Judy Elsley Oral History Interview

Oral history interview by Mary Heers with Judy Elsley. Topics include: Being born and growing up in England; Immigration to the U.S. as a young adult; Earning a Masters degree and Ph.D. in English; Developing a love of the American Southwest while living in Nevada and Arizona; Marriage and a divorce; Moving to Utah for a English teaching position at Weber State University; A second marriage; Enjoying learning and participation in the administration of different school programs that cater to non-traditional students; Her dissertation on the cultural meaning of quilts; Hobbies of quilting and ceramics; Quilting, designing quilts and dying and printing her own fabrics; Working at a soap factory for a month while attending college in England; Visiting family in the U.S. and deciding to stay after recognizing the opportunities that were available; Writing and publishing articles and books for tenure-track; Extensive journaling to document her life; Belonging to an American Quilt study group; Volunteering for the U.S. Forest Service and working in a lumber mill before teaching; Taking correspondences courses and reading novels while in the Women's restroom at the lumber mill; Writing a book of essays about her experiences in the American West; Heroes and influential people in her life.

Dr. Judy Elsley was born and raised in England, and moved to the United States in 1979. She earned her master's and PhD degrees here, in the U.S., and then started a career as a professor at Weber State University in 1990. Before moving to the U.S., she had a short stint at a soap-making factory in England. Once in the U.S., but before graduate school she worked for the Forest Service, scrubbing toilets, and also for Kaibab Industries - a lumber yard. Dr. Elsley is published author of magazine articles, journal articles and books.