Alice Louise Reynolds

Alice Louise Reynolds (April 1, 1873 – December 5, 1938) was a Brigham Young University (BYU) professor who is rated among the top-10 BYU professors of the 20th century. She was the second woman in Utah to be named a full professor.

Reynolds was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States, to George Reynolds and Mary Ann Tuddenham. Her father, George Reynolds, was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and a longtime secretary to the First Presidency of the church. When Alice was six years old, George was incarcerated for two years because he practiced plural marriage.

At the age of four she attended a private school taught by Izzie Calder, daughter of David O. Calder.:11 George's sister Julia Reynolds helped look after Alice during her childhood. Alice enjoyed reading and the company of other grownups.:9 At age 12, Alice's mother died in childbirth.:15 Her teacher at the Twentieth Ward school, T.B. Lewis, left to become the principal of Ogden High School.:12 The combination of these two events led George to send Alice and her younger sister Florence to the Brigham Young Academy (BYA) for high school.:16 She was greatly motivated by the teachings of one of her instructors, Academy Principal Karl G. Maeser. She graduated from BYA in 1890.

After teaching for two years, the president of BYA, Benjamin Cluff, suggested that she establish a literature department at BYA after furthering her studies.:280 Reynolds studied literature at the University of Michigan from 1892 to 1894. In 1894, she received the promised faculty appointment at BYA.

She received a Bachelor of Pedagogy degree in 1895, . followed by a Bachelor of Didactics from the Church Board of Education in 1897 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from BYU in 1910. She later pursued advanced study at Chicago, Cornell, Berkeley and Columbia,:280 and made four trips to Europe in 1906, 1910, 1924, and 1937.:38

Teaching

Alice Reynolds in 1914

Reynolds began her teaching career after graduating from BYA. She taught for a year at the Salt Lake 14th Ward Seminary and at Juab Stake Academy. She was 21 when she accepted a position at BYA.

Reynolds was a Professor of English from 1894 to 1938. She was the first female at BYA to teach college-level classes. She taught literature there until 1903 when the school was replaced by Brigham Young High School and BYU. She became the first female to be a full professor at BYU. She taught approximately 5,000 students in 20 different English courses.

Reynolds's absent-mindedness was legendary at BYU. According to her students, she once walked through a herd of cows while reading a book and brought a teakettle to work instead of her purse.:279 Despite her reputation for absent-mindedness Reynolds exuded confidence and self-respect. :279 Her memory for lectures, books, people and places was excellent. She kept up an attractive home despite having little desire to do housework or handicrafts. To her students and friends she was sympathetic, loving, and kind.:67

Relief Society Magazine

Reynolds was an editor for the Relief Society Magazine from 1923 to 1930. She also wrote for the Young Woman's Journal, the Improvement Era, and The Instructor.:48–49

Reynolds was also called to the General Board of the Relief Society of LDS Church in 1923. She served for seven years. During this time, she wrote lessons for Sunday School and the Mutual Improvement Association, as well as 15 literary lessons for Relief Society.:48–49

Contributions to Library

At BYA, Reynolds served as a member of a faculty committee to establish the library. The committee formed in 1906, and Reynolds served as its chairperson for 19 years. Part of her work on the committee included a large fund-raiser to obtain 1,200 books to add to the school's library. Over the course of her life, she organized several other campaigns to help the library grow to 100,000 volumes.

At a book shower in 1922, women of the state honored Reynolds by donating books to the BYU Library. In 1932, fans of Alice Louise Reynolds held a birthday celebration for Reynolds, where she commented on her love for her friends: "To some of you the sweetest word in the English language is 'husband,' to some of you 'child,' but to me the sweetest word in the English language is 'friend.'":282 On February 19, 1933, the Alice Louise Reynolds Club was formally established with a written constitution and by-laws established by a central committee.:56 Through the efforts of the club, over 10,000 volumes were donated to the BYU library. Members of the Alice Louise Reynolds club also sponsored an English student scholarship.:284-284:36

When a new library at BYU was built in 1924, Reynolds's associates believed it should have been named after her, since she helped greatly to bring the project for a new library building to fruition. A lecture hall in the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University is named after her.

Involvement in politics

Alice Louise Reynolds in 1920

In politics, Reynolds was an active Democrat, serving on the national party's committee and as a delegate to the party's national convention. She was also a women's activist and delegate to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the National American Women Suffrage Conventions, and the League of Women Voters at the Pan American Convention. At the General Federation of Women's Clubs, in response to accusations that the LDS Church dictated how members must vote, Reynolds stated that her religion did not interfere with her voting as a Democrat.:50 In 1920, as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention, she made a speech seconding the nomination for William Gibbs McAdoo for President, which was so well-received that the governor of Montana, running for Vice President, requested that she second his nomination as well.:53

Reynolds died of cancer at the age of 65.

A conference room in the Harold B. Lee library is named after Reynolds. Starting in 1978, women in Provo revived the Alice Louise Reynolds club in the form of the Alice Louise Reynolds forum, which discussed issues related to Mormon feminism, including their support for the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1984 they changed their name to the Aligie Baliff forum.:56

Articles

The Editor Abroad