The George H. Brimhall Memorial Essay Contest was established to honor the founders of Brigham Young University as part of the university homecoming celebration.
The Brigham Young University Alumni Association was created in 1903 to promote and protect alumni relations and involvement with the University.
Although the Brigham Young University Alumni Association changed its name when Brigham Young Academy became a university, it had already existed alongside the Academy since 1893. During the years 1926-1938, it was generally known as the Associated Alumni of Brigham Young University. It has been an active member organization in the American Alumni Council since 1926. In 2009, the Alumni Association gave up its governing and fiduciary responsibilities and became an advisory body to the Department of Alumni Relations. Following is a list of its presidents: Joseph R. Murdock (1903-1904), Anthony C. Lund (1904-1905), Stephen L. Chipman (1905-1906), J. Will Knight (1906-1907), William E. Rydalch (1907-1908), Heber C. Jex (1908-1909), W. Lester Mangum (1909-1910), William E. Ryalen (1910-1911), Joseph B. Keller (1911-1912), Thomas N. Taylor (1912-1913), Edward H. Holt (1913-1915), Arthur Candland (1915-1916), R. Eugene Allen (1916-1919), Eugene L. Roberts (1919-1920), Henry Aldous Dixon (1920-1921), Herald R. Clark (1921-1922), Horace G. Merrill (1922-1923), Hugh M. Woodward (1923-1924), Edwin S. Hinckley (1924-1925), Oscar A. Kirkham (1925-1927), Richard R. Lyman (1927-1930), R. Leo Bird (1930-1933), Isaac E. Brockbank (1933-1935), Fred R. Hinckley (1935-1936), Earl J. Glade (1936-1938), Lynn S. Richards (1938-1938), J. Clifton Moffitt (1938-1939), Junius M. Jackson (1939-1940), Bryant S. Hinckley (1940-1941), George Albert Smith (1941-1942), Marion J. Greenwood (1942-1944), Don B. Colton (1944-1945), L. Weston Oaks (1945-1946), Harold R. Clark (1946-1947), Clyde D. Sandgren (1947-1951), Roy Broadbent (1951-1952), Wallace W. Brockbank (1952-1953), Raymond B. Holbrook (1953-1955), S. Lynn Richards (1955-1956), Grant Thorn (1956-1957), G. Robert Ruff (1957-1959), Clyde J. Summerhays (1957-1959), DaCosta Clark (1960-1961), E. Lamar Buckner (1961-1962), Sanford M. Bingham (1962-1963), Arch L. Madsen (1963-1964), Phillip V. Christensen (1964-1965), Harold H. Smith (1965-1967), William Sorensen (1967-1968), Howard C. Maycock (1968-1969), Ernest Ludlow Wilkinson (1969-1971), Don Alder (1971-1972), Fred L. Markham (1972-1973), Albert Choules, Jr. (1973-1974), Roy E. Christensen (1974-1975), Harold P. Christensen (1975-1976), Dr. John Zenger (1977-1978), Robert Thorn (1978-1979), Gloria Firmage (1979-1980), Howard Edwards (1980-1981), Nancy Rooker (1981-1982), John Stohlton (1982-1983), Paul Eckel (1983-1984), Kieth Merrill (1984-1985), Anna Marie Hales (1985-1986), David K. Udall (1986-1987), Steven R. Shallenberger (1987-1988), Richard Galbraith (1988-1989), Joan Peterson Fisher (1989-1990), David P. Forsyth (1990-1991), W. Kenneth Thiess (1991-1992), Dr. E. Bruce McIff (1992-1993), Dr. Glenna Cooper Boyce (1993-1995), Tom Hart (1995-1997), Paul E. Gilbert (1997-1999), Diana Peterson (1999-2000), Russell Booth (2000-2002), Brent Romney (2002-2004), Carr Krueger II (2004-2006), J. Craig McIlroy (2006-2008), Bruce Olsen (2008), Dee T. Allsop (2008-2010), and Chris Feinauer (2010- ).
The Alumni Association is dedicated to promoting the welfare of the University and to keeping alumni interest alive in the university. To achieve these goals, the Association has, over the years: organized alumni clubs; hosted events such as receptions, reunions, and parades; raised funds for scholarships, athletic programs, and campus housing projects; and sponsored student programs. Fundraising functions shifted over time, and the Alumni Association is no longer actively involved in fundraising efforts. In addition to these services, the Alumni Association was responsible for keeping records on alumni of the university. In 1963, the Association opened the Aspen Grove Family Camp, a popular family summer retreat for alumni and others. The Association has continued to run Aspen Grove, and has expanded it to include: marriage weekend getaways, fall family getaways, holiday family retreats, youth conferences, skiing trips, and business meetings or retreats. In 1964, the Alumni Association created the Cougar Club, an organization which offers benefits to its members, who donate money for athletic recruiting. The Alumni Association has also produced several publications. Through the sponsorship of the Alumni Association, the descendants of former Brigham Young University president George H. Brimhall honor the founders of Brigham Young University with the yearly Brimhall Essay Contest. The competition is designed to encourage high levels of scholarship among Brigham Young University students and promote their understanding and appreciation of Brigham Young University's mission and the legacy and challenges of its founders.
From the guide to the George H. Brimhall Memorial Essay Contest records, 2003-2012, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)
