Dr. Charles James Nabors, Jr. (1934-1986) was hired as a research assistant in the Department of Anatomy in 1956 and became the University of Utah's first African American faculty member in 1958. Although his scientific career focused on research into cistic fibrosis, Nabors' involvement in the local community extended into the political sphere. A member of the executive board of Salt Lake City's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter, Nabors was active in state and national government affairs, and he served on the Utah Humanities Council board of directors from 1978-1980. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Nabors graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana and earned his doctorate at the University of Utah after his appointment to the faculty. He died in 1986 at the age of 52.

George McGovern (b. 1922) served in World War II and was later elected United States congressman from South Dakota from 1957-1961 and senator from 1963-1981. In 1961 he was appointed worldwide director of the Food for Peace program by President John F. Kennedy, and his continuing actions combating world hunger led him to be appointed United Nations Ambassador on World Hunger in 2001 and earned him the World Food Prize in 2008. A decorated veteran, McGovern was known for his opposition to the Vietnam war. He unsuccessfully ran for president against incumbent Richard M. Nixon in 1972.