Arrington Writing Award Winners Announced at Utah State University

Winners of the Arrington Writing Award have been announced. The award is presented in conjunction with the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture at Utah State University.

The first place winner and recipient of a $1,000 prize is Laura Newton of Logan. The $500 second place award was earned by Joshua Booth of Ogden. Newton and Booth are history majors at USU.

 

Last fall, students from the Intermountain region were invited to attend the Arrington Lecture and submit an appropriate essay based on a presentation by Tom Alexander, “Brigham Young, the Council of the Twelve, and the Latter-day Saint Investigation of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.”

 

Students were invited to submit a 2,500 word essay related to the lecture in an expository, persuasive or reflective writing style. A minimum of two outside research sources were to be used, with an included bibliography.

 

The awards were presented at a recent Friends of the Merrill-Cazier Library event.

 

Newton is a transfer student from the University of Memphis and has attended Utah State since spring 2005. She is a senior.

 

“Since I am a 29-year-old married mother of three boys, I do not get the opportunity to get involved much in campus life,” Newton said. “But, I do volunteer weekly at Adams Elementary School.”

 

Newton was unable to attend the award ceremony — she gave birth to her third son two hours before the ceremony.

 

Booth will graduate with a history degree this semester, with a minor in political science. He will attend William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Va., this fall.

 

The Arrington Writing Award will again be offered next fall. The 13^th Annual Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture will feature William A. Wilson, professor emeritus, Brigham Young University. The date of the lecture has not been set.

 

The writing award is funded by the Leonard J. Arrington Foundation and Utah State University.

 

Contact: Brad Cole (435) 797-8268