Item Detail
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Bennion, Cora Lindsay
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1874-1975
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MSS SC 906
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Memorabilia
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Cora Lindsay Bennion was born December 9, 1874 in Taylorsville, Utah, the third of eleven children born to Joseph Shanks and Emma Lindsay. After attending the Latter-day Saint College and the University of Utah, Cora taught school for one year. In June 1898 Cora married Milton Bennion in the Salt Lake City Temple. After their marriage, they moved to Chicago, Illinois, where her husband attended college and Cora studied music. With Cora's musical abilities, she often entertained her family and friends. After graduation, Cora's husband served as the President of Cedar City Normal School. In 1912, Cora and her husband moved to Wisconsin, where her husband studied at another university. They returned to Salt Lake City, Utah one year later. Besides giving birth to ten children, two of whom died in infancy, Cora was an active member in the Parent Teacher Association, President of the Utah Women's Club, an ordinance worker in the Salt Lake Temple for thirty years, and member of the General Relief Society Board for nineteen years. Her dedication to her husband, children, and church, along with her skills in homemaking, earned her the title of Utah's Mother of the Year in 1952. Cora died on July 19, 1975 at the age of one hundred and one.
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Several letters, documents, and photographs make up this collection of Cora Bennion's memorabilia. These documents reveal that those who knew Cora considered her worthy of their respect. In letters recommending Cora as Utah's Mother of the Year, Amy Brown Lyman, a former president of the Relief Society, George R. Hill, the General Superintendent of the Deseret Sunday School, and T. Quentin Cannon, an attorney, write of Cora's talents and contributions to society. An article written by Amy Brown Lyman on April 12, 1952 commends Cora for her excellent housekeeping and contributions to the Red Cross, PTA, educational forums, and welfare programs. Marba C. Josephson writes an article in The Instructor of May 1952, entitled, 'A Mother in Israel: Cora Lindsay Bennion.' This article gives a brief biography of Cora and praises her accomplishments. This collection also includes a faded newspaper clipping announcing Cora's award and a large official certificate from The American Mother's Committee of the Golden Rule Foundation, signed by the members of the committee presidency. Members of the Temple Presidency write of their appreciation for Cora's willingness to serve as an ordinance worker in the temple and a certificate of honorable release acknowledges Cora's great service. Cora's 100th birthday celebration was an important event for her. President Spencer W. Kimball writes of Cora's noble birthright, exemplary life, rich pioneer heritage, and devotion to her family, friends, and church. This letter, written on December 6, 1974, congratulates Cora on her 100th birthday. The President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, and Utah's governor, Calvin L. Rampton, also wrote letters to congratulate Cora on becoming one hundred years old. While Cora served on the General Relief Society Board, she wrote an article entitle, 'Mormon Ideals of Motherhood' that was also broadcast on the KSL Radio Station. In this article, Cora writes of women's roles as homemakers, mothers, and teachers. She advises women to make use of modern conveniences to help them have more leisure time to study art, music, and literature.
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