Belle S. Spafford
Belle Smith Spafford was the ninth General President of the Relief Society.
Early Life
Belle was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to John Gibson Smith and Hester Sims Smith. She was youngest of their seven children. Belle's father died before she was born, and her widowed mother raised the family to value frugality and independance.
Belle graduated from the Normal School at the University of Utah. She later studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she also worked as a special instructor in remedial work for disabled children. Following her marriage to Willis Earl Spafford in 1921, Belle continued working at BYU for some time. This experience gave her a great sympathy for the less fortunate, and Belle used her talents to direct social service programs for the Relief Society in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Among the services Belle over saw were programs for unwed mothers, adoptive services, care for neglected children, and youth guidance services. Belle also participated in the Church's Native American foster care program.
Church Service
After moving to Salt Lake City in 1935, Belle was named a member of the General Relief Society board. Not long afterwards, she became editor of The Relief Society Magazine. Ten years later in 1945, Belle was called as General President of the Relief Society.
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Belle retired from the Relief Society General Presidency in 1974 and died in 1984 at age 86.
Awards and Achievements
Belle S. Spafford received a number of recognitions and achievements during her lifetime. A selection of those follows:
- Member, National Advisory Committee to the White House Conference on Aging, January 1961
- Second Vice-President, National Council of Women of the United States, 1948-1956
- President, National Council of Women of the United States, 1968-1970
- Vice President, American Mothers Committee, Inc., 1965
- Honorary Lifetime Membership, Utah Conference of Social Work
- Board Member, Latter-day Saint Hospital
- Board Member, Brigam Young University Board of Trustees
- Second Vice-President, National Association for Practical Nurse Education
- Distinguished Service Award, Crusade for Freedom
- Honorary Doctor of Humanities, Brigham Young University, 1956
- Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Utah, 1967
Sources
- Spafford, Belle S., Women in Today's World, Deseret Book Publishing Company, 1971, ISBN 87747-452-4
