The Holladay Historical Commission will vote on new executive leadership Wednesday, Oct. 28, as outgoing Chair Kim Duffy and Commissioner Lyman Losee prepare to step down.

The commission's meeting agenda lists Whitney Law as the proposed new chair, Martha Bradley-Evans as vice chair and Kathy Lambert as secretary. The 4 p.m. meeting takes place at the Holladay Lions Activity Center, 1661 East Murray-Holladay Road. An early dinner will be served to thank commissioners for their work.

The agenda also calls for a review of past events, including the Plein Air Holladay program and the commission's inaugural "Stories behind the Tombstone" cemetery tour held in October. In coverage published Oct. 22, the Holladay Journal reported that the self-guided tour drew residents to Memorial Holladay Cemetery to learn about the city's earliest settlers. Duffy, who created the tour, told the Journal she spent hours photographing tombstones and researching the individuals buried there.

Lambert will present an update on Rooted Together, the city's initiative that includes the Holladay History Walk, City Hall exhibits and history markers around town.

Nov. 11 speaker series

The commission's next public event is a free lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. at Kiln Holladay, 1895 E. Rodeo Walk Drive, Suite B200. Dr. Martha Bradley-Evans, a professor emeritus at the University of Utah's School of Architecture, will present "The Architecture of Polygamy," examining how religious beliefs shaped the built environments of communal FLDS communities.

Bradley-Evans is the author of several books on Utah history and architecture, including Kidnapped from that Land: The Government Raids on the Short Creek Polygamists. She received the University of Utah's Rosenblatt Prize in 2020, the highest honor the university gives a faculty member, according to her faculty page.

Holladay Arts and Culture said on Instagram the event is open to the public ages 14 and older. Attendees should enter through the east doors; the lecture takes place on Level 2.

2027 speaker series takes shape

Duffy will also present a draft 2027 speaker series schedule at the Oct. 28 meeting. Two talks are confirmed so far: Jake Dreyfous on the impact of Great Salt Lake on Jan. 13, 2027, and Darren Parry on "The Land We Call Holladay: An Indigenous Perspective" on Nov. 10, 2027. Three additional dates are tentatively planned but not yet confirmed.

Arts and Culture Manager Megan Attermann will brief commissioners on grant updates for the Certified Local Government (CLG) and ZAP programs, a Holladay Youth Council oral histories project and the upcoming budget process.

Upcoming community calendar:

  • Oct. 28 — Historical Commission meeting, 4 p.m., Holladay Lions Activity Center
  • Nov. 11 — Speaker Series: "The Architecture of Polygamy" with Dr. Martha Bradley-Evans, 7 p.m., Kiln Holladay (free, ages 14+)
  • Jan. 13, 2027 — Speaker Series: The Impact of Great Salt Lake with Jake Dreyfous (confirmed)