Deaf Latter-day Saints Community

History of the Deaf Community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When reading the history of the Deaf Latter-day Saints, you will come across several aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its community, which you can learn more about in the sections below, including 1. Parallel Difficulties in the Deaf Latter-day Saints Community and Utah School for the Deaf: 1962–1980, 2. Relocation of Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1917–1999, 3. A Pioneer Day Parade in Utah on July 24, 1961, 4. The First Four Deaf Missionaries, and 5. A Unique Deaf-Friendly Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf.

Parallel Difficulties in the Deaf Latter-day Saints Community and Utah School for the Deaf: 1962-1980

Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
Edited by Dan V. Mathis

Published in  2012
Updated in 2021  

Acknowledgement

I'd like to express my appreciation to Kenneth Lee Kinner and Charles Roy Cochran, two long-time leaders of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, for sharing the Ogden Branch for the Deaf's history and challenges.

Doug Stringham should be commended for coming up with a fantastic title: "Parallel Difficulties in the Deaf Latter-day Saints Community and the Utah School for the Deaf: 1962–1980."

I'd like to thank Dan Mathis for proofreading the document thoroughly and sticking to the mission of my paper.

Thanks to Richard Snow, C. Roy Cochran, G. Leon Curtis, Cherie Carpenter Hodson, and Kenneth L. Kinner for helping to make this document as accurate as possible.

Finally, I'd like to express my gratitude to Mark Erwin, then Branch President of the Ogden Branch and the second-longest serving president of thirteen years, for allowing Duane and me to scan the records of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf for historical preservation before they were submitted to the Church History Library.

My sincere thanks to my husband, Duane Kinner, and my children, Joshua and Danielle, for their constant support and patience while we worked on this project.

Jodi Becker Kinner

Mark Erwin

Note

The "Parallel Difficulties in the Deaf Latter-day Saints Community and the Utah School for the Deaf: 1962-1980" narrative is not intended to be disparaging of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Utah School for the Deaf. It is aimed at being compelling and educational. Among its goals is to draw attention to the tireless efforts of Deaf LDS members at the Ogden Branch for the Deaf to preserve their sign language and sense of community. A further purpose of this website is to increase public awareness of this history and the impact it has had on Deaf members of the LDS Church.

Last, but not least, viewpoints expressed may not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Deaf community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not intended to be disparaging of all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or specific political parties, but rather to present a clear picture of what transpired historically through the lens of many Deaf members.

Prologue

It is Jodi Becker Kinner, the author's sincere hope that by writing this narrative, the audience who reads it may gain a better understanding of the challenges that the Deaf Latter-day Saints community has endured throughout the undocumented historical record of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf. Historical events and personal experiences are conveyed through the eyes of Deaf members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is optimistic that past mistakes will not be repeated, and we owe it to our future generations to provide them with the gift of communication, regardless of which route we choose.

Ogden Branch for the Deaf in Ogden, Utah. Photo by Kenneth L. Kinner

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Built the First Building for Deaf Students from the Utah School for the Deaf

Let's take a look at how the Ogden Branch for the Deaf came to be before outlining the parallel challenges that exist in the Deaf Latter-day Saints community and the Utah School for the Deaf.

In 1917, the Ogden Branch for the Deaf was founded in Ogden, Utah, by branch president Max W. Woodbury, who was hard of hearing himself, and his assistant, Elsie M. Christiansen, who was deaf. After graduating from the University of Utah, Woodbury began working at the Utah School for the Deaf (USD) on September 1, 1902. This happened before the Ogden Deaf Branch was established. While teaching at the school, he was appointed as a Sunday School teacher for the Ogden 4th Ward, which is located on Madison Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Street. Teaching Sunday School in a building with only one large room divided into rooms by black cotton curtains was challenging at the time. While teaching a lesson, Woodbury was able to hear teachers teaching non-deaf children. "It was impossible to teach because of other teachers' classroom noises, children talking, people laughing, babies crying, and so on," he stated. They placed a massive heating furnace in the center of the large room because it was so cold in the winter ( Ward Stake Historical Record Book #4, 1941–45; History of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1979; Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf, 1992).

He then worked as the assistant superintendent of the Ogden 4th Ward Deaf Sunday School until 1908. He became superintendent in 1911, with Christiansen as his assistant superintendent. He was able to pick up sign language through his interactions with Deaf students and members.

Max W. Woodbury. The UAD Bulletin, Winter 1967

In 1907, Woodbury was promoted to assistant superintendent, and Elsie M. Christiansen, a 1907 USD alumni from the same year, was promoted to secretary. Three years later, in 1911, Woodbury was promoted to superintendent, and Christiansen was appointed to 1st Assistant (Woodbury, History of the Branch). By 1912, they had about eighty members. Woodbury thought that having only five lessons in one room was difficult with the rising number of Deaf members visiting the Sunday School from USD. The Deaf members, according to Woodbury, should have their own place of worship (Woodbury, History of the Branch).

As the Ogden Deaf Sunday School group grew, Woodbury and Christiansen wrote to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Joseph F. Smith in October 1912, highlighting the need for Deaf members to meet in a more appropriate setting. The setting in which they met for worship services was not feasible to their growth and learning. The letter also requested that a deaf-only place of worship be built so that Deaf members can participate in church services in the way that best suits their communication and fellowship needs. A second letter was submitted to the church headquarters, signed by many Deaf members, expressing a strong desire for their own meetinghouse for worship services and social events. Woodbury and Christiansen scheduled two meetings with the Church's First Presidency to discuss the matter (Ward Stake Historical Record Book #4. 1941 – 1945; Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf, 1992).

As a result, the First Presidency approved the creation of a Deaf branch, which included the development of a deaf-friendly designed meetinghouse for the Deaf members in Ogden (Ward Stake Historical Record Book #4, 1941–45; History of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1979).

Elsie M. Christensen @ FamilySearch.org

Finally, in November of 1916, at a cost of $15,000.00, a deaf chapel was completed. A charming building with a chapel, eight classrooms, a small library, two restrooms, and a little water fountain, as well as a coal-fired furnace and a storage area for janitorial equipment (Woodbury, History of the Branch; Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf, 1992).

On January 14, 1917, President Joseph F. Smith came to dedicate the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, and it was a memorable day. On February 4, 1917, the signing branch was formally organized and recognized as a distinct branch of the Ogden Stake. The Stake President, Thomas B. Evans of the Ogden Stake, organized a meeting for the purpose of dedicating this new building. Standing at the pulpit, President Joseph F. Smith was struck with emotion as he saw the large crowd gathered, and tears welled up in his eyes. He then delivered an uplifting sermon before offering the dedicatory prayer. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he was moved by the Deaf members' faith and devotion. The following brethren then spoke: President Thomas B. Evans, Chairman of the Building Committee, Dr. Joseph Morrell (Dr. Morrell was the first High Councilman assigned to the Branch). Leslie S. Hodgson, the building architect, Apostle Hyrum Smith, Presiding Bishop David A. Smith, and First Presidency President Anthon H. Lund all spoke. After afterwards, President Max W. Woodbury gave a talk about the history of the Deaf Sunday School (Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf, 1992).

Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1917

After President Joseph F. Smith dedicated the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, which was built specifically for USD students, on February 4, 1917, it was organized and formed into an independent branch of the Ogden Stake. It was on the corner of Liberty Avenue and 21st Street. The chapel is located one and a half blocks from the USD campus (Ward Stake Historical Record Book #4. 1941– 1945; Woodbury, History of the Branch; Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf, 1992).

A large number of Deaf people were living in Ogden as a result of the Utah School for the Deaf. By 1920, n early a quarter of the students at school were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With such a big population, it was necessary to build a place where they could conduct both social and religious gatherings (White, The Silent Worker, October 1920).

Joseph F. Smith

Ogden Branch for the Deaf in Ogden, Utah, 1920. The Silent Worker, October 1920

In their Biennial Report to the Utah Governor in 1946, the USD Board of Trustees recognized the value of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf to USD students and stated the following:

"The location of the school in Ogden has congregated a number of deaf and blind in that city, which together with the school population, make quite a colony. To provide for the religious training of those among them, who are Latter-day Saints, the authorities of that church have built a beautiful chapel, costing $13,500 [$15,000 is the correct amount], one and one-half blocks from the school. We have this is the first religious organization in the world to construct a place to worship for the exclusive use of the deaf and blind."

Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1924

Although the Ogden Branch for the Deaf was not affiliated with the Utah School for the Deaf, it played an essential part in the lives of the children for many years. All students were encouraged to participate in church activities. The majority of the older Deaf students attended services on Sunday mornings and evenings. The Mutual Improvement Association, a young people's organization, had meetings on Tuesday evenings. Every school day began with a short prayer for the younger students. Every Sunday afternoon, a regular member of the main department's faculty delivered a Sunday School lesson on campus (Pace, 1946).

President Woodbury served over the Deaf Ogden Branch for 51 years. Under his guidance, several Deaf members went on to become teachers and community leaders. The branch was adopted as a model for future Deaf units by the Salt Lake Valley Deaf Ward, Los Angeles Deaf Branch, Portland Heights Deaf Branch, Fremont Deaf Branch, Gooding Deaf Branch, and others around the world (Walker, 2006).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Deaf branches and wards have evolved into a central focus for worship and social events, when Deaf and signing LDS and non-LDS come together to interact in sign language.

Visit the Deseret News feature on the Ogden's Branch 100th anniversary in May 2017 for additional information about the Ogden Deaf Branch.

Ogden Branch for the Deaf Sunday School, May 1926

Did You Know?

Elsie M. Christiansen served 28 years as an Ogden Branch for the Deaf clerk. She was the first and only Deaf woman who ever served as a clerk.

The Ogden Branch Historical Record Book 4, written by Elsie Christiansen, Clerk, 1941–1945

The Y.I.M.I.A of the Branch for the Deaf
Written by Elsie Christensen, 1918

Historical Events and Persons
Involved Ogden Branch for the Deaf

The Ogden Brach for the Deaf added a new Cultural Hall in 1949

In 1949, the Ogden Brach for the Deaf built a new extension, the New Cultural Hall

A blue print of the plan shows the reconstruction of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, May 22, 1943. Leslie S. Hodgson, Architect

Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 740 21st Street, Ogden, Utah. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah

Ogden Branch for the Deaf Meetinghouse, Ogden, Utah. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah

Relief Society of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1950s

Front Row (L-R): Berdean Christensen, Ruth Smith, Lillian (Fowkes) Freston, Mary Sanderson, Cleo Peterson, Georgie (Mae) Stewart Second Row (L-R): Rose Perkins, Theo Logan, Kate Kelly, Lillian Cole, Ivy Low, Elizabeth Buck, Elise Christensen Third Row (L-R): Jennie Holton, Phyllis Penman, Jessie Kelly, Lola (Beth) Jensen, Olbra Seeley, Violet Zabel, Elizabeth (Kirk) Bray, LaVern Burdett

Did You Know?

Kenneth C. Burdett, a 1929 graduate of the Utah School for the Deaf, and Afton Curtis, a 1933 graduate of the Utah School for the Deaf, were childhood friends in Ogden, Utah. Kenneth began dating Afton during his senior year at Gallaudet College while she was still in her freshman year. On July 29, 1936, they were the first couple to be married in the Ogden Branch for the Deaf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The couple was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on September 5, 1941.

Afton & Kenneth Burdett's marriage ceremony at the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, July 29, 1936

The Establishment of the
First Seminary Class for Deaf Members

Since its founding in 1917, the Ogden Branch for the Deaf in Ogden, Utah, had operated quietly, utilizing sign language under the leadership of Branch President Max W. Woodbury. Young Deaf church members were given the opportunity to progress in their leadership roles. In 1961, G. Leon Curtis, hard of hearing, and Kenneth L. Kinner, deaf, conducted the first seminary class at the Utah School for the Deaf (The UAD Bulletin, Fall 1961). As a result, Deaf missionaries were eventually able to serve all over the world. More information can be found in the section titled "The First Four Deaf Missionaries" farther down on this page.

In 1961, Boyd E. Packer, Chairman of the Church Educational Department, and Kenneth Sheffield, Weber County region, organized the church's first seminary class for Deaf members (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011). A seminary class was added to USD for the first time in history (Curtis, The Utah Eagle, October 1961). This was the first sign language class at the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, and it was also the first teaching intended particularly for Deaf students of the faith.

G. Leon Curtis

The class met five days a week from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. every morning. Participation was entirely voluntary (George, -). As a teacher, Kenneth Kinner aided G. Leon Curtis. A total of thirty-two students were enrolled in the program (Curtis, The Utah Eagle, October 1961). Leon and Kenneth shared a night shift at the Newspaper Agency Corps and "didn't go to bed until the wee hours." They went above and beyond to help direct this endeavor (UAD Bulletin, Fall 1961). Richard Snow, another Deaf person, was the full-time seminary principal at the time, and Curtis was the first Deaf seminary teacher at the Ogden Branch for the Deaf (Richard Snow, personal communication, December 21, 2014).

President Curtis of the Ogden Branch became the first hard of hearing principal of the Deaf Seminary classes in 1968, with the assistance of J. Wayne Noble and Stephen Mecham. The Gospel was taught in three different classes: oral, sign language, and Braille, all under the direction of President Curtis. Each class had about fifteen students, and classes continued to be held at the Branch (George, -).

Kenneth L. Kinner

The First Seminary Class for Deaf Members, 1961

Oral Deaf students Paul Arthur and Wayne Kitchen (right) listen on their hearing aids to Steven Mecham, teacher, and G. Leon Curtis, principal (left). Unknown published in the mid-1960s by George L. Scott

The Deaf members sing hymns by signing words. Unknown published in the mid-1960s by George L. Scott

Teacher Steven Mecham gets good responses from deaf students in his class. Unknown published in the mid-1960s by George L. Scott

New Officials of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf

After fifty-one years as President of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, Max W. Woodbury resigned in 1968. G. Leon Curtis was named Branch President in 1968. Kenneth L. Kinner and William Ronald Johnston, two counselors, and Avrel H. Christensen, a clerk, joined his presidency group (The Ogden Standard Examiner, February 4, 1967; UAD Bulletin, Winter 1967; Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

New officials of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf are G. Leon Curtis, Kenneth L. Kinner and W. Ronald Johnston.(left to right). President Curtis succeeds President Woodbury who retired after 51 years of service. Ogden Standard-Examiner, January 20, 1968

After the Utah School for the Deaf adopted the "Y" system in 1962, requiring Deaf students to begin in the oral program, members of the program continued to attend the Ogden Branch as well as seminary classes provided in sign language. At that time, Branch President Curtis and his 1st Counselor, Kinner, were warned by President Woodbury, a long-serving teacher and principal of the school, about the oral movement being adopted at USD and the possibility that this program would affect the Ogden Branch as well (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917–2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011). Additional information about education reform at the Utah School for the Deaf can be found on the "Dr. Robert G. Sanderson's Dream" webpage.

The Ogden Branch for the Deaf is Confronted
with Challenges and Adversity

Branch President Curtis was released of his calling eighteen months later due to his decision to relocate to Arizona to complete his master's degree. On April 27, 1969, the Branch Presidency was reorganized. Kenneth L. Kinner was elected as the first Deaf Branch President, with C. Roy Cochran, also known as Roy, as the new first counselor. The second counselor was the same as before (The Ogden Standard Examiner, February 4, 1967; The UAD Bulletin, Winter 1967). Boyd E. Packer, Chairman of the Church Educational Department, was called to be one of the twelve Apostles for the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the following year, in April 1970 (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011; Boyd K. Packer, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Ogden Branch for the Deaf, April 4,1935

When Dr. Grant B. Bitter, a staunch oral advocate, was appointed as the coordinator for the Deaf Seminary in 1970 and 1971, under the direction of William E. Berret, Administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, President Kinner and 1st Counselor Cochran were confronted with unexpected challenges shortly after the branch's structure and reorganization were completed.

Dr. Grant B. Bitter. The Utah Egale, October 1962

Dr. Bitter had a plan for the Ogden Branch where he enlisted the help of seven oral seminary teachers from USD to offer seven classes. Dr. Bitter named J. Boyd Neilson, a coordinator in the USD Oral Department, as the principal of the deaf seminary classes.

J. Boyd Neilson

Only one sign language seminary class was offered, and it was taught by Lola Elizabeth Harris Jensen, a Deaf member and the wife of Donald Jensen, a Deaf USD teacher (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Lola Elizabeth Harris Jensen. UAD Bulletin, June 1974

Dr. Grant B. Bitter is widely regarded as the "Father of Mainstreaming" in the oral advocacy community. Utah's movement toward mainstreaming evolved steadily in the 1960s throughout his mainstreaming campaign, before the phrase became popular with the passage of Public Law 94-142, commonly known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, in 1975. He was a hard-core oralist and one of the top oral leaders in the country. As the father of a Deaf daughter, Colleen (b. 1954), he was also a powerful voice for oral and mainstream education. According to Dr. Stephen C. Baldwin, a Deaf man who served as the Total Communication Division Curriculum Coordinator at the Utah School for the Deaf in the 1970s, no one could match Dr. Bitter's persistent oral/mainstreaming philosophy. At every opportunity, Dr. Baldwin recalled his attacks on residential schools and his adamant opposition to the popular use of sign language in schools (Baldwin, 1990). Dr. Bitter campaigned for oral and mainstream education for Utah's Deaf and hard of hearing students and had a long-standing feud with the Utah Association of the Deaf, especially with Dr. Robert G. Sanderson, a Deaf community leader in Utah. Dr. Bitter and Dr. Sanderson were both recognized as gigantic figures and had animosity toward each other.

Over the years, Dr. Bitter had extensive experience teaching religious education and coordinating the seminary curriculum. He studied in religious education in college and taught religious education for eleven years in Utah, from 1951 to 1962. He taught at Sandy Junior High School, Davis Seminary Program, Granite Seminary Program, and Sandy Seminary Program for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He worked as a seminary teacher at the Riley Extension School, where his Deaf daughter, Colleen went (The Utah Eagle, October 1962). The Church Educational Department most likely hired him to coordinate for the Deaf Seminary for the State of Utah because of Colleen, and his seminar teaching experience. From 1961 through 1971, he planned, implemented, and directed religious teaching for exceptional children and youth at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Bitter, A Summary Report for Tenure, March 15, 1985).

As early as 1961, Dr. Bitter was involved in the testing of non-released religious instruction for Deaf children and young people. He spent half of his time teaching USD Oral Extension classes and half of his time working for the Department of Institutes and Seminaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for four years. Dr. Bitter was appointed to pilot/direct religious instruction in 1968, a year after obtaining his PhD in 1967, not just for the Deaf students but also for students with disabilities (Bitter, A Summary Report for Tenure, March 15, 1985).

Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1952

Dr. Bitter's efforts as a coordinator had a great impact on the USD as well as the seminary program. He had the impression that the Ogden Branch was cut off from the rest of the world. His ambition was to integrate Deaf individuals into the regular hearing community by implementing oral instruction at USD and in the branch.

Students from the oral program attending the Ogden Branch's services and activities were frowned upon by Dr. Bitter, Boyd Neilson, and members of the school's oral department. They attempted to seize control of the Ogden Branch and forbid the use of sign language in seminary classes.

Students of the Utah School for the Deaf gather for the Mutual Improvement Association dance, March 1952

Members of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1953

Dr. Bitter described his exciting experience to enlighten and instruct on the "evils" of myths in his own words. He organized "Annual Seminary Conferences for Exceptional Children and Youth" from 1968 to 1970 (Bitter, A Summary Report for Tenure, March 15, 1985).

In May 1970, Cherie Carpenter Hodson and her LDS Seminary class from Tucson's Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind attended Dr. Bitter's Third Annual Seminary Conference for Exceptional Youth in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Bitter asked Cherie, who was 15 at the time, to speak at the conference on Economic Competence using her voice. As she neared the platform, she debated whether to speak or sign. As she looked into the center of the room, she noticed numerous oral interpreters seated every two rows for oralists and one signed interpreter on the right side of the audience for a significant number of signing participants. Cherie made a spur-of-the-moment decision to sign, and she summoned the signing interpreter to approach her and speak while she signed. Dr. Bitter did not seem amused by this behavior (Cherie Carpenter Hodson, personal communication, October 18, 2010). Following that, the Annual Seminary Conferences for Exceptional Children and Youth were discontinued, possibly as a result of the incident.

Cherie Carpenter Hodson, Age 15

C. Roy Cochran observed Dr. Bitter's desire to look successful in the eyes of the church leaders (Roy Cochran, personal communication, April 19, 2012). In one of his many writings, Dr. Bitter mentioned being invited to a conference as a guest speaker alongside prominent civic and church figures such as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Joseph Fielding Smith and his wife, Jessie Evans Smith; Alvin R. Dyer, N. Eldon Tanner, and Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency. Elders on the Council of Twelve include Marvin Ashton and Boyd K. Packer, among others (Bitter, A Summary Report for Tenure, March 15, 1985).

Dr. Bitter reported that the Utah Deaf community was engaged in slandering him in church events and at the University of Utah between 1968 and 1970. He claimed that they were pressuring the church to use total communication to teach religious subjects to all Deaf children. Over the years, Dr. Bitter had worked extensively with church curriculum committees and missionary programs to prevent and/or minimize problem areas. Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of Twelve, he added, represented his efforts to educate and maintain liberties. Dr. Bitter went on to add that his research was on the "front line of human activity" (Bitter, A Summary Report for Tenure, March 15, 1985).

C. Roy Cochran

For years, social gatherings were an important feature of the Ogden Branch. However, the oral advocates, on the other hand, attempted to exclude the oral Deaf members from the Branch's mutual activities, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association. When the oral seminary classes were invited to join the Ogden Branch's regular activities, the oral teachers bluntly refused, fearing that the oral Deaf students would learn to sign. Similar to what happened on the USD campus, two separate activities for oral and sign were provided. Following that, President Kinner and 1st Counselor Cochran noticed a drop in the number of children attending the Ogden Branch and seminary classes given in sign language (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Members of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf L-R: Von Jones, Kenneth Kinner, Robert Bonnell, Boyd Collins, Bruce Harvey, May 1954

Since 1917, the Branch was operating peacefully under the direction of Branch President Woodbury, and young Deaf members had been given opportunities to acquire leadership in their church callings until Branch President Kinner and 1st Counselor Cochran faced opposition in the Ogden Branch to regular procedures and harmony, just as Branch President Woodbury predicted. They were resisting the oral proponents' efforts to promote oral dominance in their branch. The oral team at USD, led by Dr. Bitter, would not leave the Ogden Branch alone. It sparked a controversy between the two sides about communication methods, philosophy, and control of branch and seminary classes (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

The members of the seminary had a testimony meeting every Wednesday morning before school started to discuss what they had learned in class. The signing members went on stage to deliver testimony in sign language. Remarkably, all of the oral members followed suit and testified in sign language as well. They were in a state of ecstasy from joy. On the other hand, it greatly disturbed the oral teachers. The following month, the oral teachers stood on the step in front of the pulpit. As oral members approached the pulpit, they'd tell them not to sign. With the passing of time, the custom of sharing one's testimony has faded (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Another instance was Roy Cochran's attempt, which he shared with Kenneth Kinner, to teach a class to the oral members. In sign language, however, many of them were unable to understand him. They didn't grasp what Roy was scribbling words or drawing pictures on the board. Roy became discouraged, questioning whether it was worth his time and effort to teach them if they couldn't understand his teaching (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011). They didn't have enough early language exposure during their critical language-learning years, which is today recognized as "language deprivation."

Ogden Branch Banquet, October 1954

President Joseph F. Smith dedicated the Branch in 1917 to honor present and future USD students. For example, a tiny water fountain was created just for children, and most Deaf children attending USD went to that church (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film).

Nonetheless, Dr. Bitter, Boyd Nielson, and their oral teachers all wished for them to join the wards of their local hearing family. J. Boyd Neilsen summoned all local bishops to the Ogden Branch on a Sunday evening for training in preparation for the transfer of oral deaf memberships to their home ward. Their goal was to have an oral interpreter at the services provided by the local church. The training went on, but there was no progress. They stayed at the Ogden Branch for a while longer (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Kenneth C. Burdett and his M-Men basketball team of the Ogden Deaf Branch, 1943-44. Coach Kenneth C. Burdett (Center). Clockwise bottom: #2 Peter Koukoutsakis, #9 Lloyd Perkins, #7 Kirk Allred, #7 Mike Pallerakis, #2 Merrill Bauer, #3 Bruce Eyre, #5 Melvin Sorensen, #4 Paul Loveland, #8 Lyle G. Mortensen, #9 Tony Jealco, and #6 Sam Judd

Dr. Robert G. Sanderson, a non-LDS member, had a long-running feud with Dr. Bitter over his Deaf Education theory, which was harsh in its condemnation of the Ogden Branch and Seminary. Dr. Sanderson wrote a letter to Stake President Gunn McKay on behalf of the Branch Presidency, expressing his concerns about the interference with the Ogden Branch and Seminary and requesting intervention. He handed President Kinner the letter and requested that his name not be revealed. The letter was then given to Stake President McKay by President Kinner. He was captivated by Dr. Sanderson's letter. He recognized the branch's struggles and supported them (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011; Roy Cochran, personal communication, April 19, 2012). To tackle the ongoing issues, Stake President McKay convened a meeting with Branch President Kinner, his interpreter, Lucy McMills Greenwood, Dr. Bitter, and Boyd Neilsen. However, the meeting was cut short since Stake President McKay needed to attend another meeting. He could have assisted in the resolution of the issues, but he was elected to Congress and relocated to Washington, DC. Stake President Keith Jensen took over for Gunn McKay and was aware of the branch's problems but unsure of what to do (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011). As a result, the Ogden Stake presidency decided that the oral children should go to the hearing wards, while the signing Deaf should go to the Ogden Branch (Roy Cochran, personal communication, April 19, 2012).

Dr. Robert G. Sanderson @ Gallaudet University Archives

The fight raged on. Religious services and activities were still being interfered with, according to Branch President Kinner and his 1st Counselor Cochran. Dr. Bitter's attempt to seize control of the branch and seminar was discovered by Bishop Lloyd H. Perkins of the Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf. Bishop Perkins reported that those oral Deaf members who had been former students of Dr. Bitter's seminary class had joined his ward and told him that Dr. Bitter had warned them not to attend the Deaf branch or ward because sign language was "awful." After being notified, Bishop Perkins aided Branch President Kinner in resolving the contentious situation (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917–2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Lloyd H. Perkins. UAD Bulletin, Winter 1970

A Seminary Building for the Deaf Becomes a Reality

After years of conflict, the Church Educational Department stepped in and investigated the Ogden Branch in an attempt to resolve internal issues. As a result, the Ogden Seminary for the Deaf received its own building adjacent to the Utah School for the Deaf campus in 1976, fulfilling a dream. Richard Snow became the first Deaf principal and teacher of the seminary classes in Ogden and Salt Lake City for 34 years. Upon Brother Snow’s retirement in 2008, Nathan Van De Graff, another Deaf individual, became the principal and seminary teacher for the Salt Lake area (Richard Snow, personal communication, February 9, 2012).

After years of conflict and at the request of the Deaf LDS leaders, Neal Maxwell, chairman of the Church Educational Department, and Mr. Bradshaw, his assistant, stepped in and investigated the Ogden Branch. Mr. Bradshaw spent several months visiting and talking with local church leaders in an attempt to resolve the issues. He reported back to the Church Department, which decided in 1974 to buy a plot of land on the USD campus and build a seminary building on the south end of 20th Street (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917–2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

MIA Camp of the Ogden Deaf Branch, October 1955

As a result, the Church Educational Department had decided to revamp the deaf seminary program. Dr. Bitter was given the option of leaving his coordinating position at the University of Utah or joining the coordinating team at the deaf seminary. He made the decision to resign from his position as a seminar coordinator. By the time the new Seminary building was completed, J. Boyd Nielson had been removed as the principal of the seminary classes, and oral teachers from the Utah School for the Deaf were no longer teaching the seminary classes. A geographical barrier was created between USD and the Ogden Branch (Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

In October 1976, a dream came true when the Ogden Seminary for the Deaf acquired ownership of its own building adjacent to the Utah School for the Deaf campus. An open house was held in early October to welcome all visitors to the new facility. Edward Fisher, a fluent signer and administrator, and Kyle Jaussi, a teacher, taught the class (UAD Bulletin, October 1976). When G. Leon Curtis became a seminary instructor in 1961, he commented, "We are looking forward to the day when a Seminary building will be constructed to our wonderful campus" (Utah Eagle, October 1961, p. 12). After fifteen years, his wish had finally come true.

A Seminary Building for the Deaf

Richard Snow was the full-time principal at the Salt Lake Seminary for the Deaf at the time, and Edward was the first full-time principal of the Ogden Seminary for the Deaf (Richard Snow, personal communication, December 21, 2014).

Richard Snow

When Edward Fisher left for Alaska, Richard Snow became the second full-time principal of the deaf seminary in Ogden (Richard Snow, personal communication, December 21, 2014). Lucy McMills Greenwood interpreted for him at most of his Ogden seminary meetings. After USD moved to 7th Street in 1994, the majority of Deaf students were mainstreamed, and there was no space on campus for him to teach. He then returned to Salt Lake City, where he worked as a deaf principal and taught seminary in sign language to students at Skyline High, Bonneville Junior High, and Churchill Junior High. He also taught Institute of Religion classes at Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah, as well as a Seminary class at the Jean Massieu School for the Deaf in Salt Lake City, to both Deaf and hearing signing students. In addition, he used the videophone to teach deaf classes in New York, Indiana, and Arizona. The first videophone seminary graduate was Tahnee Brinks Woodbury, a Deaf student from the Indiana School for the Deaf. She married Max Woodbury III, a descendant of Max Woodbury, at the Nauvoo Temple. Nathan Van De Graaff, a Deaf person, took over as principal and seminary teacher for the Salt Lake area after Richard retired in 2008 after 34 years as a principal and teacher (Richard Snow, personal communication, February 9, 2012).

Nathan Van De Graaff

Back to the seminary subject, the Ogden Seminary branch overcame many challenges and difficulties shortly after Edward Fisher was hired as the principal of the Ogden Seminary program. The number of people enrolled in the oral program, on the other hand, has decreased. After receiving a stack of letters from parents, Stake President Jensen arranged a meeting with Branch President Kinner. Jensen informed Kinner that the oral Deaf children's parents insisted on sending their children to a nearby hearing ward. The meddling of the Branch Presidency in the oral seminary classes appears to have upset the parents. Both Branch President Kinner and sign language interpreter Lucy McMills Greenwood were discouraged. Stake President Jensen granted the request of parents of oral Deaf children to attend the 31st ward. Because of a lack of leadership among the members and insufficient mutual activities due to a limited membership, the Ogden Branch for the Deaf faced a new kind of challenge (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Lucy McMills Greenwood. UAD Bulletin, Winter 1970

In that example, in the October 1988 issue of the Utah Association for the Deaf Bulletin, Mabel Bell, a pseudonym used by Ron Nelson, a former oral Deaf person raised in a hearing Latter-day Saint family, expressed his experiences and views on the parents' decision to raise a Deaf child by saying, “Due to Utah’s strong Latter-day Saint population, a difficult situation existed for LDS families who had a deaf child. The Mormons strongly believe their families should be “together.” However, when they have a deaf child, they sometimes didn’t know how to achieve and maintain “family togetherness,” when it became obvious the deaf child cannot join in all of the family’s daily activities. One option that was sometimes selected by struggling parents was to enroll their child in an oral program at school in an attempt to make their child “normal” and thus achieve “family togetherness.” Another solution which might be perceived as being much better for the deaf child would be for the parents and the siblings to learn American Sign Language (ASL, formerly known as total communication) and use that as the primary mode of communication when the deaf child was present. I think those parents who learn ASL will achieve a greater degree of family togetherness than those who select the oral method” (Nelson, UAD Bulletin, October 1988, p. 4).

Ron Nelson

In 1975, the Stake Presidency was reorganized. One day, Apostle Mark E. Petersen paid a visit to Branch President Kinner and inquired about a Stake President candidate. Apostle Petersen then enquired about the branch's inability to engage in mutual youth activities. Branch President Kinner, as previously mentioned, recounted the incidents. The following day, Apostle Petersen spoke about the Stake Presidency's business at the Stake Conference, and in his closing remarks, he exclaimed, "Attention, Attention!" Please help the Ogden Branch for the Deaf in establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth" (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, June 19, 2011).

In 1975, Glenn F. Holley, the new Stake President, relieved Branch President Kinner of his duties and appointed C. Roy Cochran as the new Branch President. Kinner and Cochran continued to collaborate in order to resolve the Branch's internal issues. Stake President Holley spoke with USD officials and inquired as to why oral and signing students were separated from youth activities. They informed him of the school's policies. "We are the children of God," Stake President Holley remarked, before asking them to leave the Branch alone (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

A poster of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf

Former Branch President Kinner saw that things were beginning to improve as time went on. The Ogden Branch preserved sign language by incorporating it into the classroom. Oral Deaf students who graduated from USD later joined the Ogden Branch and learned to sign. The number of members was steadily increasing. Although running the Ogden Branch with such a small membership posed a significant challenge, they were deeply attached to it because of President Woodbury's memories and efforts to establish a church that Deaf members sorely needed (Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film; Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011).

Ogden Deaf Branch picnic, July 17, 1969

The View of the Deaf Community on the LDS Church and Its Impact on Deaf Education Policy at the National Level

With this in mind, Dr. Bitter could have been able to achieve some of his oral and mainstreaming aims in Utah. Despite his best efforts, American Sign Langauge (ASL) is still alive and well in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. Dan Mathis, a returned missionary who was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, “The positive side about the LDS church is that they recognize the membership of Deaf origins in the establishment of Deaf units all over, mostly in the United States” (Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012). Mathis went on to say that the LDS church as a whole supports ASL and Deaf culture in a variety of ways. For example, ASL Seminary and Institute classes are delivered by videophone by Deaf instructors. The church is expanding its video production, which has been translated into ASL for the benefit of the audience. They publish important messages in Church magazines, and Deaf translators translate church teachings into ASL once a month. ASL is also used in the Missionary Training Program (MTC). Deaf adults who go on a signing mission are often "saved" by learning ASL and become more involved in Deaf culture than they were as children. Their understanding and testimony for the church grew as a result of this service...getting them out of the home environment, where most of them didn't know ASL and had never had contact with the Deaf World (Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012). According to rumors in the Utah Deaf community, Dr. Bitter attempted to prevent the Church Presidency from allowing ASL classes at MTC. It may be possible, but we'll never know the truth about this rumor.

Dan V. Mathis @ University of Washington

Nevertheless, there are still some members of the LDS church who have beliefs and ideologies that are contradictory to the ASL/English bilingual community (replaced with Total Communication). For years, the Utah Deaf community has battled for Deaf children and their parents who embrace ASL (Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012). Two of them, according to the Utah Deaf community, are Dr. Karl R. White and Steven W. Noyce.

Dr. White, the founder and director of Utah State University's National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), aimed to use Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs in the United States and abroad to create an international database of hearing loss causes and increase genetic services by training medical professionals (Clark and Riker, 2010). Under his NCHAM direction, his advancement in Listening and Spoken Language, as well as cochlear implants, could have a direct impact on sign language learning and state schools for the Deaf both nationally and internationally. The Deaf community was outraged by his "Eugenic-Style" bills in California and Indiana. According to national Deaf activists who learned more about Dr. White, he was from Utah and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (He was a stake president of his local stake ward at the time). This tainted the Deaf community's view of the church, making them wary of its influence on national Deaf Education policy. Deaf activists questioned his religious beliefs, as well as his role as an LDS member in his medical practice, which he utilized to discriminate against the humanity and choices of Deaf newborns.

Dr. Karl R. White

On the other hand, Steven Noyce, a former superintendent of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, is no stranger to the state. Several Utah Deaf community people are aware that he was a former student of Dr. Grant B. Bitter's Oral Training Program at the University of Utah (Steven W. Noyce's letter, December 2, 1971). The local Deaf community believed that Mr. Noyce, as a new superintendent, would want to carry on Dr. Bitter's legacy when he was hired in 2009.

Furthermore, the fact that he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints while opposing the Deaf community's linguistic and cultural values alarmed some Deaf LDS members. The Utah Deaf Education Core Group fought any perceived bias in listening and spoken language (replaced oral). Dr. Bitter was in power for nineteen years, from 1968 to 1987, and Noyce only lasted four years as superintendent. For more information about education issues at the Utah School for the Deaf, go to the "Dr. Robert G. Sanderson's Dream" website.

Steven W. Noyce @ Twitter

At the time, the Deafhood Foundation and Deaf Bilingual Coalition's Ella Mae Lentz, Judy Gough, Ruthie Jordan, Patti Durr, and a few others were battling with the Oral Only Option Schools Group, a new grassroots organization influenced by the Alexander Graham Bell Association, in California, Indiana, Delaware, and other states. During the "2012 Deaf Studies Today!" Conference at Utah Valley University, those leaders requested a meeting with the local Deaf leaders. Dan Mathis, chair of the Education Committee under the auspices of the Utah Association of the Deaf and a few LDS colleagues, Dr. J. King Freeman, Dr. Bryan Eldridge, Dr. Curtis Radford, and James Smith, had the opportunity to talk with some of the Deaf activists about the role of the LDS Church in Deaf Education, including in Utah. He noticed that they were unfamiliar with the religion and with the structure of the priesthood leadership hierarchy. Some believed it was a paid position, and that you had to advance through the ranks based on how well you did in your profession and how many "deeds" you had committed in your life. The LDS colleagues clarified to the Deaf activists that the church is distinct from people's work lives and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no role in Deaf education and that the leadership is called to the authority of a higher level. Dan explained that the LDS religion encourages members to do good deeds and engage in community service in order to improve the quality of life. Unfortunately, well-intentioned members may bring principles into their initiatives that they believe are good or right, but in reality harm others, such as Dr. White and Mr. Noyce's intentions for the Deaf community. The Deaf activists appeared receptive to this discussion and appreciative of what their LDS colleagues informed them about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' volunteer orientation (Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012).

Ogden Deaf Branch picnic at Camp Atoka, July 20, 1979

In fact, many LDS ASL advocates were concerned that Dr. Bitter and Dr. White's motives, however well-intentioned, may have had an impact on their linguistic and cultural values. "This needs to be known to the wider church membership all across the world," Dan Mathis said. Leaders and notable members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should embrace this reality and work to raise awareness of the deaf minority, which is an ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse group worldwide. This is what I would like to see in the future (Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012).

“Even though a church as a whole is good and has great leaders, there are always individuals with ideas that don't seem congruent with ideals espoused by the church," Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz, a Book of Mormon translator and co-founder of the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, noted. After all, we believe in free agency (Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz, personal communication, April 15, 2012).

Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz

In the end, the quest for the appropriate communication methodology is still ongoing. The history of the Deaf community in Utah highlights the historical challenges that have impacted Deaf individuals' education and religious beliefs. Perhaps it is past time for all well-intentioned individuals to come to the table and acknowledge that, because all learners are different, there is a need for diversity in learning as well—American Sign Language and Listening and Spoken Language. Maybe there's room for everyone.

Primary class of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1984

Did You Know?

An Unveiling Ceremony was held to honor President Max W. Woodbury, the longest-serving branch president in 51 years. Long-time leaders of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, Kenneth L. Kinner and C. Roy Cochran, hold a portrait of Max in 1976 at the Ogden Branch for the Deaf. Take a look at the picture below.

Excerpts from some Deaf people who wrote what they recalled about Max for the January 1974 Utah Eagle magazine, as follows:

I REMEMBER MAX W. WOODBURY...

“I had known Brother Max W. Woodbury for over fifty years. I was with him as a student and later as a teacher in the Utah School for the Deaf as well as the Latter Day Saints Branch for the Deaf. All the deaf people in Utah looked up to Brother Woodbury as a great man who served not because a task had been assigned, but one of the desires of his heart. By the measure he achieved true greatness. He never flinched from what was right and just and his
values were high” (R.W.T., The Utah Eagle, January 1974, p. 1-2).

Kenneth C. Burdett, Curriculum Coordinator of the Total Communication Division, Utah School for the Deaf

“On behalf of the members of the Branch for the Deaf, we pay our last tribute to resident Max W. Woodbury. We feel deeply the loss of a fine dedicated teacher and spiritual leader who taught us a philosophy of life that helps us meet the challenges of this world. The gospel of Jesus Christ, which he taught us, will make us better men and women and help us to receive joy and happiness in our lives.

No man that we have known has ever lived a more useful life of service to deaf people than President Max W. Woodbury. His untiring service in furthering our education and religion was greatly appreciated. It is our desire and responsibility to so live that we will ever reflect credit to his sincere efforts. We will never forget his kindness, fatherly advice and love shown to us. He leaves with us the memory of his fine leadership and sweet personality. He was a man of superior courage, one we have loved and respected during the years we have spent together.”
Ogden LDS Branch for the Deaf.

Kenneth L. Kinner, Branch President
C. Roy Cochran, First Counselor
W. Ronald Johnson, Second Counselor

Kenneth L. Kinner and C. Roy Cochran

Relocation of Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1917-1999

Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
2012

On July 24, 1847, the first pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in Salt Lake Valley. The Utah pioneers were strongly devout people, and Deaf children's parents desired for their children to have an education in Utah. Sending children to Deaf schools outside the territory was prohibitively expensive. Colorado School for the Deaf was the nearest school. The long period of being away from family and religion was favorable Pace, 1946).

Students initially attended the Protestant church after the establishment of the Utah School for the Deaf in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1884, because the teachers who came to Utah were from Protestant backgrounds (Roberts, 1994). Several Latter-day Saint parents were concerned about their children's Protestant influences. They requested that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provide a Sunday School for their children. The Church established the first Sunday School in Salt Lake City on January 10, 1892, with a membership of eleven boys and sixteen girls. Elder H.C. Barrell was named the first Superintendent of Sunday School, with Deaf Elder Laron Pratt as his assistant (The Daily Enquirer, February 11, 1892).

Laron Pratt

When the Utah School for the Deaf relocated to Ogden on November 16, 1896, the same Sunday School was offered to Deaf/Blind children and adults. The event was held in the 4th Ward Amusement Hall in Ogden (Deseret News, November 21, 1896). The Ogden Branch for the Deaf, a Deaf-friendly designed meetinghouse for Deaf members in Ogden, was established on February 14, 1917. The signing branch was developed and implemented as an independent branch by the Ogden Stake. The branch was used as a model for future Deaf units by the Salt Lake Valley Deaf Ward, Los Angeles Deaf Branch, Portland Heights Deaf Branch, Fremont Deaf Branch, Gooding Deaf Branch, and others all over the world (Walker, 2006).

Since 1917, the members had been attending the Ogden Branch for the Deaf. On June 21, 1998, Stake President Mark Johnson summoned Kenneth L. Kinner, twice-called Branch President of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, and other bishops to a special meeting with him. The reorganization of the stake presidency, the redrawing of ward boundaries, and the relocation of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf to another stake ward were discussed at the meeting. Branch President Kinner exited the room once the meeting was completed. He, who grew up in the Ogden Deaf Branch, couldn't bring himself to tell the branch members his bad news since he was heartbroken. After eighty-two years in the first chapel building of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, decided that the branch would move to a new stake building in South Ogden on January 3, 1999.

Kenneth L.Kinner, 1st Deaf Ogden Branch President, 1969-1975 & 1994-1999

At the stake meeting, about sixty members were present to hear the latest news on the reorganization of the stake presidency. Branch President Kinner observed the reaction of the branch members when Elder Pinnock delivered the shocking news of the branch's move from the Quorums of the Seventy. They were startled and saddened by the news. Everyone was overcome with sorrow as they grieved the loss of their treasured branch. Lucy McMills Greenwood, a long-time interpreter and older member of the branch, was the hardest hit, as it had been her home.

Lucy McMills Greenwood

The branch building, however, was shown to be inconvenient. The cultural hall overflowed during the annual Christmas party. The stairwells were inaccessible to the elderly. There was a scarcity of parking. The main motivation for the branch's move was to provide a stronger priesthood support system in the new ward.

The name of the Ogden Branch was changed to the Ogden Valley Deaf Branch after the move to the stake building.

Ogden Branch for the Deaf

Ogden Valley Deaf Branch for the Deaf

Lucy McMills Greenwood, a long-serving interpreter, received a gift of art from Benjamin Davis, a Deaf artist

During the 90th Anniversary of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf in 2007, a Deaf artist, Benjamin Davis, painted a picture of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf for Lucy McMillis Greenwood

Lucy McMills Greenwood is interpreting for the Deaf members at the General Conference. Newspaper Unknown

A Pioneer Day Parade in Utah
on July 24, 1961

Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
2021

In 1961, Branch President Spencer C. Hind of the Salt Lake Vallay Branch and a group of members, including Kenneth Kinner, Evelyn Hardy, Bruce Harvey, Sharon Olson, and Robert Kerr, agreed to join afloat in the 24th of July parade to celebrate the arrival of the Utah Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Due to a shortage of time and funds, they produced a simple design. Rodney W. Walker's friend Theodore Collier gratefully consented to lend them his two-wheel trailer.

Spencer C. Hind

Their theme was, "And in that day, the deaf shall hear the words of the book." The prophet Isaiah makes a prophecy in Isaiah 29:18. These words were written and displayed on two poster boards, one for each float side. "Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf" was also printed on two large sheets of paper. A strip was installed on each side of the trailer.

The words "Book of Mormon" were printed on the cover of a large piece of cardboard fashioned into the shape of a book. Six chairs were placed on the float and consisted of two missionaries and four individuals acting as investigators. The attractive float captured the attention of thousands of spectators during the parade.

Afloat of the Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf in the 24th of July parade to celebrate the arrival of the Utah Pioneers. Rodney Walker is driving the float

Since its founding, the branch's membership has been constantly growing. More Deaf people moved, converted to the church, or added to their families during the last twenty-eight years, bringing the total number of Deaf people to 310. The Salt Lake Valley building was quickly filling up. The chapel and the cultural hall were combined to form a single meeting location for the sacrament services (The UAD Bulletin, Fall 1961).

The First Four Deaf Missionaries

Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
2020

Since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1830, Deaf members had been unable to serve in a mission until 1968. Elder Abel Martinez (Utah) and Elder Wayne Kitchen (Utah) were the first two Deaf missionaries to be called to serve in Los Angeles, California, on November 20, 1968. Before traveling to their mission, they received mission training at the Language Training Mission (LTM), located at Lafayette Elementary School in downtown Salt Lake City. (This school used to be the Utah School for the Deaf's oral program.) Later, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the school building. It has since been demolished, and the site has been turned into a parking lot). It is directly across from the Church Office Building (Doug Stringham, personal communication, April 8, 2020; Lisa Richards Roush, personal communication, April 8, 2020; W. David Samuelsen, April 15, 2020). Martinez and Wayne learned how to teach the Gospel without using a sign language interpreter, and the instructors themselves did not speak sign language. They memorized the scriptures and participated in mission discussions. Several church officials, including Joseph Fielding Smith and Spencer W. Kimball, spoke at LTM. However, no interpreter was provided (Abel Martinez, personal communication, April 8, 2020).

Elder Cook, Elder Martinez, Elder Bennett, & Elder Kitchen, December 1969

One year later, Elder Dale Cook (Utah) was called to the California Mission to serve with the other Deaf missionaries on December 3, 1969. On December 9, 1969, Elder Wayne Bennett (Louisiana) transferred into the Deaf Program a few days later. Deaf missionaries pioneered as official missionaries for the deaf alongside hearing missionaries, Elder Jack Rose, Elder Thayne Grossenbach, and Elder Clark Kemp.

As the Church and the number of missionaries continued to rise in the 1970s, the Language Training Mission was relocated and renamed the Missionary Training Center in 1978. Finally, the American Sign Language Program was established, bringing together a mix of Deaf and hearing missionaries to serve the deaf mission.

Elder Wayne Bennet, Elder Thayne Grossenbach, Elder Abel Martinez, Elder Jack Rose, Elder Clark Zemp, & Elder Wayne Kitchen @ Church News, February 7, 1970

Did You Know?

On August 8, 1998, Rodney W. Walker, then 84 years old and a 1933 Utah School for the Deaf and 1939 Gallaudet College alumnus, became the Salt Lake Temple's first Deaf sealer. Rodney served as a temple sealer for nine years, and four days before he died on August 2, 2007, he performed a temple wedding. About 80 couples were sealed by him.

Rodney W. Walker

A Unique Deaf-Friendly
Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf

Compiled & Written by Jodi Becker Kinner
Edited by Jennifer Young Leeds
2020

Prologue

A Deaf man named Lloyd H. Perkins, who worked as a carpenter and branch president/bishop, came up with the idea of designing a deaf-friendly church building for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were deaf. There is no official record or acknowledgement of his contribution. At the time, Lloyd Perkins, the bishop of the Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf, envisioned "deaf space" elements to meet the visual needs of Deaf members. It wasn't until 1977 that the idea of deaf-friendly design began to take shape.

Lloyd H. Perkins

Bountiful and Salt Lake City
Sunday School Classes for the Deaf

Before the Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf opened a deaf-friendly chapel in 1977, there was no official church structure for Deaf members in the Salt Lake area. The majority of Deaf people lived in Ogden or attended the Utah School for the Deaf. The Salt Lake City group had no Sunday School sessions in their area. Few members could afford to travel to the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, a permanent church chapel in Ogden, for sacrament and priesthood services (Thurston, The Improvement Era, January 1946).

In March 1920, the Wright family wanted their Deaf children to learn about the gospel. They had ten children, five of whom were deaf. The organization gained a couple of married Deaf people, increasing the total number of Deaf members to eight at the time. Some of them in Bountiful were concerned about the lack of Deaf LDS activity in the Salt Lake area (Thurston, The Improvement Era, January 1946).

Willard E. Barlow

The White family's hearing brother-in-law, Willard E. Barlow, proposed a deaf class and was assigned as their Sunday School instructor. He founded a Sunday School class in the Bountiful First Ward in Bountiful, Utah, with ten members (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf). Following this, many Deaf people from nearby towns, particularly Salt Lake City, began to flock to Bountiful.

As a result, Salt Lake City residents made up the majority of those who attended the Bountiful Sunday School on a regular basis. It didn't take long for the number to reach fifty. Most of them took streetcars to Bamberger, where they boarded a train to Bountiful (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; Thurston, The Improvement Era, January 1946).

First Sunday School for the Deaf in Bountiful, Utah, 1920

Elder Willard Barlow and his wife, Jessie, noticed an increase in the number of people attending the Bountiful Sunday School. Elder Barlow decided that moving Sunday School to Salt Lake City, where more people could attend, was the best option. They organized and took charge of the Sunday School class in that area in August 1920. Gladys Burnham Wenger was assigned to a mission as their interpreter in 1923. She resided in Ogden at the time and commuted to Bountiful on the Bamberger train every Sunday on the Church's expense (Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf).

Gladys Burnham Wenger & her husband, David Hartzler Wenger

The Salt Lake City Sunday School group traveled to nine different locations in the Salt Lake area during the next twenty-five years. Among the venues were the Bureau of Information, LDS Business College, Assembly Hall, Missionary Home, Baptistry room, 6th and 7th Ward buildings, LDS University Building, East High Seminary Building, and Lion House (Thurston, The Improvement Era, January 1946; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008). There was a Sunday School class from 1920 to 1948.

The Baptistry Room in the Tabernacle, 1920s-1930s

The Sunday School became increasingly organized in the mid-1940s. Several members were designated as "missionaries" in order to reactivate members and teach the gospel to non-members under the supervision of the Sunday School. At the time, there were three classes. The group believed that enough members would show up to legitimize the establishment of a deaf branch in Salt Lake City. The Deaf members were denied the right to hold priesthood and sacrament meetings for many years.

They got together once in a while for a meeting to stay in touch and keep each other up to date on gospel teaching (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; Thurston, The Improvement Era, January 1946; Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008). The Sunday School class was offered from 1920 to 1948.

The Baptistry Room in the Tabernacle, 1920s-1930s

Due to increased attendance, Dr. John A. Widtsoe, chair of the LDS Church Headquarters' foreign language committee, and Willard E. Barlow, superintendent of the Salt Lake City Sunday School, investigated the possibility of forming a branch for the Deaf members who lived in Salt Lake City in 1947 (Thurston, The Improvement Era, April 1949).

Meanwhile, Deseret Sunday School Union General Superintendent George R. Hill, Rodney W. Walker's boss, requested statistics on the Deaf population in the Salt Lake area and their status in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rodney, a Deaf member of Salt Lake City, volunteered to compile the survey of all Deaf people in the Salt Lake area, regardless of religion. Willard E. Barlow and John A. Widtsoe received his statistics (Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008).

Rodney W. Walker. The Utah Eagle, April 1955

After twenty-eight years without a permanent "home" in the Salt Lake area, the Foreign Language Committee approved the plan to establish a branch for the deaf (Thurston, The Improvement Era, April 1949; Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008).

Elder Widtsoe, with Foreign Language Committee and Leaders L-R: 3rd Apostle Widtsoe, 5th E. Ross Thurston, 7th Holger Larsen 8th Willard E. Barlow, 9th Max W. Woodbury, and 10th Elgin Jacobsen

Bishop Thorpe B. Isaacson, a representative of the Presiding Authorities, conducted the ground-breaking on August 20, 1947. There was a large and enthusiastic gathering of Deaf people and their friends. Many members volunteered their time to help with gardening and repairs to the church. Everyone recognized Joseph Cameron, Jr. and Kate Orr Keeley, both Deaf individuals, for their selfless volunteer work (Thurston, The Improvement Era, April 1949).

Breaking ground for the new Branch for the Deaf building at 800 East & 500 South in Salt Lake City, Utah

Groundbreaking Ceremony, August 20, 1947

Digging the trench for oil pipe. L-R: Kate Orr Keeley, Rodney Walker, Wayne Stewart, and Joseph Cameron Child: Darlene Stewart Cochran

Home of the Salt Lake City Valley Branch

The Salt Lake City Valley Branch for the Deaf was officially organized with fifty members on November 14, 1948, under the direction of Elder John A. Widtsoe. Willard E. Barlow was named president of the branch, with counselors L. Elgin Jacobson and E. Ross Thurston.
(The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; Thurston, The Improvement Era, April 1949; UAD Bulletin, October 1975) This chapel was located at 500 South 800 East in Salt Lake City, Utah (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf; Thurston, The Improvement Era, April 1949; UAD Bulletin, October 1975).

First Branch Presidency of the Salt Lake Branch. L-R: Willard Barlow (Pres), L. Elgin Jacobson (1st), E. Ross Thurston (2nd), Ferdinand T. Billeter (Clerk)

On November 13, 1949, President George A. Smith dedicated the Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf. The Salt Lake Valley Branch was transferred to the Park Stake shortly after its dedication during President J. Percy Goddard's final term. Kenneth Olson was the first President of the Elder Quorum, which began as the Park Stake's 9th Quorum (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf).

President George Albert Smith dedicating Branch for the Deaf. Gladys Burnham Wenger interpreting

Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf, 1948

Members of the Sunday School ready to move into the new branch building, November 14, 1948

Dedicationprogram dated November 13, 1949

President George B. Glade of Park Stake reorganized the branch presidency on October 28, 1956, and named Spencer C. Hind as president, with Paul D. Wood and Ferdinand T. Billeter as counselors. Williard E. Barlow's work among the Deaf came to an end at that time (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf). The first president of the Deaf branch was Spencer C. Hind.

Spencer C. Hind, 1st Deaf Branch President, 1956-1964

Eight years later, on October 18, 1964, under the authority of Park Stake President Gifford U. Gee, Lloyd H. Perkins was confirmed as the third president of the branch. Varion West and Keith Stewart were his counselors (Walker, 2006).

Picture of Branch Members, taken ca. 1950

Salt Lake Valley Branch, 1960s

The Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf
Becomes Overcrowded

On September 26, 1971, President Clifford U. Gee of the Salt Lake Park Stake, with authority from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized the Salt Lake Valley Branch into the Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf, with Lloyd H. Perkins as the first Deaf bishop. Bishop Perkins' counselors were Edward L. Bell and G. Lynn Losee (The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members; Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf).

Lloyd H. Perkins, 1st Deaf Bishop, 1971-1975

In the twenty-seven years since 1948, more Deaf members have moved in and converted to the church. In addition, 310 members were added to the population as a result of the addition of more families (UAD Bulletin, October 1975). The original branch structure was quickly becoming too small for the huge new ward. The meetinghouse only had 80 seats, which wasn't enough for the large crowd (Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018). According to an October 1975 issue of UAD Bulletin, "with so many people in such a small structure, it was rather like a sardine can."

Edward L. Bell, 1st Counselor

Bishop Perkins and his counselors, Edward L. Bell and G. Lynn Losee, were advised by Elder Simpson, an Assistant Apostle, and Elder Browning, chair of the Church Building Committee (Bell and Losee can not recall their first names). They did discover, however, that several older churches had stairwells. The elderly members were unable to use the stairwell to enter the meetinghouse (Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018). The bishopric realized that purchasing an older church would be impractical, and that a new, larger meetinghouse would be needed.

G. Lynn Losee, 2nd Counselor

Did You Know?

On October 18, 1964, Lloyd H. Perkins, a Deaf carpenter, was called a branch president. Varian West and Keith Stewart served as his counselors (Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf). Over time, the small branch grew to the size of a ward. On September 26, 1971, the Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf was converted into a ward, making it the church's first deaf ward. Branch President Lloyd H. Perkins became the first Deaf bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' history (Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008; Wikipedia, March 29, 2018). Bishop Perkins was the first Deaf Bishop and branch president in church history, as well as the first Deaf bishop of the first Deaf ward.

Unknown newspaper

Proposal for a Deaf-Friendly Design of the Chapel

Bishop Perkins and his supporters, Edward L. Bell, G. Lynn Losee, Rodney W. Walker, Stan O'Neal, Alden Broomhead, and Varian West, collaborated on a design for a new deaf church. Bishop Perkins, a carpenter, came up with the idea for a semi-circular auditorium seating arrangement in the chapel. Deaf members would be able to view the speaker on the podium without having to constantly adjust their heads (Madelaine Perkins, personal communication, March 7, 2012; Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018; Edward Bell, personal communication, December 4, 2018).

Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf, 1963

They presented Elder Simpson and Elder Browning with specific plans for a new church building that would provide a deaf-friendly setting for Deaf members. A proposal for a distinctive chapel layout was included in these blueprints. Bishop Perkins' project was, however, disapproved by Elder Browning because it did not comply with the standard architectural plan (Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008; Kleda Baker Quigley, personal communication, February 28, 2012; Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018).

Salt Lake Valley Branch, 1966

Bishop Perkins was not about to give up. As a bishop, he felt it was his responsibility to meet his members' space and deaf-friendly visual needs. He made the decision to attempt a different method. Bishop Perkins wrote a letter to Spencer W. Kimball, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, requesting his support for a new church building for Deaf members. He gave his letter to Mary Eyring, a Utah School for the Deaf class of 1922 graduate and President Kimball's Deaf sister-in-law. He requested that she deliver it to him (Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018; Edward Bell, personal communication, December 4, 2018).

Mary Eyring

One day, as a home teacher, Bishop Perkins and his team, Ed Bell, paid a visit to Mary Eyring, a Deaf member of the ward. At the time, Mary lived with her sister, Camilla, and brother-in-law, Spencer W. Kimball. Bishop Perkins also had the opportunity to see President Kimball while he was there. President Kimball knew some sign language and could have a basic conversation with Deaf home teachers. The need for a bigger space and the plan for a new church structure were both acknowledged by President Kimball. He requested a meeting with Bishop Perkins, and Madelaine Peterson Burton served as an interpreter.

During a single simple meeting, President Kimball authorized the deaf-friendly church building design and made a phone call authorizing the Church Headquarters to proceed with the building construction (Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008; Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018; Edward Bell, personal communication, December 4, 2018). What a triumph! Bishop Perkins' goal of meeting the needs of the members took time, a lot of dedication, and a lot of hard effort on his side.

LDS President Spencer W. Kimball @ churchofjesuschristof.org

Following that, the Church Headquarters Department of Architecture created an architectural model to study aspects of the design and discuss design ideas. Bishop Perkins and his counselors, Edward L. Bell and G. Lynn Losee, were asked for their ideas. It was possibly the first time the Architecture Department designed a model building with no stairs on the first floor, and it became the standard architect for church designs (Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018; Jonathon Hudson, personal communication, October 17, 2018; Edward Bell, personal communication, December 4, 2018). The layout ideas were brilliantly devised by Bishop Perkins and his support team.

Groundbreaking Ceremony, 1976. Bishop G. Lynn Losee (center) with his counselors, Rollin Jones (L) and Norman Williams (R)

The Salt Lake Valley Ward was sold to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in July 1975 because it was overcrowded and a larger meetinghouse was needed (UAD Bulletin, October 1975).

The members moved to the old Emigration Ward building at 700 South and 1010 East on a temporary basis. They stayed for two years while their church was being built at 800 East and 700 South in a specifically planned building (UAD Bulletin, October 1975; Walker, 2006). In 1976, a groundbreaking ceremony took place.

After the construction of the church was completed, the First, Emigration, and Salt Lake Valley wards moved into a new facility. On October 6, 1977, Elder Mark E. Peterson presided over the dedication of the church building (Walker, 2006).

Mark E. Peterson @ churchofjesus christ.org

Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf, 1977

Madelaine Peterson Burton Shares Her Memories of the Deaf-Friendly Design of the Chapel

Bishop Perkins' wife, Madelaine Peterson Burton, responded to an e-mail interview. She recalled the following about Bishop Lloyd H. Perkins' idea for the new deaf chapel:

He designed it with the needs of deaf people in mind.

The classrooms were designed with small, wide windows at the top of the room, to provide light, but not interfere with the light coming in to make it challenging to see videos or overhead projector items.

The chapel was designed with a floor that gradually raised toward the back, with the rows in a semi-circle, in order that deaf people could see the speaker at the pulpit without constantly having to move their heads in order to see (as deaf people in front would also move their heads in order to see). Later improvements were added so that speakers were projected on a TV screen for more comfortable viewing. (He had visited an older chapel that was being considered as a “new home” for the deaf branch/ward. The chapel was full of windows on the left and right, making it difficult for people to see the speaker if the sun were shining through.

He also would have preferred the Sacrament Table to be directly in front of the pulpit for the same reason as above. However, when the Church architects designed the Sacrament Table, they put it on the left side of the chapel but raised it enough that it could be viewed easily.

He also designed a seating area on the right side for the bishopric and others visiting and taking part in the meeting so they wouldn't be seated behind the pulpit. Later improvements added a TV screen behind the pulpit so those sitting on the stand could view those at the platform (Madelaine Perkins, personal communication, March 7, 2012).

Madelaine Peterson Burton. UAD Bulletin, Winter 1970

Madelaine reflected: "I am certain that his [Bishop Perkins'] involvement with President Spencer W. Kimball was the reason for the new ward being created." President Kimball was the one to see because his deaf sister-in-law, Mary, lived in his home and was familiar with deaf people" (Madelaine Perkins, personal communication, March 7, 2012).

The Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf was the first church dedicated completely to the needs of the deaf, and the deaf themselves played a significant role in its development (UAD Bulletin, December 1974).

Two New Divisions of Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf

For years, Deaf members have been grateful for their wonderful deaf-friendly chapel, which meets all of their visual needs. With the passage of time, the number of members increased.

The ward's membership eventually grew to the point that it needed to be split. As was the case with every ward boundary change, emotions were mixed. On September 13, 1998, it was announced that the Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf would be separated into two wards: Salt Lake Valley 1st Deaf Ward and Salt Lake Valley 2nd Deaf Ward, under the direction of stake presidents from the Park Stake and the Bennion Stake. New bishoprics were also established.

The division process drew a total of 452 people, with new members joining on a monthly basis. At the time, Keith Lauritzen, a six-year bishop, was wary of the split decision. He attempted to keep all members of their ward together as "one big family" in their own ward. However, due to the large number of members in the ward, it was decided to split it into two sections (Keith Lauritzen, personal communication, 2008).

Keith Lauritzen, Bishop, 1992-1998

The division process drew a total of 452 people, with new members joining on a monthly basis. At the time, Keith Lauritzen, a six-year bishop, was wary of the split decision. He attempted to keep all members of their ward together as "one big family" in their own ward. However, due to the large number of members in the ward, it was decided to split it into two sections (Keith Lauritzen, personal communication, 2008).

Bruce Harvey, Bishop, 1998-2004

A straight line running approximately East and West at 5200 South served as the dividing line between two wards. Those who lived north of 5200 South attended the 1st Ward, which was housed in the same ward building, while those who lived south of 5200 South attended the 2nd Ward, which was located at 6250 South 2200 West. Both wards were housed in the same building with the two hearing wards (Young, UAD Bulletin, October 1998; Flygare, The Salt Lake Valley Wards PowerPoint, 2008).

Robert Bonnell, Bishop, 1998-2002

Under the direction of F. Craig Sudbury of the Park Stake, Bishop Keith Lauritzen, First Counselor Fay R. Young, Second Counselor Greg Hansen, and Executive Secretary Bruce Harvey were released from their callings. President Sudbury named Bishop Bruce Harvey, First Counselor Fay R. Young, Second Counselor Richard Snow, and Executive Secretary Lynn Losee to the new Bishopric of the Salt Lake Valley Deaf First Ward. Robert Bonnell was named Bishop, Mont Palmer as First Counselor, and Edward Bell as Second Counselor of the Salt Lake Valley Deaf Second Ward by President Tibbets of the Bennion Utah Stake (Young, UAD Bulletin, October 1998).

Lloyd H. Perkins

Following the division, the members were likely grateful for the opportunity to continue attending the 1st Ward building, where they could get their vision needs met. Perkins, Bishop, stated: “Having their own ward meant that deaf people were able to be recognized as having their own language” (Wikipedia, March 29, 2018). All things considered, none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for Bishop Lloyd H. Perkins' visualization and President Spencer W. Kimball's support. Members of the existing 1st Ward are privileged to have these advocates working to realize their goal of a deaf-friendly building that they can use and enjoy.

Additional information regarding the Salt Lake Valley's 1st and 2nd Wards can be found at this link, which was compiled by Chris Flygare.

WEBSITES

The following websites contain a list of Anne Leahy and Doug Stringham's presentations and current research:

Rediscovering the History of Deaf Latter-day Saints

http://history.deaflds.org/

How Firm a Foundation: The Latter-day Saint Deaf-Mute Sunday School https://www.academia.edu/1835979/How_Firm_a_Foundation_The_Latter-day_Saint_Deaf- Mute_Sunday_School

'God Made Me Deaf': Accounts from Deaf Latter-day Saints, 1836-1916 www.academia.edu/1835974/God_Made_Me_Deaf_Accounts_from_Deaf_Latter-day_Saints_1836-1916

Recovering From Failed Healings https://www.academia.edu/7302314/Recovering_Mormonism_from_Failed_Healings

HISTORICAL DOCUMENT

Horn-Marsh, Petra M (1992). "Silent Saints: Deaf Mormons in Utah." All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1688. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1688/

ARCHIVES

Ogden Branch for the Deaf Minutes - 1941 - 1945. (PDF)

Flygare, Christopher. "Powerpoint of the Salt Lake Valley 1st and 2nd Deaf Wards: A History in Pictures." (PDF)

VIDEO

Giles, Bobby. "Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007." Eye-Sign Media, LLC. 2007. DVD.

A Slideshow of the
Ogden Branch for the Deaf

A Slideshow of the
Salt Lake Valley Branch and Ward

Parallel Difficulties in Deaf Latter-day Saints Community and Utah School for the Deaf: 1962-1980

Notes

Cherie Carpenter Hodson, personal communication, October 18, 2010.

Dan Mathis, personal communication, April 24, 2012.

Kenneth L. Kinner, personal communication, June 19, 2011.

Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz, personal communication, April 15, 2012.

Richard Snow, personal communication, February 9, 2012.

Richard Snow, personal communication, December 21, 2014.

Roy Cochran, personal communication, April 19, 2012.

Steven Noyce, personal communication, December 2, 1971.

References

Baldwin, Stephen C. “Mainstreaming in retrospect: A Deaf Perception.” National Association of the Deaf (1990): 14-16.

Bell, Mabel. “The Deaf Eye.” UAD Bulletin, vol. 12, no. 6 (October 1988): 4.

Bitter, Grant. “A Summary Report for Tenure.” Grant B. Dr. Bitter Papers, Accn #1072. Manuscripts Division, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 15, 1985.

“Boyd K. Packer.” (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyd_K._Packer

Clark, K. & Riker, T. (2010, June 7). “Mendoza Against the Deaf: Tony Mendoza California Eugenics-Style Bill Creates Uproar Among the Deaf Community.” http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=12260&pageid=&pagename=

Christiansen, E. (1918). “The YLMIA of the Branch for the Deaf.” Copied from the Young Women’s Journal, Vol. 29.

Curtis, G. Leon. “With Our Alumni.” The Utah Eagle (October 1961): 12.

George, S.L (-).

Giles, Bobby. Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007 Film.

Grant B. Bitter. The Utah Eagle, vol. 74, no. 1 (October 1962): 11.

Historical Events and Persons Involved Branch for the Deaf - Compiled February 11, 1992.

History of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1979.

“New seminary at USD.” UAD Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 3 (October 1976): 3.

Pace, Irma Acord. “A History of the Utah School for the Deaf.” The Utah Eagle, vol. 58, no. 1 (May18, 1946): 1-33.

“Seminary Class Stared At School for Deaf.” The UAD Bulletin, vo1. 2, no. 4 (Fall 1961): 3.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Branch for the Deaf, Ogden. Ward Stake Historical Record Book #4. 1941 – 1945.

“Two Events Will Honor Deaf Branch President.” Ogden Standard-Examiner, February 4, 1967.

“Unveiling Ceremony at Ogden Branch.” UAD Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 3 (October 1976): 2.

White, Bob. (1920, October). Ogden’s social and religious Center. The Silent Worker vol. 33 no. 1, p. 32. http://dspace.wrlc.org/view/ImgViewer?url=http://dspace.wrlc.org/doc/manifest/2041/38209

Woodbury, Max. W. History of the Branch.

Relocation of Ogden Branch for the Deaf, 1917-1999

Note

Kenneth L. Kinner, interview by Jodi Becker Kinner, “Relocation of the Ogden Branch for the Deaf,” June 19, 2011.

References

“A Sunday School Organized for the Deaf Mutes.” The Daily Enquirer, February 11, 1892.

Giles, Bobby. "Ogden Branch for the Deaf: 90th Anniversary 1917 – 2007." Eye-Sign Media, LLC. 2007. DVD.

“For Blind, Deaf, and Dumb.” Deseret News, November 21, 1896.

Pace, Irma Acord. “A History of the Utah School for the Deaf.” The Utah Eagle, vol. 58, no. 1 (October 1946): 1-33.

Roberts, Elaine M. “The Early History of the Utah School for the Deaf and Its influence in the Development of a Cohesive Deaf Society in Utah, circa. 1884 – 1905.” A thesis presented to the Department of History: Brigham Young University. August 1994.

Walker, Rodney W. My Life Story, 2006.

A Pioneer Day Parade in Utah on July 24, 1961

Reference

"Sunday School on Wheel." The UAD Bulletin, vol. 2, no. 4. (Fall 1961): p. 1.

The First Four Deaf Missionaries

Notes

Abel Martinez, personal communication, April 8, 2020.

Doug Stringham, persona communication, April 8, 2020.

Lisa Richard Roush, personal communication, April 8, 2020.

W. David Samuelsen, personal communication, April 15, 2020.

A Unique Deaf-Friendly
Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf

Notes

Edward Bell, personal communication, December 4, 2018.

Jonathon Hudson, personal communication, October 17, 2018

Keith Lauritzen, personal communication, 2008.

Kleda Baker Quigley, personal communication, February 28, 2012.

Lynn Losee, personal communication, October 11, 2018.

Madelaine Perkins, personal communication, March 7, 2012.

References

Flygare, Christopher. “Salt Lake Valley 1st and 2nd Deaf Wards.” PowerPoint, 2008.

Lloyd Howard Perkins. Wikipedia, March 29, 2018.

"New Chapel In Future For Salt Lake Valley Ward." UAD Bulletin, December 1974, 1.

Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf.

The Beginning of Organized Group of Deaf Members.

Thurston, Edwin Ross. Teaching the Deaf. The Improvement Era. January 1946, 24 & 56.

Thurston, Edwin Ross. Salt Lake Valley Branch for the Deaf. The Improvement Era. April 1949, p. 215 & 244-245.

"Valley Ward." UAD Bulletin, October 1975, p. 7.

Walker, Rodney. My Life Story. 2006.

Young, Fay. “Two New Divisions of Salt Lake Valley Ward for the Deaf and Two New Bishoprics.” UAD Bulletin, vol, 22.5, October 1998.

History of the Deaf Community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The First Four Deaf Missionaries

A Slideshow of the ​Ogden Branch for the Deaf

A Slideshow of the
Ogden Branch for the Deaf