Jessie Evans Smith. Photograph courtesy of the Clturch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Legend of Jessie Evans Smith BY L I N D A W .
HARRIS
W H E R E DOES A LEGEND BEGIN? For me the legend of Jessie Evans Smith began one morning in 1969, when I visited a friend who worked as a secretary in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City. It began with the appearance of our heroine. My friend was telling me a Judas joke—a very funny one having to do with the historical feud between the Scots and the English—when an elderly but very flamboyant lady joined our group and proceeded to tell a Judas joke she knew. Her joke wasn't nearly as funny as my friend's but I didn't care in the least; I was captivated by the teller. Before me stood a rather large, benign lady dressed in lavender, including matching eyeshadow, with an enormous Miss Harris, who has completed a master of arts degree at Brigham Young University, is presently archivist of the BYU Folklore Archive.
