In Memoriam

In Memoriam: S. George Ellsworth, 1916-97

ON DECEMBER 22, 1997, UTAH LOST one of its foremost historian-teachers and authors The death of Utah State University emeritus professor of history S. George Ellsworth has taken from us a truly great teacher, an accomplished and productive author, a creative and dedicated editor of books and journals, and a kind, understanding, and gentle individual. I consider myself to be very fortunate to have been a friend and colleague of George Ellsworth for more than fifty years since we were fellow students in several history classes at University of California, Berkeley. There—not only in classrooms but in the famous Bancroft Library—we engaged in many conversations on the mysteries of life and history. And through our fifty-year association, we continued our exploration and examination of those ideas that motivated us as graduate students. I believe that George Ellsworth during his career achieved the goals he had set for himself to be a good teacher, writer, researcher. He was a devoted family man—a man who believed and practiced the best teachings of Christianity.

Born June 19, 1916, in Safford, Arizona, George never departed far from his small-town rural background. He always retained a deep devotion to his church and a strong commitment to the values he learned from his close family ties. These values he carried with him when he began his college training at Kansas City Junior College. Initially he planned to become an architect, but his LDS church missionary experience pointed his life in another direction—the study of philosophy and history In 1941 as a history student of Joel E Ricks, he graduated from Utah State Agricultural College (Utah State University) with a bachelor of arts degree in history. After teaching briefly in the public schools of Bunkerville, Nevada, he answered the call to military service. He served as a chaplain in the Philippine theater Following the war, he enrolled in the graduate history program at University of California, Berkeley. Under the guidance of Professor Lawrence Kinnaird, George completed his Ph.D in history in 1951

Even before he received his degree, George was employed to teach history at his alma mater, Utah State Agricultural College. Until 1983, he filled his role as teacher with distinction On three separate occasions he was selected by his students and colleagues as "Teacher of the Year." Several of his students have achieved distinction in history as a result of their training and motivation by this master teacher. It is estimated that George taught more than 10,000 students in classes on Utah, United States, Greek, and Roman history. His influence on seventh-grade students was also profound. For more than twenty years, since 1972, his Utah's Heritage was the official history textbook for all of Utah's seventh grade history classes. The impact of this book on thousands of students is impossible to measure. But statements of numerous students attest to the intellectual awakening they experienced from studying George Ellsworth's book.

In another capacity, George Ellsworth began to serve a more mature audience when the Western History Association chose Utah State University as the sponsoring institution of the Association's new journal, the Western Historical Quarterly. As founding co-editor with Leonard J. Arrington, George became the managing editor and later the principal editor who planned, designed, and selected the format and contents of the new journal. In appearance and content, it embodied all the positive qualities of what a historical publication should be Winning overwhelming support from the university administration, the Quarterly won enthusiastic approval from the Western History Association officers and members It was immediately recognized as an attractive and carefully edited historical journal that represented the goals and aspirations of the WHA. It provided the Association the elan and respectability that western history rightfully deserved. From 1970 to 1979, George Ellsworth brought the journal to a level of universal acceptance by the historical community. Further, under his tutelage his assistants were trained to continue this excellence when they assumed editorship at the time George retired as editor in 1979. Four years later George accepted emeritus status at USU. With his retirement, he now devoted his full time to the writing and editing of several books he had delayed publishing because of his many other scholarly activities on and off campus.

His off-campus activities consisted of serving his church in an administrative position; serving as a board member and chairman of the board of the Utah Endowment for the Humanities; serving on several committees involved in historical preservation; publishing major bibliographies; and microfilming and gathering historical documents for use and preservation in organized archival institutions.

When the Utah State Historical Society in 1963 began the celebration of Utah's Statehood Day (January 4, 1896), George was selected to give the first Statehood Day address. For this and for his record of publications, he was in 1973 given the Society's highest award—Society Fellow. In 1984 the Western History Association presented George with an honorary life member award for his contributions to the Association.

After years of interruptions, in 1990 George completed the editing of the Addison Pratt journals, a monumental effort published by the University of Utah Press. Family histories and other edited books were completed by George in his post-retirement years.

When George married his wife Maria, he acquired his most ardent supporter and fan. George and Maria, a writer in her own right, established the Heritage Room in the Merrill Library at Utah State University. Although plagued by medical problems almost to the day he died, George was busily organizing and cataloging the mountain of his accumulated books and papers for deposit in the Heritage Room. Here students of history may enjoy and benefit from the lifelong dedicated history-making of the Ellsworths. There has been no greater devotion to history than that displayed by the life of S. George Ellsworth. It was a privilege and honor to work with him and to call him my friend.

EVERETT L COOLEY Emeritus Professor of History University of Utah