Several of his books are about Utah or take place in Utah settings: his 1943 novel Big Rock Candy Mountain follows its characters through a period of residence in Salt Lake City; nonfiction works like The Gathering of Zion (1964) and Beyond the Hundredth Meridian (1954) examine the exploration and settlement of Utah in the 19th century.

Special Collections owns first editions of many of Stegner’s works, as well as this 1955 letter to Jeanne W. Gunn (MSS SC 1483). Gunn had inquired about Stegner’s career; in his reply Stegner discusses his time at the University of Utah and getting his first book, Remembering Laughter, published.

“We were hit by German fighters just after crossing the border of France. Our position had been as the last plane in the lower echelon of the squadron. Trying to hold our position, the co-pilot and I were taking turns at the controls. I happened to glance up and to our right and saw a blazing plane cutting through the formation above that had been set on fire by a German fighter. I reacted quickly, popped the stick to miss him, and put the ship into a sharp dive. The blazing plane just skimmed us on its way to the ground.

Our sudden dive separated us from the rest of the squadron. While it relieved us of the tail-end Charlie whiplash we had been going through, it also left us alone and unprotected from the fighters. Why we didn’t get hit by German fighters, I don’t know. The best chance we had against the fighters was to regain the formation as fast as possible, and all possible power was poured on as we tried to reach our place, but the squadron was miles ahead of us by now, and we anguished over being a lone sitting duck as we tried vainly to overtake them.

As we approached the target, we had nearly regained our position and were sufficiently close to drop our bombs as planned.

Our target that day was Friedric hshafen, situated by a lake between Germany and Switzerland, where reportedly the Germans had been manufacturing ball-bearings. We bombed what we thought was the target. As we pulled off the release point, in very heavy flak, two engines started to act up. At 25,000 feet or so when you see your supercharger gauges showing a failure, you know you’ve got trouble. We were losing power and altitude. The formation was gone, miles ahead of us. We didn’t know whether we’d been hit, or had a malfunction. . . .

Our route home, had we gone as well as we could plan, would have been over ‘flak alley,’ or the Ruhr Valley, the most heavily defended part of Germany, with the exception of Berlin. So there we were–one plane, no navigator, inadequate maps, solid cloud cover below us, insufficent fuel (we had used half of our fuel by the time we had hit the target, even though we had been flying with a tail wind). We were approximately six hundred miles and hour hours, in a straight line, to our base. The island of England was a pretty small chunk of land. I didn’t think we had a chance to get back. It was time for a decision.”

We will post more of Petit’s fascinating tale in the future. For now, if you want to know more, please visit Special Collections.

Crawford Gates is recognized nationally both as a conductor and composer. His music is well known and loved in the LDS community. He is perhaps best known for the music to the Hill Comorah Pageant, Promised Valley and the hymns Our Savior’s Love and Ring out Wild Bells. Born in December 1921, Gates grew up in Palo Alto California and was influenced the rich cultural offerings of the Bay Area. At the age of eight he composed his first piece. He remains active as a composer and his works now number over 800.

A portion of the archive is related to the time when Gates served as Chairman of the Department of Music at Brigham Young University.

But if you’re looking for a tiny Bible which might actually be legible without mechanical intervention, Special Collections has several miniature books which contain the complete or partial text of the Bible. A book is considered to be miniature if it measures less than three inches in height or width. The miniature books pictured here include a 1965 edition of the Ten Commandments, a King James Bible published by David Bryce and Son In Glasgow in 1901, a pocket New Testament printed in 1892, and an edition of the Book of Ezekiel from 1835. These and other miniature books in the library’s collection can be found by searching the library catalog using the genre/form term “miniature books.”

Special Collections’ earliest example of a polyglot Bible is the “Genoa Psalter” of 1516.  This polyglot presents the text of the Psalms in Hebrew, Latin (Vulgate), Greek (Septuagint), Arabic, and Chaldee, with literal Latin translations of the Hebrew and Chaldee and a Latin commentary.  Besides its rarity (400 copies were printed, and the Genoa city council ordered them destroyed), the Genoa Psalter is also famous because the commentary for Psalm 19 contains a short biography of Christopher Columbus.

Special Collections owns over a dozen polyglot Bibles, including Henri Estienne’s polyglot of 1569, the eight-volume polyglot printed by Christopher Plantin in 1571-72, and the London polyglot issued by Brian Walton in 1657.  Polyglot Bibles in Special Collections, as well as modern editions in the circulating collection, can be found by searching the library catalog for the title “Bible polyglot.”

Along with early editions of the King James Bible, Special Collections acquires important editions of the Bible by fine presses.  The History of Printing and Fine Press collections contain the quarto and folio editions of the King James Version by printer and typographer John Baskerville in the 1760’s, and an array of fine printed King James Bibles from the 20th century. These include the Doves Press Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 220.53 B47 1903); the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 094.2 P386 1999 no.1); and the Oxford Lectern Bible (Vault Collection Folio 220.53 B47 1935).

What is the Wycliffite version of the Bible? It is a late 14th century translation of the New Testament from the Latin Vulgate into Middle English.  The translation was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe (c. 1320-1384), an Oxford University theologian, who believed that the Bible comes directly from God and provides inerrant truths which should guide religious and political government.  He and his followers, called “Lollards” by their contemporaries, pressed for ecclesiastical and social reforms throughout the late 14th century.  Wycliffe’s emphasis on the Bible’s unique authority naturally led to the Lollards’ assertion that the Bible should be available to all people in their own language – in the case of the peasants and middle class, English.

People of the Middle Ages knew the Bible text only in its Latin form. Those who could read used the Bible, or portions of the Bible, in Latin; illiterate individuals might memorize Latin texts like the Psalms through recitation in various worship services.  Scholars disagree as to whether Wycliffe actually participated in translating the Vulgate Bible, but the earliest versions of the Wycliffite, or Lollard, Bible certainly originate from Oxford in the 1380’s.

In the 14th century, English was one of three languages spoken in medieval England.  Latin was at the top of the linguistic hierarchy – it was the language of literacy and formal education across Europe.  Everyday speech was further stratified by class; the aristocracy spoke Anglo-Norman, a dialect of French, while commoners spoke Middle English.  Since the Wycliffite Bible was translated into common English during a period of social and political unrest, as well as religious dissent, English-language Bibles became symbols of heretical beliefs.  Wycliffe’s teachings were condemned in 1382.  In 1409, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel, issued thirteen Constitutions which prohibited the translation of any biblical text into English as well as the public or private reading of such texts.  Violators were excommunicated and charged with heresy, which was punishable by death.  English-language Bible manuscripts were pushed underground throughout the next 130 years.  Over 250 Wycliffite Bibles have survived to the present.

Readers interested in the Wycliffite Bible had access to the text only in manuscript form until 1731, when a version translation first appeared in print.  Special Collections owns a copy of another important printed version, “Wycliffite Versions of the Holy Bible,”  edited by Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden and published by the Oxford University Press in 1850.  This four-volume set marks the complete edition of the Wycliffite translation of the Bible, with a side-by-side comparison of what scholars call the “earlier” and the “later” versions of the text.

To find these books and other copies of the Wycliffite New Testament in the HBLL, perform a title search in the library catalog for “Bible English Wycliffe.”

Portions of the Latin Bible were used in a variety of medieval liturgical books, such as psalters, breviaries, books of hours, lectionaries, and antiphoners.  These books would have been used in private devotion and public worship services.  Special Collections contains a wealth of facsimiles of these sorts of manuscripts, from different periods and geographic areas of medieval Europe.  Some of our most recent acquisitions include facsimiles of the Douce Apocalypse (an illustrated copy of the Book of Revelation), the Luttrell Psalter (an illuminated copy of the Book of Psalms), and the Book of Hours of Jeanne D’Evreux (a devotional manuscript created for a medieval princess).  To find these facsimiles and other manuscripts in the library catalog, perform a genre search for “manuscripts facsimiles” or specific types of manuscripts, such as “books of hours” or “psalters.”

Moralized Bibles do not contain the full text of the Bible; rather, they present  illustrated scenes depicting episodes from the Bible which are accompanied by illustrations and texts explicating their moral and allegorical meanings.  The interpretation of Biblical episodes sometimes differs between Bibles.

Moralized Bibles are important not only as examples of medieval artwork and illustration techniques, but as sources for the study of medieval theology, religious practice, and religious symbolism.  Students who wish to examine these facsimile Bibles may visit Special Collections and request them in our reading room, Monday-Friday before 5 p.m.  To find copies of moralized Bible facsimiles in the library catalog, search for the subject term “picture bibles.”

To supplement the exhibit, the World History & Culture blog will highlight individual Bibles from Special Collections’ holdings throughout Fall semester 2011.  Check back periodically to see lavish medieval manuscripts, works by famed artists and book designers, extremely big and small Bibles, and other interesting items from the collections.

The fun comes once the tooth is pulled and the tooth fairy comes. It is most common to put the tooth under the child’s pillow and then when they are asleep, the tooth fairy comes and leaves a small amount of money. (FA 14 2.1.2.3.3.1) However, one variant involves putting the tooth in a glass of water. Then, if the child has been good, the tooth fairy will leave money. (FA 14 2.1.2.3.4.1) This conditional leaving of the reward is similar to Santa leaving coal in Christmas stockings for bad children. Let us know if you have any other traditions surrounding the loosing of teeth.

Special Collections owns nearly three dozen facsimiles of early Mesoamerican texts, including the three surviving Mayan Codices and various Nahuatl (Aztec) and Mixtec manuscripts.  These facsimiles can be found in the library catalog by performing a genre search using the term “manuscripts, Mexican.”

To find guidebooks and travelogues in Special Collections, go to the library catalog and perform a subject search on a given location using the location name and the term “guidebooks” or “description and travel.”

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens is this Tuesday, February 7.  At Special Collections, we are celebrating with a small exhibit on this beloved author’s life and works.  The exhibit features first editions of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby in parts, and an original steel printing plate used to produce an illustration in the first edition of David Copperfield.

“The World of Charles Dickens” will be on display all month in Special Collections’ lobby area.  The exhibit was curated by Lisa Jackson New, an intern at Perry Special Collections.

Civil War fiction can be found in the library catalog by performing a subject search using the terms “United States history Civil War fiction.”  Note: leaving out the term “history” will bring up dystopian science fiction and fantasy along with Civil War fiction.

Illustration by Hablot Knight Brown in J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery, (1851)

Victorians were avid readers of ghost stories.  Many novels and short stories of the time period touch on the supernatural, mystical, the Gothic, and the occult.  From “A Christmas Carol” to “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” some of the most famous supernatural tales in literature date from the Victorian period.

To get into the Halloween spirit, Special Collections is exhibiting collections of ghost stories by well-known and lesser-known Victorian authors in our reference area, starting October 14, 2011.  Highlights include a Rudyard Kipling story collection printed in India, a ghost story written by six authors (including Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Elizabeth Gaskell), and the adventures of a ghost-hunting psychic detective.

Looking for more ghost stories?  One great resource is the “Guide to Supernatural Fiction” by Everett Bleiler, which can be found in Humanities Reference on level 5 of the library.  You can also do a genre/form search in the library catalog for “ghost stories” to find examples of stories and novels across the library’s holdings.

“The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit” was acquired with the generous assistance of the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library.

Why collect both the serialized and the book formats of “Great Expectations” and other 19^th century novels?  Much longer fiction of the 19^th century was published in both serial and multi-volume book form, and having both formats available can better help students and scholars interpret how a text was produced, published, and received.  Was the text changed between the time it was published serially and in book form?  Did serialization and “volumization” affect how the author chose to structure the novel, or how readers experienced and interpreted the text?  Did the audience of a novel in a given periodical differ from the audience who read the novel in book form?  These questions and others can be addressed by examining the differing early editions of a novel like “Great Expectations.”

An Elementary Education: Children’s Readers

The L. Tom Perry Special Collections Rare Book Collection hosts a variety of books classified under the Library of Congress as books of Theory and Practice of Education (LB). These books mostly range from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, but the occasional 18^th century author will appear from time to time. Our Rare Book Collection begins with our oldest acquisitions. It includes the thoughts and different systems of individual educators (LB 51-885) as well as educational psychology (LB 1050.9-1091) and instructions for Primary Education (LB 1501-1547). Many of these instructional books are written by international scholars and we have their works published in their native Italian, French, and German –of course, with Latin text here and there.

The majority of our collection comprises children’s readers. These refer to the textbooks of this 19^th–20^th century era for elementary or public school education (LB 1555-1602). These readers encompass several special branches of an elementary education. We are lucky to have such a variety of Arithmetic, Geography, History, English Language & Grammar, Literature, Nature, Readers, Science and Spelling textbooks available in the Rare Book Collection to view our progress as nation and a world when we see how much has changed and what we have learned in just the past 100 years. It is also refreshing to search these readers to find new ways to educate from our old teachers.

Come and visit the L. Tom Perry Special Collections First Floor Exhibit to get a taste of different lessons from each subject.

Library of Congress Classification Information:

Class L – Education

Subclass LB – Theory and Practice of Education

LB 51-885 – Systems of Individual educators and writers

LB 1050.9-1091 – Educational psychology

LB 1501-1547 – Primary education

Both Dickens and Thackeray began their careers as journalists, but Dickens was first to achieve literary fame, with publication of The Pickwick Papers in 1836-37.  Other bestsellers followed, and Dickens became a darling of critics and the public.  Thackeray did not earn his literary fame until a decade later, with Vanity Fair, published in 1847-48.  Thackeray’s next novel, Pendennis, was issued at the same time as Dickens’s David Copperfield, and critics began to draw comparisons between the two authors.  Though Dickens sold more novels, Thackeray was equal in popularity with the critics, and Thackeray became Dickens’s chief rival in the market for fiction.  Dr. John Brown, a mutual friend of both novelists, remarked that Dickens “could not abide the brother so near the throne.”   Although Dickens and Thackeray were always cordial, their relationship grew strained over minor literary disputes.  Partisan friends and associates fanned the flames  until the relationship between Dickens and Thackeray erupted into a bitter feud in 1858.

In 1858, Dickens separated from his wife Kate, and Dickens was very sensitive to public and private opinion over his actions.  He was very upset when Thackeray repeated information he had heard about Dickens’s affair with actress Ellen Ternan.  One of Dickens’s protégés, a young journalist named Edmund Yates, was motivated by Dickens’s bad feelings to anonymously publish a slanderous attack on Thackeray for Dickens’s magazine Household Words.  Thackeray would have ignored this insult, but it was brought to his attention that the author was Yates, who was an acquaintance and a fellow member of a social club called the Garrick Club.  As a gentleman, he felt the need to defend his honor and responded to Yates, demanding an apology.  Yates showed the letter to Dickens, who helped Yates write an unrepentant reply.

Thackeray was also incensed that Yates had been writing newspaper articles about some of the literary discussions he had been involved in while in the privacy of the Garrick club.  He eventually brought a complaint to the committee of the Garrick Club, which moved to revoke Yates’s membership.   Dickens tried to intervene behind the scenes, but Yates lost the dispute.   Yates continued to attack Thackeray in pamphlets and journal articles through 1858-59; when Dickens realized that his own reputation was being hurt because so many people assumed that he was encouraging and perhaps financially underwriting Yates, he finally convinced Yates to let the matter drop.   This breach in Thackeray and Dickens’s friendship would last until shortly before Thackeray died in 1863.

Thackeray was one of Charlotte Brontë’s biggest literary heroes.  Smith, Elder and Co., the publisher of Charlotte’s first novel Jane Eyre, sent a pre-publication copy of the book to Thackeray.  He enthusiastically told them that the novel “interested me so much that I have lost (or won if you like) a whole day in reading it….Give my respects and thanks to the author – whose novel is the first English one … that I’ve been able to read for many a day.”  Charlotte was flattered: “One good word from such a man is worth pages of praise from ordinary judges.”

Moved by Thackeray’s favorable comments about Jane Eyre, Brontë dedicated the second edition of her novel to her hero.  Unfortunately this caused embarrassment for Thackeray, since unbeknownst to Charlotte, he had a mentally ill wife who he was unable to divorce and who had been placed in an institution – an unfortunate parallel to the character Mr. Rochester.  The dedication also caused speculation that “Currer Bell” had been a governess to Thackeray’s two daughters, since the character Jane was a governess.  Charlotte was herself embarrassed when she learned that her dedication had spread gossip about Thackeray rather than being complimentary, and when she finally met him at a dinner party given by her publisher in late 1849, she was too nervous to eat or speak.

Thackeray actually held a dinner party of women authors in Charlotte’s honor in the summer of 1850, but her painful shyness and self-consciousness about her appearance made the party a spectacular failure.  Charlotte ignored the other guests, who were critical of her looks and her lack of conversation, and Thackeray reportedly sneaked off to his club partway through the evening.

Charlotte Brontë initially admired Thackeray for his novels’ attacks on the foibles and weaknesses of  English society and human nature, but on acquaintance, she found him worldly, skeptical, and too fond of mixing with the gentry which he satirized in his works.  In 1852, she told her publisher, “Mr. Thackeray is easy and indolent and very seldom cares to do his best” at writing.  Despite their uneasy literary acquaintance, Thackeray posthumously published  Charlotte’s fragment “Emma” in his Cornhill Magazine (March 1860) with a personal tribute to her — a portion of this article is reproduced above.

Thackeray made his career as a writer of satirical novels about British society, including “The Newcomes,” “Pendennis,” and his most famous work, “Vanity Fair.”  These novels, along with original artwork and manuscript letters, are currently on display in Special Collections to honor this great Victorian novelist.  The exhibit is open during Special Collections’ normal operating hours and will be on display during the months of June and July.

Harriet began to write at an early age.  She received a formal education  at Hartford Female Seminary, founded by her sister Catherine, studying subjects typically reserved for males like the classics and mathematics.  At 21, she moved to Cincinnati, where her father was president of Lane Theological Seminary.  Here she met and married Calvin Stowe, a theology professor.  Her writing career began before she married; Harriet authored a number of children’s textbooks, short stories, and journal articles.

The Stowes were abolitionists, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was written partly in response to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.  The novel was published serially in the abolitionist newspaper “The National Era,” and ran for 40 weeks starting June 5, 1851.  “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was published in book form in March 1852 and sold some 300,000 copies in its first year in print.  The sentimental novel moved many readers and won acclaim from the abolitionists, but Stowe was heavily criticized by Southern readers and supporters of slavery.  In adding fuel to the debate over slavery, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was highly influential in the decade before the Civil War and eventually became an international best-seller.  According to legend,  Abraham Lincoln greeted Stowe in 1862 with the comment, “so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.”  The success of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” brought the Stowes financial comfort and afforded Harriet the opportunity to write for pleasure.  She authored novels for adults and children as well as poems and stories until her death in 1896.  Special Collections owns a number of first and rare editions of Stowe’s works, including American, British, and Spanish editions of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” – even an edition for British travelers printed in Italy!

Brigham Young Academy Campus, 1902

The easiest way to access the images is through the finding aid which is available through the BYU Finding aids website. You can search for the name of the building that you are interested in (for example, the Maeser Building or the Academy Building) and access the digital images by clicking on the thumbnail image in the search results. This will take you to the digitized contents of the folder of photographs of that particular building.

You can also go directly to the finding aid for UA 827 and scroll through the list of buildings or search within the collection. Once you have located the building that you are interested in, click on the thumbnail to access the digital file of photographs. Each thumbnail represents the digitized contents of a folder of photographs. Go ahead and see what you can find.

If you have any questions about this digital collection, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

If you have any questions about Edith Johnson’s oral history or the other oral histories held in the University Archives, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

Memorial Hall, ca. 1960s

The original Memorial Lounge was built as an addition to the Wilkinson Student Center in 1967. The lounge was sponsored by the Alumni Association. The lounge contained memorial plaques, etched with names, that were hung to pay tribute to the 207 BYU students and alumni who died in war. During the renovations begun in 1995, the lounge and plaques were moved to a new room adjacent to the Wilkinson Center’s East Ballroom. This new area was rededicated on November 7, 2000. Now known as Memorial Hall, it is meant to be a place of quiet reflection.

The University Archives is home to a collection that documents the importance of Memorial Hall to campus. This collection is UA 797 Brigham Young University Alumni Association Memorial Hall dedication files, 1980-1983. It contains work files concerning the dedication for the Memorial Hall in the Ernest L. Wilkinson Center. It also includes a copy of the program and accompanying brochure listing students killed in Korean and Vietnam wars as well as a brochure listing students killed in World Wars I and II. The second brochure also lists students who served in World War II who were not killed.

If you would like to learn more about UA 797, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

The International Folk Dance Ensemble performs in Belgium in 1968.

The Brigham Young University Archives is home to several collections that document the history of the International Folk Dance Ensemble. They include:

• UA 1340 International Folk Dance Ensemble records, 1956-1981. This collection contains scrapbooks, photographs, newspaper clippings, tour information, correspondence, class inventories, budgets, videos, and programs documenting the ensemble’s activities.
• UA 5579 Mary Bee Jensen scrapbook on the International Folk Dance Ensemble, 1951-1964. This collection contains a photocopy and two digital copies on compact disc of a scrapbook on the Brigham Young University International Folk Dancers, dating from between 1951 and 1964. The scrapbook was complied by Mary Bee Jensen’s father.
• BX 8688 .A1 no.21 Folk dancers of the Brigham Young University
• BX 8608 .A1a no.3528Brigham Young University International Folk Dancers

If you would like to learn more about the materials held by the University Archives that document the history of the International Folk Dance Ensemble, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

This year’s honored founder is Gerrit de Jong Jr.

Gerrit de Jong, Jr.

Gerrit de Jong Jr. was first dean of the College of Fine Arts. The College of Fine Arts was established in 1925 under the direction of President Franklin S. Harris. It was the first college of fine arts west of the Mississippi. Dr. de Jong served as the dean of the college until 1960 and during his tenure impacted the lives of hundreds of students.

The Brigham Young University Archives holds a number of materials that document the life of Dr. de Jong. A description of some of these resources is available here.

Other materials documenting Dr. de Jong’s influence at the university include:

• UA OH 33 Gerrit de Jong Oral history interview, 1978. Interview includes relections on de Jong’s experiences at Brigham Young University.
• UA 286 Gerrit de Jong papers. Collection includes a typewritten report to Ernest L. Wilkinson concerning the participation of Brigham Young University musical groups in the dedicatory services of the Mormon Memorial Cemetery and Mormon Bridge in Omaha, Nebraska.
• BX 8647 .B76 1952-53 no.1-58 Art and life. An address given to the Brigham Young University student boy in 1953.

If you would like to know more about the resources available for studying the life of Gerrit de Jong, Jr., please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

Brigham Young University's 1908 baseball team.

Football followed in 1896, track and field began in 1899, and basketball got its start in 1900. Additional athletic teams were added over the course of the twentieth century.

The Brigham Young University Archives holds a number of collections that document the growth of the university’s athletic programs. One of those collections is the Brigham Young University Athletic photographs, 1893-1989 (UA 1029). This collection contains photographs of numerous university athletic teams including: baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, skiing, soccer, swimming, volleyball, and tennis. A finding aid for the collection is available here.

If you would like to know more about the collections documenting athletics at Brigham Young University, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

• Warren N. Dusenberry, 1875-1876
• Karl G. Maeser, 1876-1892
• Benjamin Cluff, Jr., 1892-1903
• George H. Brimhall, 1904-1921
• Franklin S. Harris, 1921-1945
• Howard S. McDonald, 1945-1949
• Ernest L. Wilkinson, 1951-1971
• Dallin H. Oaks, 1971-1980
• Jeffrey R. Holland, 1980-1989
• Rex E. Lee, 1989-1996
• Merrill J. Bateman, 1996-2003
• Cecil O. Samuelson, 2003-present

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and the University Archives holds a collection of priceless photographs of these men. The collection Brigham Young University Presidential photographs (UA 946) contains photographs of the presidents of Brigham Young University from 1875 to the present. The photographs are mainly of the presidents but the collection includes some images of their families, homes, offices, and colleagues. Below are a few sample images:



Karl G. Maeser, second principal of Brigham Young Academy, served from 1876-1892.



Howard S. McDonald, sixth president of Brigham Young University.



Jeffrey R. Holland, ninth president of Brigham Young University.

These photographs and more can be accessed in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections reading room (1130 HBLL) in the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

If you would like to know more about the history of Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

Henry E. Giles, 1886

The Music Department quickly became an integral part of the growing academy. After Brigham Young University became Brigham Young Academy in 1903, the Music Department became part of the College. In 1925 Franklin S. Harris organized the first College of Fine Arts west of the Mississippi and the Music Department found a permanent home. The Music Department became the School of Music in 1998. Thousands of students have been educated in the department and thousands of visitors to the university have enjoyed the numerous musical performances sponsored by the department.

The University Archives is home to several collections that document the history of music at Brigham Young University. They include:

• UA 1226 Dept. of Music records, 1931-1971. Collection contains files of the department chair, and general department and faculty records, including correspondence, minutes, procedures, publications, and a sampling of class outlines and examinations.
• UA 761 Dept. of Music programs, 1948-2008. Collection contains annual compilations of programs distributed at music performances. Each volume contains programs for a given school year.
• UA 1226 Dept. of Music records, 1973-1996. This collection contains documents outlining music classes given at BYU, different musical teaching opportunities, how to teach children music, and various files on primary and the music department.
• UA 571 Florence Jepperson Madsen papers, 1901-1971. Collection includes personal correspondence, articles, programs, newsclippings, yearbooks, scrapbooks, poetry, resumes, tributes, journals, photographs, patriarchal blessings, and biographical materials. Also includes published, unpublished, and workcopy music manuscripts by the Madsens.

If you would like to learn more about the Department of Music at Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 and gordon_daines@byu.edu.

An artist's rendition of the carillon and bell tower, 1975

President Oaks breaks ground for the centennial carillon bell tower the old fashioned way in February 1975.

The Brigham Young University Archives is home to two collections documenting the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower. These collections are:

• UA 1124 Centennial Celebration Committee Records, 1973-1976. This collection has an entire series related to the carillon bell tower.
• 378.2 A1 no.95 Second century address and dedication of carillon tower and bells. The dedication was performed by Spencer W. Kimball.

If you would like to know more about the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

The Brigham Young University Archives is home to a manuscript collection and a thesis that document the history of the Young Company. They are:

• UA 1024 The Young Company records, 1961-2002. This collection documents the history of the Young Company with photographs, calendars, film, audio, and play scripts from 1961 to 2002.
• Lay, Ruth Ann 1949-. The Memory and the Legacy: The Whittlin’ Whistlin’ Brigade – The Young Company 1974-2001. This thesis is available through Brigham Young University’s Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Click here to access the thesis.

If you would like to learn more about the Young Company, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

The Brigham Young University orchestra performs at the Provo Tabernacle in 1938.

Image of the interior of the Provo Tabernacle, ca. 1910.

A meeting held in the Provo Tabernacle, ca. 1920.

An orchestra practices in the Provo Tabernacle, ca. 1940.

Postacard image of the Provo Tabernacle, 1906.

A view of the Provo Tabernacle from downtown Provo, 1900.

Another view of the Provo Tabernacle from downtown, ca. 1900.

The Provo Tabernacle in the early 1900s.

For more information about the photograph collections documenting the Provo Tabernacle, please contact the Photo Archivist at (801) 422-4170 or tom_wells@byu.edu.

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