Family Legacies Preserved at the Museum

By Olivia Barney

Some things just run in the family. Whether it’s genetic traits, holiday traditions, or core values, every family passes things down through the generations. These legacies become important parts of our stories and can help us build meaningful connections with our loved ones.

Dixon Woodbury

Recently, fifty-five members of the Woodbury family gathered together at NHMU to celebrate a unique family legacy that continues to endure through each new generation: a passion for natural history and scientific research. During their visit, three generations of Woodbury relatives enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum’s Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology collection spaces, and they learned more about how their ancestors, Angus and Betty, helped shape NHMU’s collections by donating thousands of specimens and conducted research throughout Utah.

The Woodburys: A Family of Naturalists

The story starts with Angus, a true naturalist in every sense of the word. He was born and raised in the St. George, Utah, area, where he was constantly in awe of the diverse plant and animal life around him. He spent twelve years working for the U.S. Forest Service, caring for land in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming, and he often spent his free time on “fieldtrips” — collecting plants and insects from each area and carefully documenting his finds.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University, a Master’s degree from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkley. As he pursued his various degrees, he spent his summers working as a Naturalist for Zions National Park — creating trails, building a museum, and caring for the land and its visitors alike.

Eventually, Angus relocated to Salt Lake City, where he joined the University of Utah’s faculty first as a Professor of Zoology, then as the head of their Department of Vertebrate Zoology. And he passed on his passion for nature to his children and grandchildren, many of whom also explored different areas of science in their educational and professional pursuits.

Betty married into the family, but her love for the natural sciences matched her new in-laws. This was evident from even the earliest days of her relationship with Angus’ son, John Walter (Walt). While getting in the car to pick up Betty for a date, Walt heard the telltale sound of a rattlesnake rattle coming from somewhere in the backseat. Angus had been collecting and studying snakes in Grantsville, and one had escaped, making a home for itself underneath the backseat of their family car. He called Betty and said, “I’m sorry, I’m going to be a little bit late. I need to get a rattlesnake out of the car.”

While this was certainly a memorable moment, especially so early on in a relationship, Betty wasn’t concerned. She loved animals and would go on to help Walt and Angus in a variety of research projects, including tagging seagulls at the Great Salt Lake and visiting snake dens around Utah.

Like Angus, Betty also collected specimens and kept careful scientific documentation about each one, though her love was specific to invertebrates (insects). Both she and Angus donated thousands of specimens to the Natural History Museum of Utah, and their research laid a foundation for further research to take place.

Betty passed away in early 2023, but she would have been 100 years old on November 14 of this year. To celebrate this milestone birthday, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren visited NHMU to take an up-close look at the specimens she and Angus had donated. It was a poignant moment — allowing the family to take a walk down memory lane, while also giving the youngest family members the chance to learn more about the legacy that Betty and Angus left.