John Esplin family papers, 1842-2009

John Esplin was a native of Scotland who immigrated to the United States in the 1850s and settled in Utah. His son, H.W. Esplin, kept records of the family geneology and passed these on to Hattie Esplin, granddaughter of John Esplin, who was appointed family geneologist in 1920. Hattie Esplin did much to forward the geneology research in her family, including creating the "Esplin Family Bulletin."

Fred Esplin, who donated this collection, is a native Utahn, having grown up in Cedar City and graduated from Southern Utah University. He received his master's degree from the University of Utah and has taught communication courses at both the U and Penn State. His education includes graduate study at American University and a White House internship. Esplin has spent most of his career in public broadcasting, including positions with the Public Broadcasting Service, the Pennsylvania Public Television Network, WITF-TV-FM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and KUED in Salt Lake City. In 2006, Fred Esplin was appointed as the University's first Vice President for Institutional Advancement.