Dates

• Existence: 1972 - 1976

Administrative History

The Centennial History Project (1972-1976) was a research project led by university president Ernest L. Wilkinson to compile a history of Brigham Young University at its 100-year anniversary.

In January 1972, administrative officials at Brigham Young University inaugurated a project to compile and publish a comprehensive history of the school. The project was undertaken in conjunction with plans to commemorate the university's centennial anniversary. Given the official label Centennial History Project, the endeavor evolved into an extensive four-year research and writing effort which culminated with the distribution of the first published histories of the University.

Chief among those intimately involved in the project was Ernest L. Wilkinson, a former president of Brigham Young University. Receiving his appointment from university president Dallin Oaks, Wilkinson served as the project's director and as editor of the published histories. As director, Wilkinson performed routine administrative tasks, selected staff personnel, and acted as project liaison with university and ecclesiastical officials. As editor, Wilkinson indirectly supervised research and writing, and read and edited preliminary drafts, eventually assuming responsibility for the literary style and intellectual content of the final product. Though principal figure in the Centennial History Project, Wilkinson did not work alone. He was aided in the discharge of his duties by a number of professionals and student assistants who served on his official staff.

A Centennial History Advisory Committee was also formed by Wilkinson during the initial stages of the project. Composed of historians, university personnel, and alumni, the committee included Leonard J. Arrington, Edwin Butterworth, LeRoy Hafen, Wayne B. Hales, John Clifton Moffitt, Ernest L. Olson, Kiefer B. Sauls, Hollis Scott, and Vasco Tanner. From this group, Wilkinson sought advice as to the best approach to be taken in researching and writing the history. The committee met only once, though several members of the group continually rendered valuable service throughout the project.

James R. Clark and W. Cleon Skousen, both university faculty members and long time personal friends of Wilkinson, served on his staff as chief assistants. When the decision was made early in the project to produce two separate histories, Clark was placed in charge of work on a multi-volume comprehensive history, while Skousen was given the task of preparing a single-volume abridged version of the same history.

Under the direction of Wilkinson, Clark directly supervised much of the research and writing for the multi-volumed work. Working with him on various phases of the project were graduate student assistants Richard Bennett, Janet Hansen, Harvard Heath, and Eugene Thompson. When circumstances led to Clark's departure from the staff midway though the project, Bennett assumed the role of research director. This team carried on extensive research and produced preliminary chapter drafts for Wilkinson's editing.

Bruce Hafen, administrative assistant to President Dallin Oaks, worked independently of the official project staff to research and write the chapters dealing with the administration of Oaks. These chapters Hafen co-edited with Wilkinson. Additionally, Leonard J. Arrington, Church Historian, Robert K. Thomas, Academic Vice President, and Frank Fox, a member of the university's history faculty, were assigned to review and edit those chapters of the history which dealt directly with Wilkinson's administration. For their work on the project, Arrington and Hafen were named as official editors. Representing the Brigham Young University Press in the process of editing the manuscripts and preparing them for publication was Roy. K. Bird.

Assisting the research and writing team as support staff were a corps of secretaries. Edith Johnson served as Wilkinson's personal secretary. Others included Nanette Bame, Carolyn Baum, Patricia Bennett, Karen Echols, Linda Lee, Klea Lundgreen, and Phyllis Thompson. To the secretaries fell the responsibility of maintaining office files, duplicating source material, preparing research cards, and typing chapter drafts.

W. Cleon Skousen pursued his task of writing a popular history of the school by abridging and condensing the final drafts of the multi volume work into a single volume. Assisting Skousen with research and documentation was student assistant Glenn Bird. Orson Scott Card and Roy K. Bird represented the University Press and assisted Wilkinson and Skousen in the editing process. For his work with the one volume history, Skousen was designated as the book's Associate Editor. Serving as secretaries to the project were Pamela Fugate, Linda Gravely and Linda Lee.

In addition to official project staff members, dozens of individuals from the ranks of university personnel, the local community, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, university alumni, and other interested persons contributed valuable time, talents, and information to the efforts of the Centennial History Project.

During the 1975-1976 school year, as the university celebrated its one hundredth birthday, the labors of the Centennial History Project were brought to fruition. The university published and distributed its official histories, the four-volume Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years, and the popularized one-volume work Brigham Young University: A School of Destiny. Shortly after the publication of the final volumes of the centennial histories, the Centennial History Project concluded its work.

Citation:

UPB files, April 3, 2020 (Brigham Young University Centennial History Project; commenced in 1972; Ernest L. Wilkinson leadership; research team documenting first 100 years of BYU since Brigham Young Academy was established in 1875; four-volume history of BYU entitled "Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years"; abridged one-volume version called "Brigham Young University: A School of Destiny" published in 1975; disbanded in 1976)

Wilkinson, Brigham Young University, 1975: vol. 1 p. xix (President Dallin H. Oaks asked Ernest L. Wilkinson to prepare centennial history, 1972) p. xx (assisted by a separate Centennial History Advisory Committee)

Butterworth, Brigham Young University, 1975: p. 345 (Centennial History Project; team included Ernest L. Wilkinson, Karen S. Echols, Richard E. Bennett, James R. Clark, Harvard Heath, Eugene T. Thompson, Linda W. Lee, Janet W. Hansen, W. Cleon Skousen, and Roy Bird)

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