396 photographic prints and negatives, most of which
show Ione at different stages throughout her lifetime in both personal, as well as
professional settings. The collection also includes many photographs of her first and
second husbands (Wayne Bennion and Ted Daniel) and those whom are assumed to be family,
extended family, and friends.
Repository:
Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Photograph Collection
Merrill-Cazier Library Utah State University 3000 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-3000 Phone: 435 797-2663 Fax: 435 797-2880 Email: scweb@usu.edu
Languages:
Collection materials are in English.
Sponsor:
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant,
2007-2008
Biographical Note
Ione Spencer Bennion was born October 6, 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah. After graduating
from the University of Utah in 1930, she worked as a teacher, and soon married Wayne
Bennion in 1937. Tragically, after only five years of marriage, Wayne died when a stack
of boxes fell on him and inflicted fatal internal injuries. Soon after her husband's
death, Ione enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University, later transferring to
the University of Utah and the University of Washington. In 1945, she became the dean of
women at Utah State University, where she met and married T.W. Daniel, a member of the
forestry faculty, in 1947. She was replaced in 1952 because of an anti-nepotism law that
stated that women could not be teachers or administrators if their husbands were
employed by the university. Though she fought fiercely to keep her position, the
university?s board stood by their decision, and Ione began work as a teacher for the
Logan City School District. For the next 28 years she worked with disadvantaged and
disabled students; her work included the creation of the Young Mothers program, which
encouraged teenage mothers to complete their high school degrees.
Ione also became very politically active on the state and local level. She fought for
women?s rights, helping to establish Planned Parenthood in Logan, supporting the Women?s
Legislative Council, participating in the League of Women Voters of Cache County, and
advocating for the ultimately unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment. In the 1950s and
1960s, Ione worked with the Utah Committee on Civil Rights to secure the passage of the
Utah Voting Rights Act of 1965. She was a strong advocate for the elderly, supporting
the RSVP/Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Voluntary Action Program, and serving
on the Sunshine Terrace board of directors. Also a strong supporter of Utah State
University, Ione was instrumental in the creation of the Women?s Center, served as a
volunteer on the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum board, and was inducted into the Old Main
Society. She was awarded the university?s Distinguished Service Award in 1981. When Ione
passed away on November 22, 1997, at the age of 89, her obituary described her life as a
"continuous struggle against injustice."
Source: Obituary, Logan Herald Journal, Logan, Utah.
November 24, 1997.
Content Description
This collection consists of 396 images most of which show Ione at different stages
throughout her lifetime in both personal, as well as professional settings. The
collection also includes many photographs of her first and second husbands (Wayne
Bennion and Ted Daniel) and those whom are assumed to be family, extended family, and
friends.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access : Restrictions
Open to public research.
Restrictions on Use : Copyright
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Ione Bennion photograph collection must
be obtained from the Special Collections Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections
Department Head.
Preferred Citation :
Ione Bennion photograph collection, 1908-1997. (P0371). Utah State University. Special
Collections & Archives Department.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
Arrangement: Topical.
Acquisition Information :
This photo collection and the accompanying manuscripts (USUSC MS320) were donated to USU
Special Collections by Richard Sadler in 1998 and Ross Peterson in 2003.
Processing Note :
Register completed by Andrea Payant, December 2007.
Misc. Photos, including Ione Bennion during her
university career as well as photos of Ted W. Daniel, Ione's second
husband
Container(s)
Description
Dates
box
folder
1
2
01:02:01: President Chase (Utah State University) next to
Ione, the Dean of Women
01:02:02: Ione pictured wearing a fur vest
01:02:03-06: Ione and various USAC organization members.
Taken around the
1940's
01:02:07: Ione, in a large group, pictured with T.W.
Daniel (hands on her shoulders)
01:02:08-09: Ione and T.W. Daniel (Ted)
01:02:10-12: Various buildings, some on USU
campus
01:02:13-16: Various pictures of children at
school
01:02:17-33: Misc. photos, including Ione travelling with
some aquaintances
01:02:34: Ione Bennion Daniel with other Deans of Women
from other universities: Helen Christman from Westminster, Myrtle Austin from U
of U, and Lillian Booth from BYU
