BYU Hawaii Professor Travels Back Roads of Canada

Profile of Dr. Max Stanton retired professor at BYU Hawaii

Officially Max Stanton is an American – he was raised in Oregon and taught 25 years at BYU Hawaii.  However, over the last 20 years he has traveled more of the back roads of Canada than most Canadians – as part of his research – his work and his love.

As a professor of Anthropology, Dr. Stanton began to study the Hutterite people.  Just over twenty years ago Dr. Max Stanton, Anthropology Professor at BYU Hawaii made his first visit to a Hutterite Colony.  He asked someone at church in Cardston where the nearest colony was.  “You can’t miss it,” was the reply and the directions were given.

For those who know Max Stanton there is an irony in this first visit to a colony.  Over the last twenty years Max has driven all the dirt roads visiting colonies near and far.  He has developed an exact mapping system of where every colony is.  When you mention a colony’s name he will know the small towns it is near.  Ironically twenty years ago when Max Stanton went out to visit his first Hutterite Colony he got lost.

Hours later when he finally came to a colony, his naiveté shone forth again.  As he pulled up to the colony on a Sunday evening there was no one in the yard.  After he stopped his car no one came out.  The colony appeared to be abandoned.  He thought “I know that when a colony gets to be a certain size they split and move to a new colony…but I thought they still left some people behind at the old colony.”  When he finally found someone on the colony – he said he had heard that there was a person on this colony who liked to speak German.  Having served as a missionary in Germany, Max wanted a chance to renew his language skills –and meet these unique people.

As an Anthropologist who has spent more than two decades studying the Hutterite people, Dr. Stanton has lived with integrity among the people.  In our world of instant gratification looking for the next flashy news story, Max has said a researcher cannot lose the trust of the people by writing or reporting on some half truths that could be out there.  Instead he has found it much more satisfying professionally to come to know the people and understand him.

I first met Dr. Stanton in 1992.  He was doing a survey of Hutterite English teachers.  He drove to an hour to my home for a 7 am visit to ask me the questions on his survey.  From there he interviewed other teachers and fine tuned the survey instrument.  Many of those surveyed may remember Max sent out a survey to every Colony English school in North America.  Teachers get many surveys, but this one included with it $2 a token of thanks for the time the surveys would take to fill out. 

As he has traveled throughout North America – Max has found that there as many misconceptions about the Hutterite as there are about the Mormons.  In his work Max has tried to educate people. 

One myth that Max would like to dispel is that Hutterite children are raised by the colony not by their parents.  The story is based on orphans that were raised by a colony.

In their travels Max and his wife Marj often visit and stay at a colony with their friends.  One Saturday afternoon, Max (dressed in Hutterite attire) was filling his vehicle full of gas in Cardston.  A scout troop was also at the gas station.  Max and his wife reasoned that this was likely an LDS Scout Troup returning from a camp trip before Sunday.  As Max was filled the vehicle one of the Scouts scowled at him and called him “A HOOT”.  Looking back, Max and Marj wished they had taken the time to find out if this was an LDS group and then (if it was) explain that them that he was a Returned Missionary and BYU Professor.

Many of those who are prejudiced against Hutterites are either misinformed (yes, Hutterites do pay taxes) or have over generalized.  A bad experience with one Hutterite (or one Mormon) does not mean that the entire group is that way.  One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch.

Since most of the early colonies were originally in Southern Alberta – a great number of early Hutterites grew up with Mormon teachers.  Since both the Hutterites and the Mormons have a history of persecution and being singled out as a minority the two groups have a great deal in common.

Now that Max and his wife Marj have retired – they will have more time (like they did this week) to show up and visit their colony friends and neighbors and teachers they have come to know through the years.

Max and Marj Stanton