Collection

Prince, Gregory A. Papers

Span Dates: 1829-2020
Bulk Dates:
Volume: 49 linear feet (114 boxes)

Description

The Gregory A. Prince papers (1833-1995) contain correspondence, scriptural and historical research materials and notes, and the transcripts of oral interviews collected during the writing of Prince's various books on Mormon history, including: Power From on High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood (1995); David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism (2005); Leonard Arrington and the Writing on Mormon History (2016); and Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences (2019). Several series of this collection also include the draft manuscripts, along with editorial notes and peer comments, of their respective publications. David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism (2005) was the first publication to utilize the David O. McKay Papers (MS 0668); the series devoted to research for that book contains source materials copied from that collection. For Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences, Prince also had access to the research materials of Hugo Olaiz which have since been added to the Hugo N. Olaiz papers (ACCN 2154). Prince's collection also contains correspondence and research materials related to subjects not included in Prince's books, including materials about proselytizing efforts toward the Jewish population in Southern California and various interview transcripts about the life of Paul H. Dunn.

Hist/Bio Note

Gregory Antone Prince (1948-) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After high school, Prince attended Dixie College (now Utah Tech University) in St. George, Utah and graduated as valedictorian in 1967. Prince then served a two-year proselytizing mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After returning home, Prince pursued graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1973, Prince graduated with a D.D.S. degree from the UCLA School of Dentistry (again serving as valedictorian of his graduating class). In 1975, Prince received a Ph.D. in Pathology from the UCLA School of Medicine. From 1975 to 1990, Prince worked at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University, researching the prevention of RSV in high-risk infants. Prince co-founded Virion Systems, Inc., a successful biotechnology company aimed at commercializing his research of RSV. Prince has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers dealing with immunology and the pathogenesis of human respiratory viruses. Prince has also served on the national advisory boards of Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery College, Wesley Theological Seminary, the University of Utah, Utah Tech University, and Utah Valley University. In addition to his career in medical research, Prince has developed an avocation as a researcher and writer of Mormon history. Prince's first historical monograph, Having Authority: The Origins and Development of Priesthood During the Ministry of Joseph Smith, was published by the John Whitmer Historical Association in 1993. Expanding on his work in Having Authority, Prince published Power From on High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood in 1995. In 2005, Prince (and co-author Wm. Robert Wright) published the biography David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. This biography was the result of many years of research and an extensive series of oral interviews, and was also the first publication to draw upon materials in the David O. McKay Papers (MS 0668) at the University of Utah Marriott Library Special Collections. This biography also received a series of awards, including: the Evans Handcart Award, the Mormon History Association's Best Biography Award, and the Utah State Historical Society's Best Utah History Book Award. In 2016, Prince published the biography Leonard Arrington and the Writing on Mormon History. Prince has been very active in various organizations, including as a board member of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, aimed at increasing empathy for LGBTQIA+ members within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as establishing an understanding of the biological causes of sexual orientation. In 2018, Prince contributed a chapter on sexual orientation and genetics to John H. Tyson's Homosexuality: A Conversion: How a Conservative Pastor Outgrew the Idea That Homosexuality is a Sin. Then, in 2019, Prince published the historical commentary Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences. Prince is married to JaLynn Rasmussen Prince. They have three children. In 2008, Gregory and JaLynn established the Madison House Autism Foundation, which is named after their son who has autism. This foundation, of which JaLynn R. Prince is the President, seeks to "promote, model and advocate for the full inclusion of adults with autism and their families".

Finding Aid

Online finding aid is available.
https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv01675

Location

University of Utah Libraries Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library University of Utah 295 South 1500 East Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0860
https://special@library.utah.edu

Tags

Ally | Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) | Author/editor