Former Utah first lady Norma Matheson and Rep. Afton Bradshaw, R-Salt Lake, may be among the elite in Utah politics. They are recognized by their first names.

This is how Elouise Bell introduced them - as Norma and Afton - Thursday at the University Park Hotel where Matheson and Bradshaw were honored with the 25th annual Susa Young Gates Awards by the Utah Women's Political Caucus.In their acceptance speeches, both women said they'd been asked to encourage more women to run for office, which they did.

Bradshaw said women in elected office are still treated differently than men at times. "I look forward to a society that recognizes women can be many things . . . deep thinking as well as deep feeling," she said.

When she was young, Bradshaw never dreamed of being a legislator. She said girls had basically only two career role models: teachers and nurses.

Bradshaw dedicated her award, however, to a woman who also held a nontraditional job. Her mother went to work on a wartime assembly line after Bradshaw's father died and there were seven children still at home.

Her mother made bullets, Bradshaw said. And the men who stood next to her mother on the assembly line were paid more than she. "That was my introduction to pay equity," she said.

Matheson talked about the rewards of public service. She quoted her husband, the late Scott Matheson, a Democrat, in a speech he gave when he announced he would not seek a third term as Utah's governor: "I never had political ambitions, but like most of us, I had political convictions."

To encourage women who might think politics are hard on a family, Matheson read a column by Ellen Goodman, who said that when her father ran for office, she got to know him in 100 ways. "We were a political family, yes, but put the emphasis on family," Goodman wrote.

In keeping with the theme of encouraging more women to run for political office, local college students, young women studying political science, were guests of members of the Utah Women's Political Caucus at the luncheon.

In Bell's introductions, she commented that if "Norma" and "Afton" are recognizable names, "Susa" is not.

Susa Young Gates, the second daughter of Brigham and Lucy Bigelow Young, was an advocate and organizer, her father's biographer, founder of musical academies and magazines, a prolific writer and the mother of 13 children, Bell said.

There are those who look askance at the linking of Susa's name with this liberal organization, Bell said. "But in her heart, mind and spirit, Susa Young Gates was a champion of justice 100 years ago and she would be a champion of justice today."

In fact, the criticism of the Utah Women's Political Caucus has been more specific than just "liberal." Women who are active in pro-life organizations have said an organization that is - or at least was - exclusively supportive of pro-choice candidates should not use the name of a prominent Mormon woman for its awards.

View Comments

Is abortion still a defining issue in the group? Ann Floor of the local group said the Utah chapter doesn't focus on it, though it is still important to the National Women's Political Caucus.

Asked about abortion after the luncheon, Bradshaw said she doesn't even like to have the issue brought up because it is divisive. And no, accepting an award from the Utah Women's Political Caucus doesn't mean Bradshaw's pro-choice.

Bradshaw said she was glad to see both a Democrat and a Republican honored this year.

Matheson said she hopes women of both political parties see the organization as a resource and caucus members continue to see themselves that way. "The Utah Women's Political Caucus can give candidates a lot of support and be a resource to them in planning their campaigns."

Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.