Widtsoe was closely associated with the Improvement Era even before he became an apostle. He was associate editor of the magazine from 1935 until 1952.Parrish. Widtsoe, p. 548. As editor of the Improvement Era, Widtsoe "directed its growth from a magazine primarily for the youth to the voice of the whole Church". One of Widtsoe's employees while at the magazine was Hugh Nibley, who Widtsoe convinced to become a professor at BYU.Peterson, Boyd. Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2002).
