Funeral services were Saturday for noted LDS historian Stanley B. Kimball, 76, who died of cancer Thursday, May 15, 2003, in St. George.
Mr. Kimball's Utah roots go back to his great-great-grandfather, Heber C. Kimball, who became Brigham Young's first counselor just five months after settling in the Salt Lake Valley. Stanley Kimball took his heritage to heart and became a leading expert on the Mormon Trail, writing several books on the subject. One he contributed to was a Deseret News book, "111 Days to Zion," a Mormon Trail remembrance written with the News' Hal Knight.
He also wrote a biography of his great-great-grandfather that won the Mormon History Association Book Award in 1982. That same year, Mr. Kimball received a special commendation from the National Park Service for his work on the Mormon Pioneer Historic Trail.
In 1984, Mr. Kimball served as president of the Mormon History Association, and in 1992 was awarded the Grace Arrington Award for Mormon History Excellence.
Mr. Kimball was born Nov. 15, 1926, in Farmington. He served in World War II before attending the University of Denver and later Columbia University in New York City, where he taught as he earned his doctorate in East Central European history.
By 1959, Mr. Kimball and his wife, Violet M. Tew, settled in the St. Louis area. He taught at nearby Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville for 44 years. During the summers, Mr. Kimball taught at several other universities, including Brigham Young University in Provo. He moved to St. George in September 2001.
He is survived by his wife, four children and nine grandchildren.
Burial will be today at 4 p.m. at the Farmington City Cemetery.