Hal M. & Aileen H. Clyde Research Fellowship
About the Fellowship
The Clyde Research Fellowship in Mormon Studies and Gender was established in 2023 by a generous gift from the Kevin E. Clyde family. The award honors Aileen Hales Clyde’s years of civic and church leadership in women’s issues. Available to doctoral students, faculty, and independent researchers, the fellowship provides support to those pursuing research in our Mormon Studies Library Collection.
The fellowship is designed to deepen an existing specialty and develop new areas of expertise in the study of Mormonism and gender.
“[Clyde] was a progressive in the finest sense of the word. Always looking to the future with hope, fiercely committed to social justice and equality and with a talent for leadership, she catalyzed change in the high positions she held in church and state.”
Kathleen Flake, Richard Lyman Bushman Professor
About Aileen H. Clyde
Aileen Hales Clyde, born May 18, 1926, in Springville, Utah, dedicated her life to advancing gender equality and social justice through service to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and her community.
From 1990 to 1997, Clyde served the Church in the General Presidency of the Relief Society. In sermons, she “talked about women around the world she met who overcame long odds with the help of the church and its women.” In fact, she believed one of the most important purposes of the Relief Society, was to provide this kind of “mutual support.”
Clyde was also passionate about social justice. In her home state, she chaired the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, led the Utah Task Force on Gender and Justice, and worked on Utah’s appellate courts nomination committee. Clyde also served for twelve years on the Utah State Board of Regents and was a special advisor to Envision Utah and a founding member of the Utah Women’s Forum.
In 2014, the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women’s Legacy Archive was established at the University of Utah in her honor. The archive documents and preserves the history of women who contributed to social and cultural change.
She and her husband, Hal M. Clyde, had three sons, Hal, Kevin, and Jon. The Hal M. & Aileen H. Clyde Research Fellowship was established in 2023 with a gift from the Kevin E. Clyde family.