Karl Egbert Young (1903–1990) was a professor of English and related subjects at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) who wrote several books, primarily dealing with the Mormon colonies in northern Mexico and the flight of these colonists back to the United States in 1912. Young was born in

Vernal, Utah Vernal, the county seat and largest city in Uintah County is in northeastern Utah, approximately east of Salt Lake City and west of the Colorado border. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,089. The population has since grown to ...

to Francis Marion Young and his wife the former Anna Genevra Egbert. His father was a son of Lorenzo Dow Young, who was a brother of

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

. Shortly after Young was born his parents became missionaries for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

in Samoa, where they lived with Karl and his sister. Young received a bachelor's degree in French from the Utah State Agricultural College (now

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

), then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

for a short time before going to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

. In 1930 Young joined the faculty of BYU as a teacher of French and English. He was a member of the BYU faculty for 41 years, being the head coordinator of the Freshman English Program for 25 years and head of BYU's English as a second language program for 5 years. Young also conducted various studies of

Native American culture Native American cultures across the United States are notable for their wide variety and diversity of lifestyles, regalia, art forms and beliefs. The culture of indigenous North America is usually defined by the concept of the Pre-Columbian ...

. Young also studied

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

and Utah folklore. He was one of the contributing authors to Thomas E. Cheney's 1971 volume ''Lore of Faith and Folly''.

Publications

*"Winter Feasts at San Ildefonso" in ''BYU Studies'', Vol. 6 (1965) vo. 2, p. 93. *''The Long Hot Summer of 1912'' First Book in the Merrill Monograph Series published by BYU Press. *''Charles Redd: Profile of the Renasaince Man as a Rancher'' *''Ordeal in Mexico'' published by ''Deseret Book'', 1968.

References

Sources

Thomas J. Schaeper and Kathleen Schaeper. ''Rhodes Scholars, Oxford and the Creation of an American Elite''. p. 368Mormon Literature Database entry for Karl E. Young
* Ernest L. Wilkinson and

Leonard J. Arrington Leonard James Arrington (July 2, 1917 – February 11, 1999) was an American author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his man ...

, ed., ''Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years'' (Provo: BYU Press, 1975) p. 583.
Archival Materials relating to Karl E. Young

L. Tom Perry Special Collections The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...

Harold B. Lee Library The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gran ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Karl W. 1903 births Utah State University alumni Harvard University alumni American Rhodes Scholars Brigham Young University faculty 1990 deaths People from Vernal, Utah