Class of 1931. Marie Morgan. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ 1931 BYU Banyan: Marie Morgan served as Student Body Vice President during the 1930-1931 school year. She was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year. ~ ~ ~ ~ Marie Morgan married David T. Vincent. ~ ~ ~ ~ Author: A Family Album: a Memoir of Andrew B. Morgan and Vivian Rees Morgan, by Marie Morgan Vincent, a granddaughter of Alfred Rees and Emma David Rees. ~ ~ ~ ~ My mother, Vivian Rees Morgan, was born April 15, 1885, at Spanish Fork, Utah. Her mother was 45 years of age. My mother was a twin. The boy was stillborn. When mother was about 83 years of age, I prevailed upon her to tell us her Welsh stories to be recorded on tape. She hesitated to do so, but with coaxing, she finally relented. Besides her famous Welsh stories, she told about her childhood and her mother and father. I have transcribed this history but would like to further elaborate on it. Mother’s oldest sister, Ann Rees Burt, died from diabetes when mother was very small leaving three young boys. Grandmother and Grandfather Rees took these boys into their home to care for them. As these children took a lot of Grandmother’s time, Mother said she felt displaced by these boys in the home with her mother. Consequently, she leaned toward her father and oldest sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Daniel King. She spent a great deal of time with Lizzie and Dan in their home. She also told of spending time with her sister, Hannah, in Eureka, Utah, as she grew up. She attended school in Spanish Fork through the eighth grade and when a young lady attended the Brigham Young Academy in Provo. She took classes in drama and elocution. Mother said she did not work in the millinery shop when she was young, but did the work at home. She tells of making bread when she was so young she had to stand on a stool. In 1900 the first telephone exchange was established by the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone. Mother’s stint as a telephone operator is recorded in the history of Spanish Fork City on the Rio de Aguas Calientes. “A new switchboard was installed at the office of The Rocky Mountain Bell Company and night service was begun. The operators were Mrs. Mary Rickers (mother’s sister), Miss Vivian Rees, and Miss Ethel Morgan (Daddy’s sister). These girls not only handled any minor repairs that were necessary, but took care of the batteries which provided the current. Women also cleared any outside trouble on the line. They were usually provided with a horse and buggy, and they always carried a stiff fishing pole with them. Since most of the trouble consisted of crossed wires or a tree limb having fallen on the line, the fishing pole was used to uncross the wires or remove the limbs. All of the telephones were of the magneto type, crank instruments that operated on a single wire grounded circuit. To reach the operator the caller turned the crank which generated enough electricity to send the signal to central. Then a call was completed. The crank was turned again in order to signal the operator to “take down” the connection. The operators knew everybody’s number, so telephone directories were not needed (there really weren’t that many subscribers). Calls were usually made by name, not by number. The telephone operator was not an impersonal voice, but usually became a close friend of the telephone users. [Excerpt]

Class of 1931. Miriam Mullner. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931.

Class of 1931. Louise Ollerton. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Louise Ollerton was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year, according to the 1931 BYU Banyan.

Class of 1931. Lyman Partridge. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. He delivered the class prognostication, along with Cecile Clark. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Lyman Partridge served as Student Body President in 1930-1931. He performed in a play, "Boomerang", during the 1929-1930 school year. He also played a part in the annual BYH play, "The Youngest", presented in College Hall on December 12, 1930. Sources: BYU Banyan 1929, 1930 & 1931.

Class of 1931? Albert Payne. He played a guard on the basketball team during the 1930-1931 season, according to the 1931 BYH Banyan yearbook. ~ ~ ~ ~ HIS OBITUARY: Albert Lynn Payne, born September 1, 1913 in Mesa, Arizona. His parents were Edward William Payne and Rosalia Tenney Payne. Albert Lynn Payne, Sr., died on May 27, 2003 in Provo, Utah, at the age of 89. ~ ~ ~ ~ HIS OBITUARY: Albert L. Payne passed away on May 27, 2003, of causes incident to age. Albert was born September 1, 1913 in Mesa, Arizona to Edward and Rozalia Payne. He married Sylvia Young on January 20, 1939 in the Salt Lake Temple. He taught school in Duschesne and Granite school districts and was then employed by the Church Education System for the remainder of his professional career. His assignments included teaching seminary and serving at the Salt Lake Institute of Religion. He was also a contributing editor for "The Improvement Era," and wrote four institute manuals, ending his career as Editor for the Department of Seminaries and Institutes. Albert served in the Eastern Canadian Mission. Then, in later years he and his wife Sylvia served missions to Independence, Missouri, The Family History Center, and the Church Membership Department. Albert served seven years on the first Church Correlation Committee for youth, in two LDS bishoprics as counselor, and as a bishop in Provo, on the High Council, President of the Stake Seventies Quorum, and in the Stake Mission Presidency. He traveled extensively as a tour guide on Mormon History and U.S. History sites, Mexico, and The Holy Land. He loved spending time at his cabin in the mountains with his children and grandchildren. Family was most important to Albert, often hosting large family gatherings. He loved the outdoors and working in his yard, especially his rose garden. He received a lot of satisfaction from and enjoyed being an accomplished handyman. Albert loved and supported the activities at BYU including cultural and sporting events. The family will miss his wisdom, example, and counsel given in love. He was a great and loyal friend and is loved by many. He will be greatly missed. Albert is survived by his loving wife Sylvia; his sons Albert Lynn Payne, Jr. (Vickie) and David Young Payne(Julie); his daughters Joyce Payne (Dick) Wells, Arline Payne (Neils) Hansen, Julia Payne (Allen) Ward; 28 grandchildren; and 40 great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Pleasant View LDS Chapel, 650 E. Stadium Avenue in Provo, on Saturday May 31, 2003. Interment, Provo City Cemetery. [Deseret News, Thursday, May 29, 2003.]

Class of 1931. Jesse Richins. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Is this Jesse W. Richins?

Class of 1931. Frank Roberts. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931.

Class of 1931. Elma Robinson. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ [Incorrectly listed as Class of 1929 in the 1929 BYU Banyan, High School section.] Elma was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year. She played a part in the annual BYH play, "The Youngest", presented in College Hall on December 12, 1930. Source: BYU Banyan 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Elma Robinson was born May 27, 1913 in Preston, Idaho. Her parents were John Robert Robinson and Mary E. Calder. She died on January 12, 1967.

Class of 1931. Ruth Robinson. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ [Incorrectly listed in the 1929 BYU Banyan as Class of 1929.] ~ ~ ~ ~ She is shown as a cast member in the play, "Little Women" during the 1928-1929 school year, in the 1929 BYU Banyan, High School section. She was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year. Sources: 1929 & 1931 BYU Banyan, High School sections. ~ ~ ~ ~ HER OBITUARY: Ruth Robinson Harris, 92, died peacefully of causes attendant to age at home in Kaysville surrounded by her loving family on September 26, 2005. She is survived by her brother, George B. Robinson, South Jordan; son R. William Harris and wife Marjorie, Kaysville; and daughter, Marillee H. Billings and husband James, Omaha, Nebraska; eight grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. Her beloved husband, Robert F. Harris (August 25, 1987), Escondido, California, predeceased her. Born in Provo, Utah on May 20, 1913 to the late Congressman J. William Robinson (D, UT 1932-1948) and Emily Deborah (Birda) Billings, Ruth attended the Brigham Young Training School, graduated from Brigham Young High School in 1931, from BYU in Phys Ed in 1936, and then George Washington University. She married her teenage sweetheart and together they made their life in Escondido, California where she resided until 1995. She had a career in social work for the county of San Diego and in her retirement years served as an adoption caseworker for LDS Social Services. She and her husband served a full-time LDS mission in the South Carolina Charleston Mission. She later served a Family History mission in London, England and in Salt Lake City. She also served as an ordinance worker in the Los Angeles, San Diego and Bountiful LDS temples. She moved to Kaysville in 1995 to be closer to family. She has lived a devoted life of loving service to family, church, community and friends, serving in numerous leadership capacities always having lasting positive and uplifting impact on all with whom she associated. Funeral services were held Thursday, September 29, 2005 in Kaysville, Utah. Interment, Oakhill Memorial Park, Escondido, California. [Deseret News, Tuesday, September 27, 2005.] ~ ~ ~ ~ Her parents: Congressman J. William Robinson (D, UT 1932-1948) and Emily Deborah (Birda) Billings Robinson, married September 16, 1905. They had six children: 1. William Junius Robinson, born June 4, 1906 in Jensen, Uintah County, Utah, and died February 2, 1996 in Kensington, Maryland; 2. Ronald Billings Robinson, born December 10, 1908 in Heber, Utah, and died November 2, 1909; 3. Ruth Robinson [BYH Class of 1931] (Robert F.) Harris, born May 20, 1913 in Provo, Utah, and died September 26, 2005, in Escondido, California; 4. George B. Robinson [BYH Class of 1935], born about 1917; 5. Maree Robinson, [female] born September 16, 1919 in Provo, Utah, and died on December 18, 1989 in Bethesda, Maryland, interment in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia; and 6. John Billings Robinson, born February 18, 1924 in Provo Utah, and died March 9, 1924 in Provo.

Class of 1931. Rinda Rowley. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Rinda Rowley was born on November 24, 1913 in Parowan, Utah. Her parents were Heber Charles Rowley and Sarah Estella Mortensen Rowley. ~ ~ Rinda Rowley first married Loyal Carter on October 15, 1934. Loyal Carter was born on April 30, 1897 in Nephi, Utah. His parents were Thomas "H" Carter (1864-1932)and Mary Crawley Carter(1866-1937). He died on July 3, 1938. His interment, Nephi, Utah. ~ ~ Rinda second married Clarence Willson on May 20, 1940, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Clarence Willson was born on March 25, 1913 in Lawrence, Emery County, Utah. His parents were John Edward Willson and Polly Day Willson. Clarence and Rinda lived in Elmo, Utah until their death. Clarence died on April 2, 1986. Rinda Rowley Carter Willson died on October 18, 1988. ~ ~ ~ ~ Special thanks to Trenton Willson for confirming the accuracy of above information. @Dec 2014

Class of 1931. Nellie Smith [Reed]. She received a BYH Normal Diploma in 1931. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 5, page 183.

Class of 1931. Seth Smoot. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Seth Eldredge Smoot was born on May 9, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were Harlow Eldredge Smoot and Anita Parkinson Smoot. He married August 15, 1933, to Lillian Gladys Hurst. She was born May 21, 1912, and was the daughter of Philip Harrison and Mary Mehitable (Wilson) Hurst. The children of Seth and Lillian Smoot included: Harlow Eldridge Smoot II, M.D. [BYH Class of 1953], born July 4, 1935; Linda Alpha May Smoot (Richard) Wheeler [BYH Class of 1958]; Diana Smoot; Reed Philip Smoot [BYH Class of 1965] (Julia Jan Olsen); and Sandra Smoot. ~ ~ ~ ~ Seth Eldredge Smoot died on August 16, 1995 in Provo, Utah.

Class of 1931. Gay Sowards. She was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year, according to the 1931 BYU Banyan yearbook. We are assuming that she graduated that same year. ~ ~ ~ ~ HER OBITUARY: Athalia Gay Sowards Lewis, 94, died June 18, 2010. She was born August 13, 1915 in Manassa, Colorado, to Fannie Jackson and Willard Louis Sowards. She married Fred Amos Lewis August 19, 1933 in Spanish Fork, Utah. They were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. Her husband died on May 28, 1988. She was the last survivor of her generation in her family and is a member of the LDS Church. She loved the Bible and Jesus Christ. She had a keen sense of humor and enjoyed gardening and traveling. She is survived by four daughters, Toye JoAnne Sowards (Leland L., deceased) DeLange; Nancy Sowards (Verl) Lamb; Linda Sowards (Fred) Paulson; and Lora Lee Sowards (Howard, deceased) Knight; 38 grandchildren, 73 great- grandchildren and 23 great- great-grandchildren. A viewing will be held at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 So. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, Wed., June 23, 2010, 6 to 8 PM. Graveside services will be at Spanish Fork, Utah Cemetery, Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 11 a.m. [Provo Daily Herald,Sunday, June 20, 2010]

Class of 1931. Willa L. Sowards. She graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ [Incorrectly identified as a member of the BYH Class of 1929 in the 1929 BYU Banyan, High School section.] ~ ~ ~ ~ Willa Lamar (sic) Sowards was born February 9, 1913 in Manassa, Colorado. Her parents were Willard Lewis Sowards and Fannie Jackson. She married Francis McLean (Mac) Swenson, BYH Class of 1926, on January 2, 1935 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She died on May 7, 1975 in Boise, Idaho. Interment, Pocatello, Idaho.

Class of 1931. Joseph Swenson [actually Swensen]. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Joe Swensen played a guard on the 1930-1931 basketball team, and was the captain of the team. ~ ~ ~ ~ He was born June 15, 1913. He married Verna Harding. Joseph C. Swensen died on May 9, 2005. ~ ~ ~ ~ His parents were John C. Swensen (Swenson), born February 4, 1869 [BYA High School 1888, BYA Collegiate 1900], married Margaret Davies (Davis) Swensen. John originally used the -SON spelling, but later in life he decided it would be better to use the -SEN spelling. Joe's parents, John and Margaret Swenson/Swensen, had ten children; five of the children continued with the -SON spelling, but the other five changed and used the -SEN spelling. They had seven sons and three daughters as follows: ~ ~ 1. John Starr Swenson [BYH Class of 1917?], born March 27, 1900, died December 28, 1977. He married Marva Carter. ~ ~ 2. Carl Davis Swenson [BYH Class of 1919?], born August 3, 1901, died April 29, 1979. He married Lura Tanner. ~ ~ 3. Reed Knute Swenson [BYH Class of 1921], born February 16, 1903, died April 2, 1989. He married Ruth Freebairn. ~ ~ 4. Alice Swenson, born May 10, 1905, died in infancy. 5. Margaret Swensen [BYH Class of 1923], born May 29, 1906, died January 30, 1987. She married James L. Jacobs. ~ ~ 6. Francis McLean Swenson (Mac) [BYH Class of 1926?], born June 29, 1908, died August 22, 1963. He married Willa Sowards [BYH Class of 1931]. ~ ~ 7. Louise Swensen [BYH Class of 1928?], born May 24, 1910, died October 5, 1992. She married Jay Tolman. ~ ~ 8. Joseph Cadwallader Swensen [BYH Class of 1931], born June 15, 1913, died May 9, 2005. He married Verna Harding. ~ ~ 9. Albert Donald Swensen [BYH Class of 1933], born May 28, 1915, died October 6, 2001. He married Jennie Romney. ~ ~ 10. Richard Davis Swensen [BYH Class of 1936], born July 7, 1919. He married Arleen Stowell.

Class of 1931. Susan Whitaker. Graduated from Brigham Young High School on Thursday, May 28, 1931. Source: The Evening Herald, Provo, Utah, Tuesday, May 26, 1931. ~ ~ ~ ~ Susan Whittaker was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year, according to the 1931 BYH Banyan. ~ ~ ~ ~ Susan Merlene Whitaker was born on September 14, 1914 [or September 15, 1914] in American Fork, Utah. Her parents were Charles Warren Whitaker and Susannah Paxton Whitaker. Susan Whitaker married Vernon Fredrick Larsen on July 17, 1934 in Logan, Utah. They had at least one son: Vernon Sheril Larsen, born on December 11, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois. Vernon F. Larsen apparently graduated from the University of Chicago, listed by the University in their alumni memorials of 2000. Their son, Vernon S. Larsen, died in 1999. ~ ~ Vernon Fredrick Larsen was born on November 8, 1906 in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. His parents were John Fredrick Larsen and Mary Ann Burton. He died on March 24, 2000 in Oakland, California. Susan Whitaker Larsen died on December 16, 2000 in California.

Class of 1931? Alicebeth Whiteley Ashby died on November 26th, 2004 in Salt Lake City, Utah at age 90. The third child of Joseph Earl Whiteley and Amanda Elizabeth Beck, Alicebeth was born July 10, 1914, in the rock house at her parents' homestead at the base of Middle Mountain, near the Warm Springs at Oakley, Cassia, Idaho. She was named for her grandmothers, Alice Mariah Adams Whiteley and Elizabeth Healey Beck. During her childhood, five more children were added to the family. Alicebeth worked hard on the farm, milking cows night and morning and riding the derrick horse. She often said that she truly learned the value of work in her younger years--not only how to work, but how to enjoy it. The depression of the 1930s caused the family of eight children, with a ninth expected, to give up their town home in Oakley and move to a one-room frame home at their farm west of Oakley. At that time, Alicebeth joined her sister Helen in Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young High School [Class of 1931?]. Alicebeth always loved music. She played the French horn in the Oakley High School Band and at Brigham Young University. She studied voice and sang the lead role in the operetta "Hansel and Gretel." She sang in choirs throughout her life, and it brought her much joy. Alicebeth had four life goals: to graduate from college, to serve a mission, to sing in the Tabernacle Choir and to marry in the temple and have a family. With optimism, enthusiasm and hard work, she achieved everything she set her mind to do. Alicebeth graduated with honors from Brigham Young University, working at three jobs to pay for tuition, housing and voice lessons. She majored in secondary education and English at BYU and also studied at the University of Idaho at Moscow and the University of California at Berkeley. She taught school for ten years, at high schools in Iona, Oakley, and Burley, Idaho, and at the LDS Business College. She sang in the Tabernacle Choir and was a member of the General Board of the Mutual Improvement Association. She served in the Eastern States Mission for two summers and had fond memories of participating in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Returning often to her home and family in Oakley, Alicebeth was greeted with eager anticipation, as she related the latest events of her life, which were, according to Alicebeth, always extraordinary. In 1946 Alicebeth married distinguished scientist Robert Morrell Ashby (from American Fork, Utah) in the Salt Lake Temple. His work took them to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was a physicist for the Radiation Laboratory at M.I.T. and then to Pasadena, California, where he was a vice-president at North American Rockwell. In Pasadena, Alicebeth served as president of the stake Mutual Improvement Association for 11 years (under Stake President Howard W. Hunter) and as president of the ward and stake Relief Society. She valued the gifts and talents of those she served with, and they became her dearest friends. In 1988, she was honored with the Emeritus Club Recognition Award from B.Y.U. Alicebeth was well-loved by family and friends. She was a magnet to many because of the warmth and beauty of her home (filled with beautiful antiques, artistically arranged) and because of how her guests were made to feel about themselves when in her company. Countless friends enjoyed breakfast in her sunny kitchen--always with china, crystal, silver, fresh-squeezed orange juice, homemade granola, and sparkling conversation. She was a real leader, with an extraordinary ability to put together a choir or program with style and excellence and have all the participants feel lucky to be involved. Many people came to her for advice and comfort, and she was a popular speaker at meetings and conferences. Her sisters always said that she was the one everyone wanted to be with, and wherever she was, it was a party. At her departure here, Alicebeth has been reunited with her husband Robert, her parents, her brother and sister-in-law Dorothy Smith and Winslow Beck Whiteley, brother Osburn Earl Whiteley, and brother-in-law Loftis Jolley Sheffield. Surviving her and remembering her with awe and appreciation are sisters Helen Amanda Whiteley Taylor (George), Blanche Whiteley Sheffield, Mary Whiteley Salisbury (Joseph), and Joyce Whiteley Jacobsen (Owen); brothers John M Whiteley (Barbara), and Joseph Reed Whiteley (Jane). She is survived by her children Marilyn Ashby McPhie (Craig), David Whiteley Ashby, and Janet Elizabeth Ashby Cramer (Joseph); ten grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Services were held Saturday, December 4 in Salt Lake City. Interment, American Fork Cemetery. [Deseret News, Wednesday, December 1, 2004.]

Class of 1931. Alzada Wilmott. She received a BYH Normal Diploma in 1931. Source: Annual Record, B.Y. University, Book 10, page 272.

Class of 1931? Olive Winterton. She was a member of the BYH Peppettes during the 1930-1931 school year. Member of the Debate Team during the 1930-1931 school year. Source: 1931 BYH Banyan, BY High section. ~ ~ ~ ~ Faculty & Staff. Olive Winterton, BYH teacher, 1940-1941.