SUU’s Dr. Saunders Earns Dale L. Morgan Prize

Published: November 24, 2020 | Author: Savannah Byers | Read Time: 1 minutes

Dr. Richard SaundersDr. Richard Saunders, collections development librarian at Southern Utah University’s Gerald R. Sherratt Library, recently earned the Dale L. Morgan prize for his article, “Placing Juanita Brooks Among Heroes (or Villians) of Mormon and Utah History”. The Dale L. Morgan prize is awarded annually by the Utah State Historical Society for the best article published in the Utah Historical Quarterly during the volume year.

This article was a shorter version of his lecture on Juanita Brooks, “Dear Dale, Dear Juanita: Two Friends and the Contest for Truth, Fact, and Perspective in Mormon History”, delivered in March of 2019. This lecture was the 36th annual lecture in the Juanita Brooks Lecture Series, hosted by the Dixie State University Library.

Brooks is an icon in both Utah history and Mormon history as a writer and historian. Dr. Saunders’ article primarily discusses her most important work, The Mountain Meadows Massacre, the role of Dale L. Morgan as a mentor to Brooks, and the question of Brooks being a hero or villain in Utah history.

“I think Mrs. Brooks would be very pleased,” said Dr. Saunders. “Dale was her mentor and she credited him highly with shaping her development as a historian.”

Dr. Saunders’ article was published in the 87th volume of the Utah Historical Quarterly, the official journal for Utah history. The Utah Historical Quarterly has been in publication since 1928 on behalf of the Utah Historical Society.

The Dale L. Morgan prize is funded by the family of Helen Zeese Papanikolas, who attended the University of Utah with Morgan in the 1930s and was also a prominent Utah writer.

Learn more about the Utah Historical Society.


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