Utah State University Libraries is gearing up to host the 2025 edition of the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture, making waves by bringing in the acclaimed Richard E. Turley Jr., according to USU Today. Turley is set to take the stage on September 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on the University's Logan campus.
The event promises to not only draw academics but also anyone with a thirst to better understand the collaborative evolution that has shaped modern Latter-day Saint historical scholarship over the past forty years. The talk, christened "Team History: The Latter-day Saint Historical Enterprise, 1986–2025," will put a spotlight on the collective research and interdisciplinary efforts that have marked the period.
Richard E. Turley Jr. is not a newcomer to the discipline. As the former managing director of the Church History and Family History Departments of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his impact and contributions are deeply woven into the fabric of Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. With more than twenty books on Latter-day Saint and Western United States history attributed to his name, Turley's work has been widely recognized and celebrated among his peers and beyond.
His storied career has not gone unnoticed, with accolades including the Herbert Feis Award from the American Historical Association and the Historic Preservation Medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution, evidencing his stature in the field. Most notably, he and Barbara Jones Brown received the Juanita Brooks Best Book in Utah History Award for their recent work "Vengeance Is Mine," all but cementing their place in the annals of historical literature. He is also diligently working to complete a biography of Joseph Smith, the founder of the church.
