Royal Lovell Garff photograph collection, 1914-1996

Royal Lovell Garff was born June 22, 1904 in Draper, Utah, to Royal Brigham and Rachel Day Garff. He was one of six children. Garff's paternal grandparents were from Denmark, while his maternal grandparents had immigrated from England. Both sets immigrated to the United States largely due to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Garff grew up in a strong LDS family, and he served a two-year mission to New Zealand from 1922 to 1924. As an active member of the LDS Church, he served many positions of leadership, including member of the General Board of Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA), Sunday School Teacher, and as a member of a Bishopric.

Garff married Marba Stewart in the Salt Lake Temple on November 27, 1931. Stewart (1907-1947) was born in Nevada to cattle ranchers W. T. and Artimesia Seegmiller Stewart. She had filled a two-year mission for the LDS Church in the eastern United States. Royal and Marba had four children: Donna Rae, Joanne, Linda, and Dennis. From April of 1945, Stewart was under medical care in new treatments for cancer. She passed away on August 11, 1947 in the Adelphi Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

On June 2, 1948, Garff married Maxine Rice in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice grew up in Parker, Idaho, as one of five children to Chloe and Clem Rice. Rice had been married previously to Don Hall, who enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was posted in Victorville, California. He was then sent to Europe and was killed five months later. Rice then served an LDS mission in the East Central States: Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Rice and Garff were grandparents to seventeen grandchildren.

Garff earned his A.B. degree in Speech from the University of Utah in 1930. He pursued graduate studies at the School of Speech and Drama at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied under Ralph Dennis and Clarion Hardy. In 1932, Garff earned his Masters of Arts and in 1939, he earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Speech. During his time at Northwestern University, he taught speech classes and was the director of retail training for the Montgomery Ward Company.

Garff was a board member of the American Cancer Society for twenty-five years and served with the National Foundation for two years as its president. He spoke at conventions and published articles to raise awareness of cancer. Garff was given an award of recognition from the March of Dimes, where he also served as president. He also served as Chairman of the Red Cross and assisted with the Utah Opera Company. Garff was also a committed teacher. He taught for thirty-two years as a member of the University of Utah faculty. In 1972, Garff earned the standing of Professor Emeritus. Royal Lovell Garff passed away in his home in Salt Lake City, Utah on On October 17, 1994.