08/19/2025
🌟 Spotlight on Margot Butler 🌟
Have you ever imagined what it might be like to grow up in Australia 🇦🇺, complete high school at the remarkable age of 16 🎓, study at Columbia University in New York City 🌆, and later become a trailblazing educator and scholar 👩🏫? This is the extraordinary journey of Margot Butler, now a cherished member of our Park Lane community.
Born in Melbourne, Margot was the youngest of three children. Her family eventually emigrated to the United States, settling in Utah, where she began her educational and professional legacy. After earning degrees in English and History at the University of Utah, she pursued graduate studies in Deaf Education at Columbia University—where she not only excelled academically but contributed to pioneering research that would shape the future of cochlear implant technology 👂💡.
Margot’s career as an educator spans the globe, with teaching appointments in China 🇨🇳, Germany 🇩🇪, Mexico 🇲🇽, Idaho, and Utah. She became one of the very first female instructors in the Church’s Institute Program, breaking barriers and inspiring generations of students through courses such as Hymns of the Restoration and Women of the Scriptures. Ever innovative, Margot frequently created meaningful classroom experiences—such as inviting hymn writers to meet her students 🎶📖.
Though she never married, Margot and her late brother Geoffrey believed family was already abundant through her sister Shirley’s six children. Her wit, wisdom, and warmth remain trademarks of her character. Among her proudest contributions was her work with the Hearing and Speech Foundation, where she demonstrated professionalism and grace while teaching under observation from parents—an experience she says taught her resilience and poise. ✨
Now, as part of Park Lane, Margot continues to share her remarkable life, knowledge, and humor. She embodies a legacy of education, service, and faith that inspires all who are fortunate enough to know her. 💐
