Dates

• Existence: 1950-

Biographical History

James V. D'Arc (1950-) was a professor in the Speech and Theatre Arts Department at BYU and worked at the L. Tom Perry Special Collections department where he was the curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archive and contributor for the Motion Picture Archives Film Series.

James Vincent D'Arc was born in Los Angeles, California on August 7, 1950. In the early 1970s, D'Arc was accepted into Brigham Young University, where he majored in history. In 1973 he was interested in a film appreciation class taught by Dr. Charles M. Metten, which motivated him to receive a PhD in film history from the University in 1986. During his time as a student, he also was hired in what was then called the "Archives and Manuscripts Division," where he began gathering film-related materials for the Archives starting with items donated to the collection from Dean Jagger, an actor who played Brigham Young in the 1940 film "Brigham Young." From there the collection obtained items including those pertaining to Cecil B. DeMille, classic MGM musicals like "Singin' in the Rain," and many others, a good number of them which are shown in the Motion Picture Archives Film Series today in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections.

Aside from this, in 1990 D'Arc also was employed as a Professor of Film in BYU's Theatre and Media Arts College. Although the college allowed him to split his time working as both a professor and a curator for the Special Collections department, by the end of the school year, he returned to being a full-time employee for Special Collections.

While spending his time in BYU, D'Arc eventually married Patricia Ann Morris in Salt Lake City on January 22, 1974. During their marriage, they had five children and seven grandchildren. On April 20, 2005, Patricia passed away after 19 months of illness in Utah.

James D'Arc retired from the L. Tom Perry Special Collections in August 2017.

Citation:

Ancestry.com, May 15, 2017 (b. August 7, 1950 in Los Angeles; Married Patricia Ann Morris on January 22, 1974)

BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, May 15, 2017 (D'Arc served as a professor for the Theatre and Media Arts College in 1990, where he served for a year.)

"An Interview with James D'Arc," May 15, 2017 (D'Arc attended Brigham Young University, where he developed interest in film starting in 1972-1973; helped begin gathering sources for the Film collection in the Special Collections Department)

Legacy.com, May 15, 2017 (James D'Arc and Patricia had 5 children and 7 grandchildren; Patricia passed away in April 20, 2005.)

Found in 13 Collections and/or Records: