OREM, Utah -- Ned Hill's mother was terrified that her son, daughter-in-law and new baby grandson were going to travel away from Utah to Cornell University in New York.

"Isn't there danger on these eastern campuses?" she said.

"Oh Mom, there may be on other campuses, but Cornell is the most peaceful campus of any," he responded.

This was 1969, and two weeks after he defended Cornell's atmosphere, the cover of Newsweek magazine featured students wearing bandoliers of bullets and carrying machine guns. They had just taken control of a building at Cornell.

"See, I told you. It's dangerous going back there," she said.

But Ned and Claralyn Hill did go east. They were part of a movement of Mormons leaving the Intermountain West in pursuit of their dreams. The Hills spoke on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the 10th annual Mormon Studies Conference at Utah Valley University. The conference theme this year is "Outmigration and the Mormon Quest for Education."

Ned Hill, a professor of finance at BYU, called it "this great adventure." They had entered the 1960s maelstrom of anti-war protests -- but also a diverse and enriching world.

For most of the people they met, the Hills were the only Mormons they knew. "People were very respectful of our beliefs," Ned said, "and they were very kind to us, and we had a lot of good interaction (at the university)."

While Ned was busy in the world of academia, studying first chemistry and later finance, Claralyn had a different experience.

They had arrived with one baby, but over the years four more came. Claralyn said it was a time of changing diapers and wiping noses.

And she felt a self-imposed pressure to represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its values. Claralyn, now an attorney, made sure that people knew she was a Mormon.

She never let her guard down and strove to show the world a perfect family. "I had this darling neighbor across the street in our little trailer park, who had been in a Catholic convent. She was just a great woman and had a couple kids. And I just remember that we both were working so hard to be an example to each other that we didn't develop the friendship that we could have had we been willing to let down (our guard)."

In later years, she said she learned to let people be closer and "see who we really are and they'll like us for that."

In Bloomington, Ind., Claralyn went back to school, and eventually got her law degree. She worked with the Matrix Lifeline Group to help pregnant women.

Again, the Hills were often the only Mormons people knew.

"We didn't have to be perfect," Claralyn said.

The most common attitude about the LDS Church they encountered was ignorance. But when people learned what they believed, Claralyn said the people "thought it was neat."

When the Hills followed an opportunity back to Utah, a friend was upset. He brought Claralyn anti-Mormon books to warn her. Claralyn realized that she had never told the friend that they were LDS and that Ned was the local stake president.

"I have all these books, you've got to read them. You got to find out who they are. I don't think you should move to Utah," the friend told Claralyn.

"We are they. My husband is the leader of them," she replied.

The Hills recognize that their adventure isn't singular among the Mormons of the outmigration.

"We weren't rich and we weren't famous. We raised our babies and we did our work," Claralyn said. "We represent a lot of the people that did the same thing."

And they hope more will follow their lead.

"One of the things I always tell students and stake members," Ned said, "is get out of Utah. Go out and have a great experience. Have an adventure."

E-mail: mdegroote@desnews.com