BYU History (LTPSC) » FAQ

Centennial Sculptures

Gordon Daines — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:00:46 +0000

Brigham Young University celebrated its centennial in 1975 and as part of the celebrations two modernistic sculptures were donated to the university. These sculptures were the “Tree of Wisdom” by Frank Nackos and the “Windows of Heaven” by Frank Riggs.

Tree of Life sculpture (Courtesy BYU Photo)

The “Tree of Wisdom” was originally placed north of the Harold B. Lee Library and was later moved south of the Kimball Tower. It was recently torn down but will be replaced in the spring of 2012.

Frank Nackos wanted people to get at least two meanings out of the “Tree of Wisdom” sculpture–one being roots sinking into spiritual ground and the other being branches rising up and pointing heavenward. The sculpture was designed to allow visitors to create their own meaning from it by getting up close and personal with it.

Windows of Heaven Sculpture (Courtesy BYU Photo)

The “Windows of Heaven” was erected east of the Widtsoe Building and was meant to replicate a gothic tower. The sculpture is meant to invoke the majesty of the heavens.

If you have any questions about these sculptures or the centennial celebrations, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

Championship Basketball at Brigham Young University

Gordon Daines — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:09:18 +0000

Stanley H. Watts became the head basketball coach at Brigham Young University in January 1949 when Floyd Millet retired. Coach Watts quickly brought the Cougar basketball squad to national prominence. The 1949-1950 team won the Skyline Conference championship and finished third in the NCAA Regional Tournament. The 1950-1951 team would also win a conference championship and would defeat the Dayton Fliers to win the National Invitational Championship (NIT). Under Coach Watts the Cougars played an energetic uptempo game and would remain competitive nationally throughout the 1950s and 1960s–winning the National Invitational Championship again in 1966.

NIT Championship Basketball team, 1950-1951

NIT Championship Basketball team, 1965-1966

The University Archives is home to numerous collections documenting basketball at Brigham Young University. Many of these resources are described in the Popular Search Topics page Brigham Young University Basketball and the blog posting Basketball at Brigham Young University.

If you have questions about these resources, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

Lighting the Y

Gordon Daines — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:07:49 +0000

One of the most popular activities during Homecoming week at Brigham Young University is hiking and lighting the Y. Every year several hundred students gather and hike to the top of Y mountain to participate in this activity.

Lighting the Y has a long tradition at Brigham Young University. The Y was first lit in 1924 and has been lit many times since then for homecoming and commencement activities. The lighting of the Y was originally done by dipping mattress stuffing in oil and placing the resulting balls around the edges of the block Y. These balls were lit and members of the Intercollegiate Knights stood guard to make sure that the mountain didn’t catch fire. The burning mattress balls were replaced by light bulbs in the 1970s.

The Y was lit for the first time in 1924. The lighting of the Y is now an important tradition at Brigham Young University.

The lit Y is a breathtaking site that has many meanings for Brigham Young University students and alumni but the most important is the sense of community and home represented by the Y.

If you would like to learn more about homecoming traditions, the Block Y, or the history of Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

Presidential Photographs collection

Gordon Daines — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:59:37 +0000

Brigham Young University has been guided by twelve men over the course of its existence:

Warren N. Dusenberry, 1875-1876
Karl G. Maeser, 1876-1892
Benjamin Cluff, Jr., 1892-1903
George H. Brimhall, 1904-1921
Franklin S. Harris, 1921-1945
Howard S. McDonald, 1945-1949
Ernest L. Wilkinson, 1951-1971
Dallin H. Oaks, 1971-1980
Jeffrey R. Holland, 1980-1989
Rex E. Lee, 1989-1996
Merrill J. Bateman, 1996-2003
Cecil O. Samuelson, 2003-present

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and the University Archives holds a collection of priceless photographs of these men. The collection Brigham Young University Presidential photographs (UA 946) contains photographs of the presidents of Brigham Young University from 1875 to the present. The photographs are mainly of the presidents but the collection includes some images of their families, homes, offices, and colleagues. Below are a few sample images:

Karl G. Maeser, second principal of Brigham Young Academy, served from 1876-1892.

Howard S. McDonald, sixth president of Brigham Young University.

Jeffrey R. Holland, ninth president of Brigham Young University.

These photographs and more can be accessed in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections reading room (1130 HBLL) in the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

If you would like to know more about the history of Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

A look back at BYU’s conference affiliations

Gordon Daines — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Last Friday Brigham Young University’s football program became independent from conference affiliation. This marks the first time since the 1890s that the football program has not been affiliated with an athletic conference.

BYA's first football team, 1896

Last Friday also marked the official affiliation of the majority of Brigham Young University’s other athletic programs, including basketball, with the West Coast Conference.

Basketball game in the Marriott Center

The move to the West Coast Conference marks the fifth conference that Brigham Young University’s athletic program has been affiliated with. Brigham Young University has been affiliated with the following conferences:

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, 1918-1938
Mountain States Conference (Skyline Conference), 1938-1962
Western Athletic Conference, 1962-1999
Mountain West Conference, 1999-2011
West Coast Conference, 2011-

Brigham Young University is now the ninth member of the West Coast Conference.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of athletics at Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

Ice Cream and Elevators

Gordon Daines — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:40:27 +0000

Brigham Young University’s Center for Animation recently won another student Emmy for their animated short film “DreamGiver.” That brings the total number of student Emmys won by Center for Animation since 2003 to 11–an impressive feat. Many students may not realize that Brigham Young University has a long history of students producing quality films. The first student film, a twenty-eight minute look at the social life of students on campus in the 1960s, was produced in 1971. It debuted to a crowd of 6,000 students. Entitled “Ice Cream and Elevators” it was written by Janet Maughan and Ron Davis. The producer was Robert Starling and the director was Dean Stubbs. It was adapted as a screenplay by J. Ronald Clark.

In 1992 a formal film festival for student films was organized on campus, and Final Cut showings continue to draw crowds today. If you have questions about the history of student films at Brigham Young University, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

Centennial Carillon Bell Tower

Gordon Daines — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:00:22 +0000

One of the most iconic emblems of the Brigham Young University campus is the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower. Every day the bells in the tower chime the hour and students are periodically treated to performances by campus carillonneurs. The bell tower was constructed as part of the university’s centennial celebrations in 1975 and was dedicated in October of that year by President Spencer W. Kimball. The bell tower is meant to serve as a symbol of the dedication and sacrifice of the early founders of Brigham Young University. The bell tower contains 52 bells that range in size from twenty-one pounds to over four thousand pounds.

An artist's rendition of the carillon and bell tower, 1975

President Oaks breaks ground for the centennial carillon bell tower the old fashioned way in February 1975.

The Brigham Young University Archives is home to two collections documenting the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower. These collections are:

UA 1124 Centennial Celebration Committee Records, 1973-1976. This collection has an entire series related to the carillon bell tower.
378.2 A1 no.95 Second century address and dedication of carillon tower and bells. The dedication was performed by Spencer W. Kimball.

If you would like to know more about the Centennial Carillon Bell Tower, contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.

A Library Building for Brigham Young University

Gordon Daines — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:00:40 +0000

A little under two weeks ago Julene Butler, University Librarian, inaugurated a year long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the construction of the J. Reuben Clark Library with a lecture discussing the history of the library. The Clark Library building (now the Harold B. Lee Library) was the second building dedicated exclusively to housing Brigham Young University’ library collections. The first building was the Heber J. Grant Library. It was 87 years ago this month that the Executive Committee of the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees wrote to Church President Heber J. Grant that “After going thoroughly into the question we are convinced that steps should be taken to provide a library building for the University.” A year later in October 1925 the Grant Library building was dedicated. Today the Harold B. Lee Library is at the heart of campus both literally and figuratively. Enjoy these historic photographs of the library from the University Archives collections:

The home of the library in the Education Building (Brigham Young Academy), ca. 1913.

The newly completed Heber J. Grant Library, 1925.

The newly completed J. Reuben Clark Jr. Library, 1961.

A rendition of the 1974 addition to the Harold B. Library.

The 1999 addition to the Harold B. Lee Library (image courtesy University Photo).

For more information on the history of the library, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu

What’s next? Cougar Basketball looks to build on record setting 2009-2010 season

Gordon Daines — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:06:10 +0000

This is an exciting time of year for Brigham Young University sports fans–basketball season has begun. The Brigham Young University Cougars are looking to follow up on their record setting season of last year. The Cougars return one of the most explosive backcourts that they have had in years with senior Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery. Fredette is the university’s first preseason All-American since Danny Ainge and Emery is one of the finest defenders that the university has had in a long time.

Preseason All-American Jimmer Fredette, 2010.

Jackson Emery drives against UNLV. (Image courtesy BYU Photo)

Fredette and Emery are joined by eight other returning lettermen making this one of the most anticipated seasons in the history of basketball at Brigham Young University.

The Cougars are coached by Dave Rose. Rose took over the helm of BYU basketball in 2005 from Steve Cleveland and over the last five years has established himself as one of the best to ever coach the Cougars. His record of 127-40 equals an unmatched winning percentage of 76%. Rose has been the recipient of numerous awards including Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year twice (2006 and 2007). Last year’s basketball team set a record with 30 wins for the season and advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in seventeen years.

Coach Dave Rose watches the action unfold against Kansas State in last year's NCAA tournament. (Image courtesy of BYU Photo)

Fans interested in learning more about the Cougar basketball program under Coach Dave Rose can consult the basketball media guides that are part of UA 669 (Athletic Media Guides collection). Click here to access a blog posting discussing other sources on the history of basketball at BYU. If you would like to know more, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu .

A Tradition of Debate

Gordon Daines — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:00:07 +0000

The Fall 2010 “Looking Back” column of BYU Magazine highlighted the fact that 50 years ago a debate team from Brigham Young University won the Harvard University National Invitational Debate Tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country at the time.

Students display the first place trophies that they won at the Harvard University National Invitational Debate Tournament, 1960.

Debate has a long history at Brigham Young University dating back to the days of Brigham Young Academy. At the turn of the 20th century debate was a subject of controversy as Church and university leaders worried about the impact that taking positions opposite to what students truly believed had on their moral character. The controversy around debate eventually led to a decision to ban debate at Church schools. However, students continued to participate in debating contests without school sanction and deluged the Church Board of Education with letters requesting that they be allowed to officially represent their schools. The Church Board of Education eventually modified its position on debates allowing older students to participate as long as they observed certain regulations. The popularity of participating in debate surged in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s as students pushed for debating matches against local schools to prove their mettle in competition. Brigham Young University’s debate teams were recognized as some of the best in the region and drew packed houses for their debates.

Debate team, 1946

The golden age of debate at Brigham Young University coincided with the presidential administration of Ernest L. Wilkinson. Wilkinson had participated in debate as a student in the 1920s and had a great appreciation for the skills that debating had helped him develop. Beginning in 1951 and continuing through the end of his administration in 1971 Wilkinson was an unabashed supporter of the university’s debate teams. Debate teams during the 1950s and 1960s developed a national reputation and won several important national debate tournaments. The university’s centennial history Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years notes that during the period from 1951 to 1971 over two thousand students participated in more than 339 debate tournaments and won 760 trophies for the university.

If you would like to learn about the sources available for studying the history of debate at Brigham Young University, please contact the University Archivist at (801) 422-5821 or gordon_daines@byu.edu.