Relief Society Gen. Pres. Barbara W. Winder unveiled a plaque May 18 in Utah's Capitol rotunda, honoring Emmeline B. Wells (1828 - 1921), fifth president of the Relief Society.
Attending the unveiling ceremony was a small group of individuals from varied backgrounds who had gathered to honor the early leader as a public servant, Church worker, and well-known woman from Utah's past. The plaque, provided by the Relief Society, was placed on a marble bust that has stood 60 years in the rotunda for the past 60 years. The bust had been a gift from the women of Utah in 1928, on the 100th anniversary of Sister Wells' birth.Through the efforts of state Sen. Frances M. Farley, the Utah Senate passed a resolution in February, extolling the accomplishments of Emmeline Wells and praising her contributions to the state of Utah and to women everywhere.
At the ceremony to unveil the plaque, Sister Winder praised her early predecessor for her devotion to worthwhile causes, for her impact on the State of Utah, and for her influence on behalf of women.
Sister Winder told of Sister Wells' instrumentality in helping secure woman suffrage in Utah, of her service as editor and publisher of the "Woman's Exponent," and of her contributions as a school teacher and homemaker. Sister Winder told how Emmeline Wells was one who gathered wheat to relieve distress in Europe after World War I, and how her poetry and prose "gladdened hearts around the world."