B. Carmon Hardy papers, 1765-2021

B. (Blaine) Carmon Hardy (1934-2016) was born in Vernal, Utah on December 24, 1934 and graduated from High School in Washington in 1953. He married Kamillia Compton on July 31, 1954 and received his B.A. from Washington State University in 1957 and an M.A. Degree from Brigham Young University in 1959. Thereafter he was a Teaching Fellow and completed further graduate work at Wayne State University in Detroit. He was awarded a Ph.D. degree from Wayne State in 1963.

In 1961 Carmon began teaching as Assistant Professor of the History and Philosophy of Education at Brigham Young University. In 1966 he resigned from Brigham Young University and accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. Carmon taught at Fullerton (where he became a Professor and Department Chair) until 1998. Because of his love for teaching he continued to teach on a part time basis as Professor Emeritus until 2016. He also taught courses at the University of California, Irvine; California State University, Los Angeles; Chapman University, El Toro Campus; and Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.

During his career Carmon was recognized for his outstanding teaching skills and for his mentoring of students. He received California State University's Meritorious Performance Award for Excellence in Teaching (1988); and the History Student's Association Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Students (2002). Carmon mentored and inspired many students throughout his more than half century of teaching.

Carmon was a recognized scholar, meticulous researcher, and gifted writer on a wide range of topics including the Third and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution. A sample of his articles include: "The Emperor Julian and his School Law"; "Privacy: A Constitutional Right?"; and "The Third Amendment." He also co-authored a textbook on world history and published six other books on a variety of subjects.

Carmon wrote ground breaking works on Mormon polygamy, beginning with his dissertation "The Mormon Colonies in Northern Mexico, 1885-1912" (1963); his masterful and award-winning Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage (1992); and his distinguished book Doing the Works of Abraham. Mormon Polygamy: Its Origin Practice and Demise (2007). These works are recognized as the most balanced and nuanced works ever written on this controversial topic.

Carmon received many awards for these and other scholarly works. These included Dialogue's (a Journal of Mormon Thought) Best Article Award (1991) and the Mormon History Association's Best Book Award (1993). In addition The Utah State Historical Society awarded Carmon its Dale Morgan Best Article Award (1981); and it's Best Documentary Book Award (2007). In 2008 the Society awarded Carmon its highest honor when he was installed as a Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society.

Carmon also wrote eloquent and forthright accounts that reflect his own journey as a historian including "Self-Blame and the Manifesto" (1991); "Lords of Creation: Polygamy, the Abrahamic Household, and Mormon Patriarchy (1994) and "Polygamy, Mormonism, and Me (2008).

Kamillia Marlene Hardy was a professor in the Art and Design department at Santa Ana College. She earned her B.A. in English and minored in Spanish and French. She earned her Master's in Drawing and Painting from a California State University in 1987.