Item Detail
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Adams, Dorothy Marie Rasmussen
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1910-1998
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MSS OH 3
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Oral History
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Dorothy Marie Rasmussen Adams was born on November 16, 1910 in Ephraim, Utah to Delbert R. Rasmussen and Caroline M. Dorius. In 1915 she moved with her parents and two brothers to Monticello, San Juan County. When Dorothy's mother died in 1925, Dorothy and her family moved back to Ephraim for two years. She then moved to Salt Lake City where she attended school for 13 years. In 1932 she taught school in Ucola for 18 months until she earned enough money to finish college. In 1935 she graduated from the University of Utah and then taught school for a year in Sego, a coal mining town. In 1936 she moved to Moab where she taught for another year. There she met Donald Adams whom she married on February 19, 1937. Donald and Dorothy moved to Monticello in the spring. In 1939 Dorothy bore a daughter, Sue, and in 1946, she had a son, George. During these years, Dorothy taught mostly first grade, except when she was sick from childbirth. She later worked as a supervisor over as many as 13 schools for more than a decade. Throughout her life, she greatly contributed to the development of Monticello by helping with various civic improvement projects. Dorothy died on December 28, 1998.
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This collection includes an oral history tape (165 minutes in length) and a transcript (28 pages in length) that consists of an interview between Dorothy Adams and Richard Swanson on August 4, 1973 as part of the Southeastern Utah Oral History Project conducted by the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University and the Utah State Historical Society. The oral history is mainly autobiographical in nature and describes the early civic development of Monticello, Utah. Dorothy recalls community dinners and other gatherings, including the community concerts that she helped establish. She also describes her involvement with numerous community improvement projects, which include building a sewage system, garbage dump, hospital, libraries, golf course and clubhouse, swimming pool, and skilift. She also helped with the lighting of the softball park and creating a bookmobile. Dorothy describes the citizens of Monticello as very hardworking and tolerant people who were willing to help their community in whatever way they could. She claims, 'I think that if I have made any contribution at all it has been to the development of [Monticello].' She also indirectly contributed to Monticello's development through her work as a schoolteacher, which she describes in detail during this interview.
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