nearly 50 years. The three letters meaning "Choose The Right", inset
on a green shield, have a rich history, and a profound, deeper meaning for many
of the church's members. Since it's inception in the 1960s by the
church's Primary General Board member Hellen Alldredge, it has grown to
become a fashion fad amongst the LDS people.
Creation
The creation of the ring was headed by a committee of eight women of the LDS
church: Noami W. Randall, Norma Nichols, Virginia Cannon, Vauna Jacobsen, Ruth
Clinger, Virginia Bryner, Jean Hughes and Helen Evans. Head of the committee,
Noami W. Randall was the first to recommend that the symbol be officially incorporated
into the church's teaching material for the youth. The church wanted a
"badge of belief" for both boys and girls. Norma Nichols recalled,
"Back then boys didn't wear necklaces and earrings, so a ring seemed like
a good idea." The committee thought a shield would be appropriate as to
"shield" the youth from temptation. A green background for the shield
was recommended in relation to the evergreen tree - a tree that remains
constant as seasons change. The committee contracted Coy Miles, president of
a Salt Lake-based jewelry company to design the ring, and Joel Izatt created
the artwork for the teaching materials.
In 1970, then apostle of the church Gordon B. Hinckley, officially announced
the new "CTR" material in a church-wide conference as part of a
program for six and seven-year-old children. In conjunction with the new program,
each child was to be issued a new, CTR ring and also be taught its symbolic
meaning. At the time of its release, the adjustable CTR ring made of a combination
of nickel and platinum was sold for only 35 cents. Since then, the symbol and
its meaning have been taught to the LDS primary-aged youth of the worldwide
church.
CTR Today
Since the creation of the CTR ring, the symbol of the shield and letters have
been put on t-shirts, earrings, bracelets, bookmarks, stationary, ties and hundreds
of different ring designs in over 30 languages. Manufacturers pay royalties
to the LDS church in order to put the shield on their own products. Thousands
of CTR rings are sold each
year through online retailers and brick and mortar stores, including Walmart.
It has become popular for the members of the church, especially the youth, to
outwardly express their devotion and commitment to doing what is right by wearing
their CTR rings and other memorabilia.
