Thorne, Alison Comish

Alison Comish Thorne (1914-2005) was born in Chicago, Illinois. She received her Ph.D. in 1938 from Iowa State University in Consumption Economics and later taught at Utah State University. Thorne was active in the Equal Rights Campaign and feminism, and was instrumental in founding USU's Women and Gender Studies program.

Beginning in the mid-1970s, citizen groups, such as the League of Women Voters and the Cache County Mayors Association, began to investigate ways to modernize the structure of Cache County's government. They complained that the size of the three-member commission was too small, resulting in inadequate representation for the county's citizens and insufficient separation of powers. A seven-member legislative council, these groups argued, would be cheaper, more democratic, and more in accordance with the intent of the Utah state legislature. The measure was put to a vote of the citizens in November 1984, where it passed 59% (14,726) to 41% (10,061). The new form of government officially took effect on January 5, 1987.

Beginning in the mid-1970s, citizen groups, including the League of Women Voters and the Cache County Mayors Association, began to investigate ways to modernize the structure of Cache County's government. They complained that the size of the three-member commission was too small, resulting in inadequate representation for the county's citizens and insufficient separation of powers. A seven-member legislative council, these groups argued, would be cheaper, more democratic, and more in accordance with the intent of the Utah state legislature. The measure was put to a vote of the citizens in November 1984 and passed 59% (14,726) to 41% (10,061). The new form of government officially took effect on January 5, 1987.

Alison Comish Thorne was born May 9, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Newel H. and Louise Larson Cornish. Her scholarly pursuits began at the age of sixteen when she entered Brigham Young University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Economics and Education in 1934. Thorne received a Master's degree in Consumption Economics at Iowa State University in 1935. She then pursued doctoral studies at the University of Chicago during 1935-36, before receiving her Ph.D. in 1938 from Iowa State University in the field of Consumption Economics. Her mentors, Elizabeth Ellis Hoyt and Margaret G. Reid, worked with Thorne to help her become the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in this field from ISU. Thorne married D. Wynne Thorne on August 3, 1937 in Salt Lake City.

After the completion of her graduate work, Thorne filled various instructor positions at Colorado State University, Iowa State University, and finally Utah State University. At USU she was given the title of lecturer from 1964 through the 1980s by both USU's Department of Sociology and the Department of Home Economics and Consumer Education. Due to anti-nepotism laws, Thorne was not allowed to secure a faculty position since her husband was already a faculty member. (Wynne Thorne served as USU's Head of Agronomy, Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Vice President of University Research.) This setback did not keep Thorne from establishing a solid reputation as a scholar. Thorne played a key role in the founding of the Women's Studies Program at USU and served as a chair in the Women's Studies Committee from 1977-1989. In addition, Thorne's devotion to increasing the opportunity for women can be seen in her involvement in the Women's Center, the Committee on the Status of Women, as well as the Women and International Development committee.

Moreover, Thorne gave many early feminist speeches, including “Let the Dishes Wait” (1949) and “Leave the Dishes in the Sink” (1973). These speeches encouraged women to focus more on personal hobbies, interests, education, and family rather than maintaining a “perfect” home. As result of her influential work, Thorne has been the recipient of many awards, such as Utah State University's Distinguished Service Award (1982), Woman of the Year for the Utah Chapter of the American Association of University Women (1967), and Utah Governor's Award for Volunteer Service (1980). She was also the author of numerous articles and books, including Women in the History of Utah's Land-grant College (1985), Visible and Invisible Women in Land-grant Colleges (1986), Vision and Rhetoric in Shakespeare: Looking Through Language (2000), Leave the Dishes in the Sink: Adventures of an Activist in Conservative Utah (2002), and Shakespeare's Romances (2003).

Thorne was active in many organizations during her retirement, such as the Utah State Historical Society, the Utah State Women's History Association, and the National Women's Studies Association. Thorne died in 2005 in Logan, Utah.