SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah’s College of Humanities has appointed Paul Reeve, a professor of history, as the first Simmons Mormon Studies professor.
Reeve, who received his doctorate in history from the U., teaches courses on Utah history, Mormon history and the history of the Western U.S. His most recent book, “Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness,” received the Mormon History Association’s Best Book Award, the John Whitmer Historical Association’s Smith-Pettit Best Book Award and the Utah State Historical Society’s Francis Armstrong Madsen Best History Book Award.
“I am honored to hold the Simmons Mormon Studies professorship and am especially pleased for what it means for the progression of Mormon studies at the U.,” Reeve said in a statement. “The professorship elevates the status of an already strong Mormon Studies initiative and helps to solidify the U.’s position as a leader in the field.”
The appointment will allow Reeve to continue his research and begin a new digital history project, “A Century of Black Mormons.” The project seeks to build a digital database that names all identifiable black Mormons baptized into the faith between 1830 and 1930, and document their existence through primary source research. The database will become publicly available, including the primary source documentation.
In many regards, the digital project is a spinoff from of his book “Religion of a Different Color,” which documents the lives of early black LDS Church priesthood holders and other black pioneers.
Reeve’s professorship is made possible by the David E. and Melinda K. Simmons Foundation.