environment in which she has undertaken them. Yet, Thorne, who has deep personal and familial roots in the politically conservative and predominantly Mormon culture of Utah and much of the West, has worked well with people with varied political and social perspectives and agendas. She has been able to establish effective coalitions in contexts that seem inherently hostile. She demonstrated this through her election to the local school board and through her appointment by both Republican and Democratic governors, eventually as chair, to the statewide Governor's Committee on the Status of Women. Alison Thorne's background prepared her to challenge restrictive social contexts, see the broader picture, and encourage progressive change. Educated in the field of consumption economics, which studies those aspects of consumption that operate outside the market system, especially government services and unpaid household production, primarily by women, she received a Ph. D. in economics after graduate study at the University of Chicago and Iowa State, a first for a woman at the latter. Moving with her husband after he was hired at Utah State University, she soon discovered that her education and abilities were undervalued and that tight nepotism rules kept her out of an academic position. She devoted herself to research and writing about alternatives to the narrow definitions of a housewife's role and duties prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. Both her scholarly work and her personal inclinations prepared her for the emergence of the second wave of feminism in the 1960s. Her participation in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment honed her skills as an activist, which she applied to multiple other causes. But Alison Thorne's style has never been mere protest of injustice; she has always been fully engaged with her communities, directly working for social change and betterment. Rather than be discouraged by initial rejection, she found ways to contribute to education on the USU campus, eventually achieved academic standing, and helped create women's studies programs and a women's center. She met other challenges in her city and state similarly, by taking her gloves off, reaching out to others, building coalitions, and getting to work

Progressive feminist activist Thorne discusses the challenges of working for social change in a small-town Mormon community. She explores both personal and social issues as she recounts her youth in Oregon during the 1920s, her move to Utah with her new husband, and her commitment to the feminist, anti-war, environmental, and anti- poverty movements. She emphasizes her accomplishments in working with members of her community to promote on-the-ground social change within the context of larger social battles. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Booknews

Progressive feminist activist Thorne discusses the challenges of working for social change in a small-town Mormon community. She explores both personal and social issues as she recounts her youth in Oregon during the 1920s, her move to Utah with her new husband, and her commitment to the feminist, anti-war, environmental, and anti- poverty movements. She emphasizes her accomplishments in working with members of her community to promote on-the-ground social change within the context of larger social battles. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents......Page 7 Illustrations......Page 10 Foreword......Page 11 Introduction......Page 14 1 Growing Up in the 1920s......Page 18 2 The Great Depression and College Years......Page 38 3 Producing Children and Books: The 1940s......Page 60 4 Search for Values......Page 86 5 Conformity and Creativity......Page 107 6 Social Justice: The 1960s......Page 125 7 Feminist Straws in the Wind......Page 146 8 Activism in the 1970s......Page 164 9 The Women’s Movement at Utah State University......Page 181 10 The Widening Reach of the Women’s Movement......Page 194 11 The University, Women, and History......Page 220 12 Gathering Up Loose Ends......Page 239 Appendix: The Life and Career of Wynne Thorne......Page 247 Postscript: What Became of the Children?......Page 262 Acknowledgments......Page 263 Notes......Page 265 Index......Page 291 "Alison Thorne provides a small-town Utah perspective on the progressive social movements that dramatically affected American society in the late twentieth century. A born activist, Thorne fought in a conservative social environment for women's rights, education reform in public schools and universities, the environment, the war on poverty, and the anti-war movement. She has deep personal roots in the politically conservative and predominantly Mormon culture in Utah and the West and worked well with people having varied perspectives and agendas, establishing effective connections and networks in seemingly hostile contexts. Her election to the local school board and appointment by governors from both parties, eventually as chair, to the statewide Governor's Committee on the Status of Women demonstrated this."--BOOK JACKET. The author provides a small-town Utah perspective on the progressive social movements that in the mid to late twentieth century dramatically affected American society