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Eugene England papers, 1825-2003

Overview of the Collection

Creator
England, Eugene
Title
Eugene England papers
Dates
1825-2003 (inclusive)
Quantity
95.5 linear feet, (204 boxes)
Collection Number
ACCN 2426
Summary
The Eugene England papers (1825-2003) consist of L.D.S. service, university teaching, and research materials in addition to manuscripts, essays, articles, poems, book reviews, lectures, speeches, news clippings, editorial work, and correspondence. England was a critic, essayist, teacher, and a scholar in the field of LDS literature. England mainly taught American and LDS literature, but also taught classes on Shakespeare. He cofounded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the oldest independent journal in LDS Studies in 1966, and cofounded the Association of Mormon Letters in 1976.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

George Eugene England Jr., was born in Logan, Utah to George Eugene and Dora Rose Hartvigsen England in 1933. He grew up in Downey, Idaho, working on a wheat farm. He married Charlotte Hawkins at age 20 and they were both called to serve an LDS mission to Samoa in 1954. England graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English in 1958. He served briefly as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, and received a Special Graduate from M.I.T. in 1959. England entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Fellowship, and received his Masters in 1969 and Ph.D. in 1974. While at Stanford, he cofounded Dialogue in 1966, an independent LDS studies journal. While attending Stanford, England taught at California State College at Hayward, as well as teaching LDS Institute of Religion courses. In 1970 England moved to Minnesota with his wife and six children to be Dean of Academic Affairs and teach at St. Olaf Lutheran College. His contract ended in 1975 after some students showed interest in the LDS faith. That same year he moved back to Utah and applied to both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University English Departments, but was not hired. For two years, England focused on writing, worked in the LDS Church Archives, and teachings at the Salt Lake and Ogden LDS Institutes of Religion. He was hired at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1977.

While at BYU, England taught classes in LDS, as well as American, literature. He also helped expand the Freshman Live Learn experiences, the Honors Program, and start Theatre Study Abroad in London. England was Distinguished Honors Professor of the Year in 1982 and also received the Karl G. Maeser Teaching Award. England helped with the restructuring of the student government at BYU to help it become a service organization. He was also the advisor for off-campus newspapers, including Seventh East Press and the Student Review. During his time at BYU, England published most of his books and writings, including many of his personal essays. He continued to participate in Dialogue, as well as publishing in Sunstone. England was affiliated with many other associations, including: the International Shakespeare Association, Modern Language Association, Mormon History Association, Philological Association of the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, Shakespeare Association of America, and the Western Literature Association.

During the 1980s issues with academic freedom arose at BYU and England spoke out, challenging the administration and calling the faculty and students to action. After twenty-two years of teaching he was forced to accept retirement from BYU in 1998 at a time when a number of liberal professors were being dismissed. England still wanted to be involved in creating a space for students and teachers to ask the hard questions, especially concerning religion and ethics. England began to teach at Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in 1998, and was asked to be the Writer in Residence. During his brief tenure at UVSC, England helped start a LDS Studies Program, the first of its kind, which was attached to the college's Religious Studies program. While in the process of developing this program, England unexpectedly died of brain cancer in 2001.

[Biography written by Charlotte Hansen]

Further information regarding Eugene England can be found at www.eugeneengland.org

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Content Description

The Eugene England papers (1825-2001) consist of personal, academic, research, and teaching materials. Also included in the collection are his writings and editing work.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Photocopies are not allowed of any correspondence within the collection.

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into the following series: I. Personal and academic materials, II. Professional teaching materials, III. Writings and editing, IV. Associations and organizations, and V. Research materials. Original folder titles were maintained where possible.

The collection inventory is not organized in sequencial order according to box numbers, but according to the content of the materials within each box. This was due to the manner in which the archive received the materials.

Acquisition Information

Donated by the Eugene England Foundation in 2008-2009.

Processing Note

Processed by Charlotte Hansen in 2010.

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2011.

Roger V. Paxton processed boxes 1, 4-6, 113, and 160-204 in 2013.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

Photographs were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Related Materials

See also the Dialogue Foundation records (ACCN 0385) and the Sunstone Foundation records (ACCN 0932) located in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • American literature--Latter Day Saint authors
  • Latter Day Saints--United States--Intellectual life

Personal Names

  • England, Eugene--Archives

Finding aid created by Betsey Welland and by Roger V. Paxton.
2011 (last modified: 2020)

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