The women of the 20th century fought for complex social shifts and worked diligently to inspire rapid cultural changes. The women of Utah were no exception. Filled with rich pages of history, numerous individual collections compile together to form the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women’s Legacy Archive. The archive is a purposefully selected attempt to document the shared history of women in the 20th century that showcases the variety of women and acknowledges the contributions of women from all religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as from all parts of the world.

Aileen H. Clyde was well-known for her dedication to service, social justice, and equality. Deeply committed to serving her community and religion with care and openness, her sincere concern for women shaped her professionally and personally. Throughout her life, Clyde held various public administration and service roles, including serving for twelve years on the Utah State Board of Regents and seven years in the General Presidency of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Additionally, she was a founding member of the Utah Women’s Forum and served as the chair for both the Utah Task Force on Gender and Justice and the Coalition for Utah’s Future.

In 2014, the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women’s Legacy Archive at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah was established in her honor. The archive documents and preserves the history of women whose lives and work have had a social and cultural impact and supports opportunities for scholarship and writing about women’s activities in the 20th century.

The archive features the oral histories, photos, articles, letters and journals of hundreds of impactful Utah women across dozens of collection subjects such as Humanities, Commerce, Education, Government and Health. Learn about a few of these women below:

Betsy Burton,
King’s English Bookshop

Betsy Burton is co-founder of the King’s English Bookshop. During her early career, Burton worked at Sam Weller’s Bookstore and then at Evans Advertising, performing research and writing. In 1977, along with Ann Berman, Burton co-founded The King’s English Bookstore, located at the corner of 15th and 15th in Salt Lake. After Berman’s departure in 1981, Burton ran the store single-handedly until 1988, when Barbara Hoagland became the co-owner, and continued to do so until 2019. Burton has written three books and several published articles, editorials and reviews.

As a small business owner, Burton was active in local organizations, including co-founding Local First Utah, and served as a founding member of the Salt Lake Vest Pocket Business Coalition.

Discover the Betsy Burton Papers

Margo Walters McDonald,
Olympic Skier

First donning skis in 1951 was a fateful event for Margo Walters McDonald, ultimately leading to a first-place finish in the Junior Nationals, a second-place finish in the Senior Nationals, three Snow Cup victories (1960, 1961 and 1963) and a 21st place finish in the downhill in the 1964 Olympic Winter Games where she joined the U.S. Olympic Team in Innsbruck, Austria.

McDonald served as executive director of the Intermountain Ski Association from 1967 to 1970 and was later inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2007.

Margo Walters McDonald Photograph Collection

Jean M. Westwood,
Democratic National Committee Chair

Jean Westwood was a native of Price, Utah who dedicated several years to working in politics at the grassroots level. She was also a member of the Utah Women’s Legislative Council from 1952 to 1956 and again from 1965 to 1968. In 1967, she began her service as a member of the Democratic National Committee, eventually becoming its committee chairman in 1972, making her the first woman ever to lead a major American political party.

Westwood’s rich political background includes working as a staff member for Utah Congressman David S. King of Utah and also serving Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Utah. She became the Utah Chairman of the 1960 Herbert Humphrey presidential primary campaign, as he contended for the Democratic nomination against then senator John F. Kennedy. Westwood spent most of her adult life campaigning for liberal Democratic candidates at various political levels, including the school board, state legislature, Congress and the presidency. She also worked within the Democratic Parties of Utah and Arizona. Ms. Westwood also became involved with university youth groups and has supervised the educational program at the Utah chapter of the American Legion Auxiliary Girl’s State leadership program.

See the Jean M. Westwood Collection Contents

Alberta Henry, Salt Lake NAACP President, Community Leader

An impactful educator, community activist and longtime President of the Salt Lake NAACP, Alberta Henry gained a reputation as one of Utah’s most noteworthy community activists, leading the way for equal opportunity in the K-12 system of education and on many other fronts.

From 1980 to 1992, Henry served as President of the Salt Lake City NAACP. Additionally, she was actively involved in various community and government organizations, including the Altrusa Club, the Governor’s Black Advisory Council and the Utah Commission on Civil Rights. In one of Henry’s Oral Histories, she discusses the isolation of being a black person in 1950’s Salt Lake and then explains how some of those experiences led her to establish the Black Honor Society for high school students (later changed name to the Rainbow Honor Society), which provided resources and enrichment opportunities to all students of color.

Read Alberta Henry’s Oral Histories

The 20th century saw the world spinning faster as industrious women created more opportunities for themselves than ever before. The Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women’s Legacy Archive at the J. Willard Marriott Library works to preserve Utah’s women’s rich history, legacies and impact. Most collections are not available online, but materials held in Special Collections are open to the public; patrons should plan in advance and first make requests through the contact webform.