Snowstorms & Sonnets

Centenarian and alumna Barbara Lindquist Tanner wants students to fully experience WSU

Philanthropist and community leader Barbara Lindquist Tanner AS ’35 looks back on her experiences at Weber College with a smile, regardless of how she may have felt at the time.

Daughter of Ada Theurer and Charles John Aaron Lindquist, Tanner grew up in Ogden, making Weber a clear choice. 

Road trips with the debate team, in particular, stick in her mind. While the team was usually victorious, she says the Great Depression left them with only enough funding to cover gasoline on trips. Lodging was usually left to students, and, when funds were low, the team’s women slept in a cheap motel room while the men roughed it in the car outside. On one such trip, in a remote area, she recalls a female teammate becoming frightened during the night and asking the men to come inside to sleep on the floor. “The next morning, the landlord saw us, the girls, and these two boys walk out,” Tanner said. “I’m sure it looked kind of scandalous. I was so embarrassed.”

On another trip, two teammates had to slowly walk in front of the car during a blinding snowstorm to lead the way, since the students didn’t have money to stop anywhere.

While debate had its lows, it had its highs. Tanner recalls the taste of victory after partnering with a female teammate to eliminate a young man from another university who detested the fact he lost to women. “He considered himself a great orator, and when two girls, myself and my partner, won the debate, he was so upset,” Tanner explained. “He said he only lost because we were girls.”

Years later, in 1938, she married Norman Tanner, whom she first met when they crossed paths in debate competition.

In class, Tanner credits debate coach/faculty member Leland H. Monson with fueling her passion for Shakespeare. Today, at 103 years old, Tanner’s advice to current students is to take in everything, snowstorms and sonnets alike. 

“It’s a time in your life when you can just enjoy studying, learning, exploring, meeting new people and getting new ideas,” she said. “Take advantage of every minute, every opportunity.”

Tanner and her husband were instrumental in the success of the O.C. Tanner Company. Among her community contributions, she founded Utah Girls’ Village, which later became Utah Youth Village, and served as chairperson for the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. At Weber State, she has generously supported the arts and scholarships for underrepresented students.

“Everybody deserves the college education,” she said. “It’s more than just learning academic material — it’s a whole different view, I think, of the world.”