Rampton was born in
Washington, D.C., to Phillip Vincent Cardon and Leah Ivins. She attended school in
Logan, Utah. She earned a bachelor's degree from
Utah State University in Logan and her master's in anthropology at the
University of Utah, which later awarded her an honorary doctorate. She was active in the university's Department of Anthropology for most of her adult life leading up to, and in part including, her years of service to Utah. She taught for two years at
Westminster College in
Salt Lake City. ==Personal life==