Belle S. Spafford
Born: 8 October 1895
Called as Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency: 1942
Called as Relief Society General President: 6 April 1945
Released: 3 October 1974
Died: 2 February 1982
Called as Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency: 1942
Called as Relief Society General President: 6 April 1945
Released: 3 October 1974
Died: 2 February 1982
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Relief Society Magazine, June 1935, Belle Smith Spafford
Relief Society Magazine, December 1942, Belle S. Spafford
Relief Society Magazine, May 1945, Belle Smith Spafford Called to be Ninth General President of Relief Society, April 1945
Relief Society Magazine, November 1968, Belle S. Spafford Elected President of the National Council of Women of the United States
Improvement Era, December 1968, Belle S. Spafford Heads National Council of Women
Ensign, March 2006, Making a Difference for Women: Belle S. Spafford
Relief Society Magazine, June 1935, Belle Smith Spafford
Relief Society Magazine, December 1942, Belle S. Spafford
Relief Society Magazine, May 1945, Belle Smith Spafford Called to be Ninth General President of Relief Society, April 1945
Relief Society Magazine, November 1968, Belle S. Spafford Elected President of the National Council of Women of the United States
Improvement Era, December 1968, Belle S. Spafford Heads National Council of Women
Ensign, March 2006, Making a Difference for Women: Belle S. Spafford
Jenson, Andrew. "Spafford, Belle Smith." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 198.
SPAFFORD, Belle Smith, a member of the General Board of Relief Society, was born Oct. 8, 1895, a daughter of John Gibson Smith and Hester McMurrin Sims. She was educated in the Salt Lake City public schools, the L. D. S. College, the B. Y. University and is a graduate from the Normal School of the University of Utah. She has taught in the city schools and in the Brigham Young University Training School. She presided over the Y. L. M. I. A. of the Belvedere Ward four years, was a member of the Utah Stake Board of Religion Classes for three years, a counselor in the Relief Society of Belvedere Ward three years, a member of the Relief Society boards of the Grant and Wells Stakes and counselor in the Presidency of the Wells Stake Relief Society Board. On March 23, 1921, she was married to Willis Earl Spafford and is the mother of two children.
SPAFFORD, Belle Smith, a member of the General Board of Relief Society, was born Oct. 8, 1895, a daughter of John Gibson Smith and Hester McMurrin Sims. She was educated in the Salt Lake City public schools, the L. D. S. College, the B. Y. University and is a graduate from the Normal School of the University of Utah. She has taught in the city schools and in the Brigham Young University Training School. She presided over the Y. L. M. I. A. of the Belvedere Ward four years, was a member of the Utah Stake Board of Religion Classes for three years, a counselor in the Relief Society of Belvedere Ward three years, a member of the Relief Society boards of the Grant and Wells Stakes and counselor in the Presidency of the Wells Stake Relief Society Board. On March 23, 1921, she was married to Willis Earl Spafford and is the mother of two children.
Layton, Leone G. "Belle Smith Spafford." Relief Society Magazine. June 1935. pg. 356-358.
Belle Smith Spafford
By Leone G. Layton
WE all have favorite quotations which we feel express our inmost desires of accomplishment in life. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might"—Bible; "Have a purpose in life, and having it, throw into your work such strength of mind and muscle as God has given you" — Carlyle; were selected some years ago by Sister Spafford as typifying her creed. We who have been her close associates can testify to her success in living up to them. No matter what she has been called upon to do, she has given the best she had. Her standards have been high, and through her example others have been encouraged to try to reach them, for she has the happy faculty of seeing the good in all, giving commendation and encouragement wherever she has gone. In her Relief Society work she has won the love of all the women she has contacted, and her clear vision has been instrumental in helping a number of women solve difficult problems in their organizations. She has the quality of understanding and because of her friendly interest in all, she is sought after constantly for comfort and advice.
SISTER SPAFFORD is the daughter of John G. and Hester Sims Smith. She was born in Salt Lake City and has spent most of her life here. Mr. Smith died before Mrs. Spafford's birth and Mrs. Smith was left to rear her family alone. Never faltering, she made a home for her children, and her strength of character, devotion to the right, and great appreciation of the cultural values of life, have had a marked influence on the lives of all who have known her.
A carefree, happy childhood is the memory of Sister Spafford. She attended the Salt Lake City Public Schools and later the L. D. S. High School and the University of Utah. Her first teaching experience was gained in the Salt Lake Public Schools. Here her interest was stimulated in childhood, its experiences and reactions and the studies of psychology and Sociology became her guide. Later she went to the Brigham Young University where she became a grade supervisor in the Training School. Her experience here in lesson-planning and analysis have been invaluable to the organizations in which she has since labored.
WHILE teaching in Provo she met and married W. Earl Spafford. Returning to the B. Y. U. she conducted a special group in Remedial Work. The year brought some excellent results and further challenged her interest in the study of Psychology. Here she obtained experience which was to stand her in good stead in her Relief Society Work.
HER earliest Church activities were centered in Mutual Improvement work, and as a Junior Girl she won the Church Award in Retold Story. At the age of eighteen she was called to preside over the Mutual in her ward and remained in this work both in Salt Lake City and in Provo for a number of years. She was also interested in Religion Class, and while a Stake Board Member assisted in formulating a course of study for this Organization.
In 1926 Mr. Spafford's business interests necessitated the removal of his family to Salt Lake City. Here Sister Spafford was first introduced to Relief Society as counselor in the Belvedere Ward. She was assigned Classwork as her division of responsibility, and here her wide social and educational contacts proved useful. Under her direction the class leaders were stimulated to a realization of the responsibility that was theirs in occupying the time of a group of busy women, resulting in an increase of teaching efficiency. Her extensive reading and her understanding appreciation of a well taught lesson created in the leaders a desire to measure up to her lesson standards. Though the mother of two small children, she was never too busy to give her associates such help and encouragement as they required, at the same time keeping up her home interests.
The Social Service Course challenged her interest because of her studies in Psychology. Realizing the need of such a background in a stake leader, she was called to the Grant Stake Relief Society Board in 1932. Her splendid lesson preparation, her provision of lesson enrichment for ward leaders created great interest in the department. Leaders not of this Stake became regular attendants, and the quality of work presented in the wards was improved.
With the Organization of Wells Stake, Sister Spafford was called as first Counselor to Sister Marie Tanner who says of her, " Sister Spafford possesses an unusual and logical mind, she is a natural leader, her poise gives calm and peace. Rich in life's greatest assets, she is honest, outspoken, and straight-forward. Loyal to every trust, gentle and kind, her fine soul qualities inspire respect and confidence in the hearts of her associates. She gives obedience to authority. The sisters of Wells Stake love and honor her."
To her new work Sister Spafford brings an intimate knowledge of Relief Society and its problems, a clear vision of its aims and purposes, a spirit of humility and willingness to serve with all her strength wherever she is placed, and an abundant store of knowledge, coupled with rare ability to use that knowledge with wisdom and understanding.
Belle Smith Spafford
By Leone G. Layton
WE all have favorite quotations which we feel express our inmost desires of accomplishment in life. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might"—Bible; "Have a purpose in life, and having it, throw into your work such strength of mind and muscle as God has given you" — Carlyle; were selected some years ago by Sister Spafford as typifying her creed. We who have been her close associates can testify to her success in living up to them. No matter what she has been called upon to do, she has given the best she had. Her standards have been high, and through her example others have been encouraged to try to reach them, for she has the happy faculty of seeing the good in all, giving commendation and encouragement wherever she has gone. In her Relief Society work she has won the love of all the women she has contacted, and her clear vision has been instrumental in helping a number of women solve difficult problems in their organizations. She has the quality of understanding and because of her friendly interest in all, she is sought after constantly for comfort and advice.
SISTER SPAFFORD is the daughter of John G. and Hester Sims Smith. She was born in Salt Lake City and has spent most of her life here. Mr. Smith died before Mrs. Spafford's birth and Mrs. Smith was left to rear her family alone. Never faltering, she made a home for her children, and her strength of character, devotion to the right, and great appreciation of the cultural values of life, have had a marked influence on the lives of all who have known her.
A carefree, happy childhood is the memory of Sister Spafford. She attended the Salt Lake City Public Schools and later the L. D. S. High School and the University of Utah. Her first teaching experience was gained in the Salt Lake Public Schools. Here her interest was stimulated in childhood, its experiences and reactions and the studies of psychology and Sociology became her guide. Later she went to the Brigham Young University where she became a grade supervisor in the Training School. Her experience here in lesson-planning and analysis have been invaluable to the organizations in which she has since labored.
WHILE teaching in Provo she met and married W. Earl Spafford. Returning to the B. Y. U. she conducted a special group in Remedial Work. The year brought some excellent results and further challenged her interest in the study of Psychology. Here she obtained experience which was to stand her in good stead in her Relief Society Work.
HER earliest Church activities were centered in Mutual Improvement work, and as a Junior Girl she won the Church Award in Retold Story. At the age of eighteen she was called to preside over the Mutual in her ward and remained in this work both in Salt Lake City and in Provo for a number of years. She was also interested in Religion Class, and while a Stake Board Member assisted in formulating a course of study for this Organization.
In 1926 Mr. Spafford's business interests necessitated the removal of his family to Salt Lake City. Here Sister Spafford was first introduced to Relief Society as counselor in the Belvedere Ward. She was assigned Classwork as her division of responsibility, and here her wide social and educational contacts proved useful. Under her direction the class leaders were stimulated to a realization of the responsibility that was theirs in occupying the time of a group of busy women, resulting in an increase of teaching efficiency. Her extensive reading and her understanding appreciation of a well taught lesson created in the leaders a desire to measure up to her lesson standards. Though the mother of two small children, she was never too busy to give her associates such help and encouragement as they required, at the same time keeping up her home interests.
The Social Service Course challenged her interest because of her studies in Psychology. Realizing the need of such a background in a stake leader, she was called to the Grant Stake Relief Society Board in 1932. Her splendid lesson preparation, her provision of lesson enrichment for ward leaders created great interest in the department. Leaders not of this Stake became regular attendants, and the quality of work presented in the wards was improved.
With the Organization of Wells Stake, Sister Spafford was called as first Counselor to Sister Marie Tanner who says of her, " Sister Spafford possesses an unusual and logical mind, she is a natural leader, her poise gives calm and peace. Rich in life's greatest assets, she is honest, outspoken, and straight-forward. Loyal to every trust, gentle and kind, her fine soul qualities inspire respect and confidence in the hearts of her associates. She gives obedience to authority. The sisters of Wells Stake love and honor her."
To her new work Sister Spafford brings an intimate knowledge of Relief Society and its problems, a clear vision of its aims and purposes, a spirit of humility and willingness to serve with all her strength wherever she is placed, and an abundant store of knowledge, coupled with rare ability to use that knowledge with wisdom and understanding.
Pohlman, Vera W. "Belle Smith Spafford." Relief Society Magazine. December 1942. pg. 825-826.
Belle Smith Spafford
Vera W. Pohlman, General Secretary-Treasurer
TO introduce to Relief Society members the newly appointed second counselor in the general presidency of Relief Society is to introduce an already familiar friend. Belle Smith Spafford has appeared personally before hundreds of Relief Society workers at general conferences of the Society and at conferences in approximately fifty stakes of the Church which she has visited during her seven years' service as a member of the General Board. To all these and to thousands more she is known through the Relief Society Magazine which she has edited, conscientiously and creditably, during the past five years.
Those yet to meet or to become better acquainted with Belle Spafford await a rich experience. She is genuinely friendly and approachable, and possessed of that comfortable demeanor known -as ''always the same." Vitalizing her amiable disposition and giving certain direction to her course are her frankness, self-assurance, quick insight, tact, perseverance, devotion to duty, sympathetic understanding and ready helpfulness for others, willing deference to those in authority, and, above all, her comprehensive understanding of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and her firm testimony of their divine restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Belle has been a Relief Society member and officer for more than fifteen years, nearly half of this time as a member of the General Board, serving progressively as ward Relief Society counselor, stake board member, and stake counselor prior to her appointment to the General Board. Her earlier training and experience as a teacher, in which field she served first in the public schools of Salt Lake City and later in the Brigham Young University training school, have been used to advantage in the interest of Relief Society. In both her ward and stake Relief Society experience she was assigned responsibility relating to the educational work of the Society, and during her seven years' service on the General Board she has been continuously affiliated with one or more of the committees on Relief Society lesson courses, and on committees planning Relief Society stake conferences. Throughout this experience she has been interested, not only in the subject matter selected for Relief Society courses, but deeply and consistently interested in the adaptability of these lessons to the lives of the women of the Church and to sound and effective methods of lesson presentation. Her contributions in this respect have permeated much of the material presented at annual stake Relief Society conferences throughout the Church. She is well qualified to assume her new assignment as counselor in charge of education by her training, experience, interest, and ability in education, her thorough acquaintance with the objectives and workings of the Society, and her clear understanding and consistent application of the principles of the Gospel, all of which will be compounded and directed toward the further education and development of the women of the Church through the medium of Relief Society.
The new counselor is qualified not only as an educator but also possesses a sense of sound administrative procedure which, with her first-hand knowledge of how the Society operates in wards and stakes, will be a valuable asset in her new position.
Under the editorship of Belle S. Spafford, the Relief Society Magazine has continued to serve the purpose for which it was established and has upheld its standards of accuracy and excellence. In the interest of accuracy of content, Belle has meticulously checked facts and has edited with a view of achieving the utmost clarity and meaning while preserving the style of the writers. "An eighth of an inch makes a difference, especially if its at the end of the nose" is one of the oft-remembered maxims of her canny Scotch mother which seems to have been deeply inculcated into Belle's nature and to have influenced the precision of her editorial work.
In the difficult position of editor, Belle has won and maintained the approval of both the readers of the Magazine and the writers. She has shown good judgment in the selection of prose, poetry, and fiction, recognizing and encouraging writers with ability, while meeting the particular reading interests of the mothers of the Church and maintaining the Magazine in its primary purpose as the official periodical of Relief Society. She is known and respected among local and Church writers, both the beginners and the experienced, for her discriminating judgment of their work, and for her frankness and genuine helpfulness in criticizing their work and suggesting needed revisions.
New evidence of her editorial ability is presented in the recently issued A Centenary oi Relief Society of which she and Marianne C. Sharp were co-editors.
Belle was born in Salt Lake City a daughter of the late Hester Sims, and of John G. Smith, who died before her birth. She gives due credit and honor to her parents and to the wise direction of her mother. Much credit for Belle's success as a Relief Society worker is due her genial, quiet-mannered, devoted husband, W. Earl Spafford, who, with their children—Mary, now a student at the University of Utah, and Earl S. of high school age—has made it possible for her to give a full measure of service to the Society.
Belle Smith Spafford
Vera W. Pohlman, General Secretary-Treasurer
TO introduce to Relief Society members the newly appointed second counselor in the general presidency of Relief Society is to introduce an already familiar friend. Belle Smith Spafford has appeared personally before hundreds of Relief Society workers at general conferences of the Society and at conferences in approximately fifty stakes of the Church which she has visited during her seven years' service as a member of the General Board. To all these and to thousands more she is known through the Relief Society Magazine which she has edited, conscientiously and creditably, during the past five years.
Those yet to meet or to become better acquainted with Belle Spafford await a rich experience. She is genuinely friendly and approachable, and possessed of that comfortable demeanor known -as ''always the same." Vitalizing her amiable disposition and giving certain direction to her course are her frankness, self-assurance, quick insight, tact, perseverance, devotion to duty, sympathetic understanding and ready helpfulness for others, willing deference to those in authority, and, above all, her comprehensive understanding of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and her firm testimony of their divine restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Belle has been a Relief Society member and officer for more than fifteen years, nearly half of this time as a member of the General Board, serving progressively as ward Relief Society counselor, stake board member, and stake counselor prior to her appointment to the General Board. Her earlier training and experience as a teacher, in which field she served first in the public schools of Salt Lake City and later in the Brigham Young University training school, have been used to advantage in the interest of Relief Society. In both her ward and stake Relief Society experience she was assigned responsibility relating to the educational work of the Society, and during her seven years' service on the General Board she has been continuously affiliated with one or more of the committees on Relief Society lesson courses, and on committees planning Relief Society stake conferences. Throughout this experience she has been interested, not only in the subject matter selected for Relief Society courses, but deeply and consistently interested in the adaptability of these lessons to the lives of the women of the Church and to sound and effective methods of lesson presentation. Her contributions in this respect have permeated much of the material presented at annual stake Relief Society conferences throughout the Church. She is well qualified to assume her new assignment as counselor in charge of education by her training, experience, interest, and ability in education, her thorough acquaintance with the objectives and workings of the Society, and her clear understanding and consistent application of the principles of the Gospel, all of which will be compounded and directed toward the further education and development of the women of the Church through the medium of Relief Society.
The new counselor is qualified not only as an educator but also possesses a sense of sound administrative procedure which, with her first-hand knowledge of how the Society operates in wards and stakes, will be a valuable asset in her new position.
Under the editorship of Belle S. Spafford, the Relief Society Magazine has continued to serve the purpose for which it was established and has upheld its standards of accuracy and excellence. In the interest of accuracy of content, Belle has meticulously checked facts and has edited with a view of achieving the utmost clarity and meaning while preserving the style of the writers. "An eighth of an inch makes a difference, especially if its at the end of the nose" is one of the oft-remembered maxims of her canny Scotch mother which seems to have been deeply inculcated into Belle's nature and to have influenced the precision of her editorial work.
In the difficult position of editor, Belle has won and maintained the approval of both the readers of the Magazine and the writers. She has shown good judgment in the selection of prose, poetry, and fiction, recognizing and encouraging writers with ability, while meeting the particular reading interests of the mothers of the Church and maintaining the Magazine in its primary purpose as the official periodical of Relief Society. She is known and respected among local and Church writers, both the beginners and the experienced, for her discriminating judgment of their work, and for her frankness and genuine helpfulness in criticizing their work and suggesting needed revisions.
New evidence of her editorial ability is presented in the recently issued A Centenary oi Relief Society of which she and Marianne C. Sharp were co-editors.
Belle was born in Salt Lake City a daughter of the late Hester Sims, and of John G. Smith, who died before her birth. She gives due credit and honor to her parents and to the wise direction of her mother. Much credit for Belle's success as a Relief Society worker is due her genial, quiet-mannered, devoted husband, W. Earl Spafford, who, with their children—Mary, now a student at the University of Utah, and Earl S. of high school age—has made it possible for her to give a full measure of service to the Society.
Sharp, Marianne C. "Belle Smith Spafford Called to be Ninth General President of Relief Society, April 1945." Relief Society Magazine. May 1945. pg. 259-261.
Belle Smith Spafford Called to Be Ninth General President of Relief Society, April 1945
Marianne C. Sharp
First Counselor in General Presidency
"O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day" (Doc. and Cov. 4:2).
THE admonition of the Lord contained in the above verse of the Doctrine and Covenants, a favorite quotation of Belle Smith Spafford, has been heeded by her throughout life. This observance coupled with the manner in which she has developed her great capabilities in working for the Relief Society resulted in the call by the First Presidency, on April 6, 1945, of Sister Spafford to become the ninth general president of Relief Society.
President Spafford will be welcomed to her new position by a host of friends, members of the Relief Society throughout the United States and in the stakes of Canada and Mexico, whom she has met during the past ten years while she has traveled extensively in the interest of the Society. They will recall her affectionately for her friendly interest in regard to their special problems, and the ability which she has demonstrated in helping to solve them.
It was just ten years ago this April 1945 that Sister Spafford was called by President Louise Y. Robison from her position as counselor to President Marie Tanner of the Wells Stake Relief Society to become a member of the General Board. In December of 1937, she was asked to assume the added responsibility of being editor of The Relief Society Magazine, following the death of Sister Mary G. Kimball. During the eight years that Sister Spafford has edited the Magazine it has had a phenomenal growth in subscriptions — increasing from 40,000 in 1937 to 72,000 as of April 1945. The excellence of the contents has been of a high order which has steadily improved over the years, reflecting the advancement of the women of the Church in writing skills. It was in 1942 that a short-story contest was inaugurated by the General Board which has resulted in encouraging Church women to enter the field of fiction and improved the content of the Magazine in that line. As editor she has consistently manifested a great desire to meet first, the spiritual, and then the literary reading needs of the readers of the Magazine. When Sister Lyman was called to become general president, in 1940, she retained Sister Spafford as editor, and gave to her the added responsibility of serving as an editor of A Centenary of Relief Society published to commemorate the first hundred years of the Society. The knowledge gained from this experience has given to Sister Spafford a broad understanding of the rise and development of the Society which will prove invaluable to her in her new position.
In addition to editorial duties, President Spafford has always carried her full share of General Board responsibilities, and has done preeminent work as the chairman of important committees. Her ability in this line was signally recognized in November 1942 when she was called by President Lyman to succeed Sister Donna D. Sorensen as her second counselor in charge of educational work. The faithful performance by President Spafford of every call which has been made upon her for Church service whether to serve in the Sunday School, the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association or the Relief Society, to which so many years of her life have been devoted, has culminated in the present call to head the great Relief Society.
BELLE SMITH SPAFFORD was born of goodly parents. She has never known the loving, watchful care of a father for her own father, in Tooele, died when he was only forty years old and before Belle Smith Spafford was born. Her young mother was thus left to face life alone and to rear her six children and an orphaned son of a brother. The family resided in Salt Lake City. Sister Smith was a true Latter-day Saint, and her wise sayings are often quoted by her descendants and continue to guide them in Sister Spafford received her schooling in the Salt Lake City schools, at the L.D.S. high school and is a graduate of the University of Utah Normal School. The teaching skill which she gained in the years she spent teaching in the Salt Lake City schools and at the Training School at the Brigham Young University has been reflected in the professional supervision which she has given to the better teaching of the lessons taught in Relief Society.
She pays high tribute to the in fluence on her life of that great personality President George H. Brimhall who imbued her with the importance of religious and spiritual values in education, and of that outstanding educator. President Franklin S. Harris, for helping her to appreciate the values of high educational standards and the necessity of continuous application in improving one's teaching skills.
President Spafford is the wife of Willis Earl Spafford who is Field Deputy of Internal Revenue. Without the tender care with which he has guarded her, without his unselfish acceptance of the calls which have been made upon her time, increasing with the passing of the years, without his full support and
John Gibson Smith, who was born wholehearted co-operation, it would not have been possible for Sister Spafford to have continued her Church duties and at the same time to have cared for her family of two children. Their daughter Mary at the present time is doing postgraduate work in social work at the University of Utah, and their son. Earl Smith Spafford, is in the navy serving as a hospital apprentice at Portsmouth, Virginia.
In leading forward this greatest of all women's organizations. President Belle Spafford's great concern, as has also been that of her predecessors in this office, will be to follow out, implicitly, the desires of the Priesthood in regard to Relief Society, and to so plan and so shape its activities as to fully support the great Church Welfare Plan, and to foster and strengthen in Relief Society members a living testimony of the gospel.
It will be a joy to me to work under the guidance of Sister Spafford in the general presidency of Relief Society. She is a thorough Latter-day Saint and is guided in her decisions by the standards of the gospel. She is a considerate and fair fellow worker, always ready to undertake the major part of any assignment and to help out in any need, at the same time, however, expecting a high standard of performance in return. She is a tireless and prodigious worker. For the past eight years she has spent many hours of each working day on some phase of Relief Society activity, and her assignments have been many and varied. The great honor which has come to President Spafford may be considered as a merited blessing on her years of self-sacrificing and devoted service.
Belle Smith Spafford Called to Be Ninth General President of Relief Society, April 1945
Marianne C. Sharp
First Counselor in General Presidency
"O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day" (Doc. and Cov. 4:2).
THE admonition of the Lord contained in the above verse of the Doctrine and Covenants, a favorite quotation of Belle Smith Spafford, has been heeded by her throughout life. This observance coupled with the manner in which she has developed her great capabilities in working for the Relief Society resulted in the call by the First Presidency, on April 6, 1945, of Sister Spafford to become the ninth general president of Relief Society.
President Spafford will be welcomed to her new position by a host of friends, members of the Relief Society throughout the United States and in the stakes of Canada and Mexico, whom she has met during the past ten years while she has traveled extensively in the interest of the Society. They will recall her affectionately for her friendly interest in regard to their special problems, and the ability which she has demonstrated in helping to solve them.
It was just ten years ago this April 1945 that Sister Spafford was called by President Louise Y. Robison from her position as counselor to President Marie Tanner of the Wells Stake Relief Society to become a member of the General Board. In December of 1937, she was asked to assume the added responsibility of being editor of The Relief Society Magazine, following the death of Sister Mary G. Kimball. During the eight years that Sister Spafford has edited the Magazine it has had a phenomenal growth in subscriptions — increasing from 40,000 in 1937 to 72,000 as of April 1945. The excellence of the contents has been of a high order which has steadily improved over the years, reflecting the advancement of the women of the Church in writing skills. It was in 1942 that a short-story contest was inaugurated by the General Board which has resulted in encouraging Church women to enter the field of fiction and improved the content of the Magazine in that line. As editor she has consistently manifested a great desire to meet first, the spiritual, and then the literary reading needs of the readers of the Magazine. When Sister Lyman was called to become general president, in 1940, she retained Sister Spafford as editor, and gave to her the added responsibility of serving as an editor of A Centenary of Relief Society published to commemorate the first hundred years of the Society. The knowledge gained from this experience has given to Sister Spafford a broad understanding of the rise and development of the Society which will prove invaluable to her in her new position.
In addition to editorial duties, President Spafford has always carried her full share of General Board responsibilities, and has done preeminent work as the chairman of important committees. Her ability in this line was signally recognized in November 1942 when she was called by President Lyman to succeed Sister Donna D. Sorensen as her second counselor in charge of educational work. The faithful performance by President Spafford of every call which has been made upon her for Church service whether to serve in the Sunday School, the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association or the Relief Society, to which so many years of her life have been devoted, has culminated in the present call to head the great Relief Society.
BELLE SMITH SPAFFORD was born of goodly parents. She has never known the loving, watchful care of a father for her own father, in Tooele, died when he was only forty years old and before Belle Smith Spafford was born. Her young mother was thus left to face life alone and to rear her six children and an orphaned son of a brother. The family resided in Salt Lake City. Sister Smith was a true Latter-day Saint, and her wise sayings are often quoted by her descendants and continue to guide them in Sister Spafford received her schooling in the Salt Lake City schools, at the L.D.S. high school and is a graduate of the University of Utah Normal School. The teaching skill which she gained in the years she spent teaching in the Salt Lake City schools and at the Training School at the Brigham Young University has been reflected in the professional supervision which she has given to the better teaching of the lessons taught in Relief Society.
She pays high tribute to the in fluence on her life of that great personality President George H. Brimhall who imbued her with the importance of religious and spiritual values in education, and of that outstanding educator. President Franklin S. Harris, for helping her to appreciate the values of high educational standards and the necessity of continuous application in improving one's teaching skills.
President Spafford is the wife of Willis Earl Spafford who is Field Deputy of Internal Revenue. Without the tender care with which he has guarded her, without his unselfish acceptance of the calls which have been made upon her time, increasing with the passing of the years, without his full support and
John Gibson Smith, who was born wholehearted co-operation, it would not have been possible for Sister Spafford to have continued her Church duties and at the same time to have cared for her family of two children. Their daughter Mary at the present time is doing postgraduate work in social work at the University of Utah, and their son. Earl Smith Spafford, is in the navy serving as a hospital apprentice at Portsmouth, Virginia.
In leading forward this greatest of all women's organizations. President Belle Spafford's great concern, as has also been that of her predecessors in this office, will be to follow out, implicitly, the desires of the Priesthood in regard to Relief Society, and to so plan and so shape its activities as to fully support the great Church Welfare Plan, and to foster and strengthen in Relief Society members a living testimony of the gospel.
It will be a joy to me to work under the guidance of Sister Spafford in the general presidency of Relief Society. She is a thorough Latter-day Saint and is guided in her decisions by the standards of the gospel. She is a considerate and fair fellow worker, always ready to undertake the major part of any assignment and to help out in any need, at the same time, however, expecting a high standard of performance in return. She is a tireless and prodigious worker. For the past eight years she has spent many hours of each working day on some phase of Relief Society activity, and her assignments have been many and varied. The great honor which has come to President Spafford may be considered as a merited blessing on her years of self-sacrificing and devoted service.
Sharp, Marianne C. "Belle S. Spafford Elected President of the National Council of Women of the United States." Relief Society Magazine. November 1968. pg. 804-805.
Belle S. Spafford Elected President of the National Council of Women of the United States
October 1968
Counselor Marianne C. Sharp
A new honor came to President Belle S. Spafford when she was elected the President of the National Council of Women of the United States in New York on October 17, 1968. Previous to this she has served as second and third vice-president on the board, and, more recently, as chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee. The Council is to be congratulated on its newest president.
President Spafford has represented the Relief Society at the annual Council meetings since she became president of the Relief Society in 1945. Her outstanding abilities were soon recognized and responsibilities have come to her in increasing numbers over the years. She has been named as a United States delegate to the triennial meetings of the International Council of Women, in Philadelphia; Helsinki, Finland; Montreal, Canada; Washington D.C.; and Teheran, Iran. At the Helsinki conference in 1954, she was the chairman of the United States delegation.
President Spafford is recognized for her fearlessness in espousing and defending those causes which she feels are right. Her tact, friendliness, and wisdom are appreciated. She has made friends with women throughout the world. She was the featured speaker at the recent Eightieth Anniversary of the Council last May.
This is the first time that a National Council president has not resided in or near New York City, but special plans for holding meetings and carrying on Council affairs have been arranged so that President Spafford may take on this added heavy responsibility in addition to her vital Relief Society work.
As she travels to the faraway stakes for Relief Society, she will also be cementing international ties for the National Council with the women of the free world.
Belle S. Spafford Elected President of the National Council of Women of the United States
October 1968
Counselor Marianne C. Sharp
A new honor came to President Belle S. Spafford when she was elected the President of the National Council of Women of the United States in New York on October 17, 1968. Previous to this she has served as second and third vice-president on the board, and, more recently, as chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee. The Council is to be congratulated on its newest president.
President Spafford has represented the Relief Society at the annual Council meetings since she became president of the Relief Society in 1945. Her outstanding abilities were soon recognized and responsibilities have come to her in increasing numbers over the years. She has been named as a United States delegate to the triennial meetings of the International Council of Women, in Philadelphia; Helsinki, Finland; Montreal, Canada; Washington D.C.; and Teheran, Iran. At the Helsinki conference in 1954, she was the chairman of the United States delegation.
President Spafford is recognized for her fearlessness in espousing and defending those causes which she feels are right. Her tact, friendliness, and wisdom are appreciated. She has made friends with women throughout the world. She was the featured speaker at the recent Eightieth Anniversary of the Council last May.
This is the first time that a National Council president has not resided in or near New York City, but special plans for holding meetings and carrying on Council affairs have been arranged so that President Spafford may take on this added heavy responsibility in addition to her vital Relief Society work.
As she travels to the faraway stakes for Relief Society, she will also be cementing international ties for the National Council with the women of the free world.
Gabbott, Mabel Jones. "Belle S. Spafford Heads National Council of Women." Improvement Era. December 1968. pg. 25-26.
Belle S. Spafford Heads National Council of Women
By Mabel Jones Gabbott
Editorial Associate
The Mormon pioneer women had been driven from their eastern and midwestern homes; they were more or less isolated from the world, locked away in the fastness of the Rocky Mountains, struggling beside their husbands to wrest a living from hard and barren soil, endeavoring to establish their beloved Relief Society in the wilderness. Yet courageously and prophetically there appeared as a caption on the front page of their pioneer publication. The Woman's Exponent, these words: "For the Rights of the Women of Zion and the Rights of the Women of All Nations."
Belle Smith Spafford recalled this phrase at the triennial conference of the International Council of Women at Helsinki, Finland, in 1954, when she served as chairman of the delegation of the National Council of Women of the United States.
She reported: "I vividly recall the deep feelings that stirred within me as it became my privilege to lead the chairmen of the respective delegations on to the dais of the festival hall. For one brief moment there flashed into my mind the phrase which at the moment seemed prophetic: 'For the Rights of the Women of Zion and the Rights of the Women of all Nations.' "
On October 17, 1968, Sister Spafford reaffirmed the trust of the pioneer women in their future role when she assumed the leadership and presidency of the National Council of Women of the United States. As president of the Relief Society in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she has been an active member of the council, serving on many committees, as vice president, and as delegate to international council meetings.
The National Council of Women is a voluntary association of self-governing national organizations through which is made possible an interchange of ideas, experiences, and information. It was founded in the year 1888, and at this first meeting the Relief Society was represented by Emily S. Richards. Three years later, at the first triennial meeting of the council, on the advice of President Wilford Woodruff, the Relief Society became a charter member. The Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association is also a charter member.
Sister Spafford brings to the presidency of the council unusual qualities of leadership gained through years of service in the Church and in civic capacities. She is loved by her associates in Relief Society, respected by leading brethren of the Church for her intelligence, wit, and judgment, and honored nationally and internationally for her charm, graciousness, and knowledgeability in many fields. She is warm and friendly, vivacious when telling a favorite story, sparkling with enthusiastic conviction as she talks of Relief Society and its wide-flung influence, and stately and reserved in official capacities, with the dignity of a great woman.
Born in Salt Lake Valley of pioneer stock, Belle Smith Spafford began preparation for leadership in her happy childhood. Her father, John Gibson Smith, died a few months before Belle was born. Her mother, Hester Sims Smith, built a home of order and culture and industry for seven children. The wise guidance of this gifted and remarkable mother and pithy advice of her Scottish grandmother are reflected in Sister Spafford's capacity to understand and to love people.
She attended Salt Lake City schools, LDS High School, and the University of Utah. While teaching school in Provo, Utah, she married W. Earl Spafford. In 1926, with their son and daughter, the Spaffords moved to Salt Lake City, where Sister Spafford, in a moment of destiny, chose to affiliate with Relief Society rather than a literary club.
The love of her Relief Society sisters for their leader finds expression weekly as they follow her guidance and counsel in compassionate service, in teaching one another, and in accepting welfare assignments. This great love found tangible expression in 1947 when they answered her call in Relief Society conference to help in the construction of a Relief Society building for the women that would stand as the records had promised, "in the shadow of the temple."
Each member of the Relief Society throughout the Church was asked to contribute $5.00 toward the building fund. Gladly the women saved and worked and sacrificed and counted their pennies to a total of over a halt million dollars. From Relief Society sisters in foreign lands who could not send money came gifts of crystal, china, laces, linens, and wood carvings. Today women of the Church visiting that beautiful building say, "This is my building. I had a part in building it."
Sister Spafford's education at the University of Utah, her years of teaching in the Salt Lake City schools, and her experience at the Brigham Young University Training School have given her an awareness of the need for higher educational standards in the Church and nation.
The analysis and insight with which she developed the teaching program of the Relief Society and family guidance counseling in the social service department of the Church will now find greater areas of expression on a national scale.
One secret of Sister Spafford's leadership was expressed when she assumed the presidency of the Relief Society. Her counselor, Marianne Sharp, said, "President Belle Spafford's great concern will be to follow out, implicitly, the desires of the priesthood."
The brethren of the priesthood recognize the leadership of Sister Spafford. This was recently evidenced in her appointment to the Church Board of Education and the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees.
Elder LeGrand Richards of the Council of the Twelve, who worked closely with Sister Spafford when he was the Presiding Bishop of the Church, said: "She has vision to see what needs to be done and the ability to organize to get it done." He added that these qualities had been factors in bringing her the national and international recognition she has received, for Sister Spafford, through vision and organization, achieves in fact what other great national and international organizations dream of doing.
Sister Spafford realizes the influence of the women of Relief Society and the place of this organization among women's organizations of the world. She has known the struggle involved in bringing women to the position of influence they enjoy in the world today. She knows the responsibility it demands.
With her knowledge, her abilities, and her strengths, there is also a deep ingrained humility. In June 1968, accepting the Honorary Golden Gleaner award from the YWMIA, Sister Spafford said, "When I was young and any recognition came to us, we were taught to go to our beloved Scottish grandmother and tell her about it. She would look at us and say, I hope you are deserving,'"
When honored by the council as one of its First Ladies at the eightieth anniversary luncheon on April 1, 1968, Sister Spafford commented that preceding her were other women whose vision, courage, and determination enabled her "to carry the lighted lamp and level the rugged ground."
Then, recalling the words of Eliza R. Snow, general secretary to Relief Society in Nauvoo in 1842, ". . . as daughters of Zion we should set an example for all the world," Sister Spafford gave to the women of the nation this challenge: "Let us remind ourselves that the struggles and sacrifices that have brought woman to her present position of influence and power require that she shall engage in intelligent and well-directed action that effectively will contribute toward building a better world."
Truly it can be said of her as the Lord said of Paul: ". . . [she] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." (Acts 9:15.)
Belle S. Spafford Heads National Council of Women
By Mabel Jones Gabbott
Editorial Associate
The Mormon pioneer women had been driven from their eastern and midwestern homes; they were more or less isolated from the world, locked away in the fastness of the Rocky Mountains, struggling beside their husbands to wrest a living from hard and barren soil, endeavoring to establish their beloved Relief Society in the wilderness. Yet courageously and prophetically there appeared as a caption on the front page of their pioneer publication. The Woman's Exponent, these words: "For the Rights of the Women of Zion and the Rights of the Women of All Nations."
Belle Smith Spafford recalled this phrase at the triennial conference of the International Council of Women at Helsinki, Finland, in 1954, when she served as chairman of the delegation of the National Council of Women of the United States.
She reported: "I vividly recall the deep feelings that stirred within me as it became my privilege to lead the chairmen of the respective delegations on to the dais of the festival hall. For one brief moment there flashed into my mind the phrase which at the moment seemed prophetic: 'For the Rights of the Women of Zion and the Rights of the Women of all Nations.' "
On October 17, 1968, Sister Spafford reaffirmed the trust of the pioneer women in their future role when she assumed the leadership and presidency of the National Council of Women of the United States. As president of the Relief Society in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she has been an active member of the council, serving on many committees, as vice president, and as delegate to international council meetings.
The National Council of Women is a voluntary association of self-governing national organizations through which is made possible an interchange of ideas, experiences, and information. It was founded in the year 1888, and at this first meeting the Relief Society was represented by Emily S. Richards. Three years later, at the first triennial meeting of the council, on the advice of President Wilford Woodruff, the Relief Society became a charter member. The Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association is also a charter member.
Sister Spafford brings to the presidency of the council unusual qualities of leadership gained through years of service in the Church and in civic capacities. She is loved by her associates in Relief Society, respected by leading brethren of the Church for her intelligence, wit, and judgment, and honored nationally and internationally for her charm, graciousness, and knowledgeability in many fields. She is warm and friendly, vivacious when telling a favorite story, sparkling with enthusiastic conviction as she talks of Relief Society and its wide-flung influence, and stately and reserved in official capacities, with the dignity of a great woman.
Born in Salt Lake Valley of pioneer stock, Belle Smith Spafford began preparation for leadership in her happy childhood. Her father, John Gibson Smith, died a few months before Belle was born. Her mother, Hester Sims Smith, built a home of order and culture and industry for seven children. The wise guidance of this gifted and remarkable mother and pithy advice of her Scottish grandmother are reflected in Sister Spafford's capacity to understand and to love people.
She attended Salt Lake City schools, LDS High School, and the University of Utah. While teaching school in Provo, Utah, she married W. Earl Spafford. In 1926, with their son and daughter, the Spaffords moved to Salt Lake City, where Sister Spafford, in a moment of destiny, chose to affiliate with Relief Society rather than a literary club.
The love of her Relief Society sisters for their leader finds expression weekly as they follow her guidance and counsel in compassionate service, in teaching one another, and in accepting welfare assignments. This great love found tangible expression in 1947 when they answered her call in Relief Society conference to help in the construction of a Relief Society building for the women that would stand as the records had promised, "in the shadow of the temple."
Each member of the Relief Society throughout the Church was asked to contribute $5.00 toward the building fund. Gladly the women saved and worked and sacrificed and counted their pennies to a total of over a halt million dollars. From Relief Society sisters in foreign lands who could not send money came gifts of crystal, china, laces, linens, and wood carvings. Today women of the Church visiting that beautiful building say, "This is my building. I had a part in building it."
Sister Spafford's education at the University of Utah, her years of teaching in the Salt Lake City schools, and her experience at the Brigham Young University Training School have given her an awareness of the need for higher educational standards in the Church and nation.
The analysis and insight with which she developed the teaching program of the Relief Society and family guidance counseling in the social service department of the Church will now find greater areas of expression on a national scale.
One secret of Sister Spafford's leadership was expressed when she assumed the presidency of the Relief Society. Her counselor, Marianne Sharp, said, "President Belle Spafford's great concern will be to follow out, implicitly, the desires of the priesthood."
The brethren of the priesthood recognize the leadership of Sister Spafford. This was recently evidenced in her appointment to the Church Board of Education and the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees.
Elder LeGrand Richards of the Council of the Twelve, who worked closely with Sister Spafford when he was the Presiding Bishop of the Church, said: "She has vision to see what needs to be done and the ability to organize to get it done." He added that these qualities had been factors in bringing her the national and international recognition she has received, for Sister Spafford, through vision and organization, achieves in fact what other great national and international organizations dream of doing.
Sister Spafford realizes the influence of the women of Relief Society and the place of this organization among women's organizations of the world. She has known the struggle involved in bringing women to the position of influence they enjoy in the world today. She knows the responsibility it demands.
With her knowledge, her abilities, and her strengths, there is also a deep ingrained humility. In June 1968, accepting the Honorary Golden Gleaner award from the YWMIA, Sister Spafford said, "When I was young and any recognition came to us, we were taught to go to our beloved Scottish grandmother and tell her about it. She would look at us and say, I hope you are deserving,'"
When honored by the council as one of its First Ladies at the eightieth anniversary luncheon on April 1, 1968, Sister Spafford commented that preceding her were other women whose vision, courage, and determination enabled her "to carry the lighted lamp and level the rugged ground."
Then, recalling the words of Eliza R. Snow, general secretary to Relief Society in Nauvoo in 1842, ". . . as daughters of Zion we should set an example for all the world," Sister Spafford gave to the women of the nation this challenge: "Let us remind ourselves that the struggles and sacrifices that have brought woman to her present position of influence and power require that she shall engage in intelligent and well-directed action that effectively will contribute toward building a better world."
Truly it can be said of her as the Lord said of Paul: ". . . [she] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." (Acts 9:15.)