Uncle Gene was born in Logan, Utah while his father was attending USU. The family then moved to Downey, Idaho where his father taught school and bought a farm from his father-in-law, Jacob L. Hartvigsen. When his father was also the LDS Seminary principal in Downey, Idaho. His supervisor, who had come to observe, came to the home for dinner. Gene's mother was holding his sister, Ann, and getting dinner ready. Gene proceeded to empty the bookcase in order to get attention.
He was a typical older brother who loved to tease. One time he threw his sister, Ann's, dolls over the picket fence and told her that the dogs were going to eat them. She was soon in hysterics. In climbing over the fence to retrieve the dolls, he slipped and fell on a picket. There was a lump on his tongue and blood in his mouth. His father thought that the picket had gone all the way through. But Gene had been chewing a piece of bread and had only bitten his tongue.
The family moved to Salt Lake City when Gene was 12. Gene was very talented and would perform the child's parts in East High School's plays. His father rented out the farm and became very wealthy buying and selling real estate in the Salt Lake Valley.
The farm was eventually sold to Gene's brother in law Duane Barker and is now owned by the Barkers.
Gene attended East High School. He excelled academically, debated, and played the piano well and was taught by the best piano teacher in Salt Lake City--until he decided he liked basketball better. At East High School he met his future wife, Charlotte Hawkins, in Seminary. She was dating his best friend. When they broke up, Gene began dating Charlotte.
His father had a new car every other year and Gene would often drive the Cadillac to school. He wore the nicest slacks and didn't get into the Levi culture until he went to the U of U.
He married Charlotte in 1953 and they were called to the Samoan Mission. Gene became very ill with blood poisoning and was healed by the faith of the Samoan people. Those humble people had a lasting influence on him. Gene and Charlotte were transferred to the Hawaiian Mission where his daughter Katherine was born in 1956.
His daughter Jody was born while he was finishing his bachelors degree at the U of U in 1958. He graduated with one of the highest grade point averages ever achieved at the university. He had a double major in English and Math.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force and moved his family to Massachusetts where his son Mark was born. There he studied meteorology at MIT.
He served as a meteorologist in Victorville, California for two years. There his daughter Jennifer was born.
He entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Scholarship. In 1966, while at Stanford, Gene and fellow academic Wesley Johnson started "Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought". His daughters Rebecca and Jane were born in California.
After graduating from Stanford University with a Ph.D., Gene taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College in Northfield, Minnesota where he was Dean of Academic Affairs.
He then moved to Kaysville, Utah; taught at the U of U's LDS Institute of Religion, and worked for Leonard Arrington at the LDS Church Archives.
Finally Gene was able to land a professorship at BYU where he taught for 22 years. While there he took many Study Abroad students to London, England.
Gene was present at the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and from 1982 to 1985 he was involved in the Food for Poland Drive.
He authored countless books and articles and was a poet. His bibliography covered 4 single spaced pages.
In 1998 when Gene retired from BYU, UVSC {UVU} named him its Writer in Residence where he created the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture.
He was teaching there at the time of his death from complications of brain cancer.
He was a typical older brother who loved to tease. One time he threw his sister, Ann's, dolls over the picket fence and told her that the dogs were going to eat them. She was soon in hysterics. In climbing over the fence to retrieve the dolls, he slipped and fell on a picket. There was a lump on his tongue and blood in his mouth. His father thought that the picket had gone all the way through. But Gene had been chewing a piece of bread and had only bitten his tongue.
The family moved to Salt Lake City when Gene was 12. Gene was very talented and would perform the child's parts in East High School's plays. His father rented out the farm and became very wealthy buying and selling real estate in the Salt Lake Valley.
The farm was eventually sold to Gene's brother in law Duane Barker and is now owned by the Barkers.
Gene attended East High School. He excelled academically, debated, and played the piano well and was taught by the best piano teacher in Salt Lake City--until he decided he liked basketball better. At East High School he met his future wife, Charlotte Hawkins, in Seminary. She was dating his best friend. When they broke up, Gene began dating Charlotte.
His father had a new car every other year and Gene would often drive the Cadillac to school. He wore the nicest slacks and didn't get into the Levi culture until he went to the U of U.
He married Charlotte in 1953 and they were called to the Samoan Mission. Gene became very ill with blood poisoning and was healed by the faith of the Samoan people. Those humble people had a lasting influence on him. Gene and Charlotte were transferred to the Hawaiian Mission where his daughter Katherine was born in 1956.
His daughter Jody was born while he was finishing his bachelors degree at the U of U in 1958. He graduated with one of the highest grade point averages ever achieved at the university. He had a double major in English and Math.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force and moved his family to Massachusetts where his son Mark was born. There he studied meteorology at MIT.
He served as a meteorologist in Victorville, California for two years. There his daughter Jennifer was born.
He entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Scholarship. In 1966, while at Stanford, Gene and fellow academic Wesley Johnson started "Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought". His daughters Rebecca and Jane were born in California.
After graduating from Stanford University with a Ph.D., Gene taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College in Northfield, Minnesota where he was Dean of Academic Affairs.
He then moved to Kaysville, Utah; taught at the U of U's LDS Institute of Religion, and worked for Leonard Arrington at the LDS Church Archives.
Finally Gene was able to land a professorship at BYU where he taught for 22 years. While there he took many Study Abroad students to London, England.
Gene was present at the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and from 1982 to 1985 he was involved in the Food for Poland Drive.
He authored countless books and articles and was a poet. His bibliography covered 4 single spaced pages.
In 1998 when Gene retired from BYU, UVSC {UVU} named him its Writer in Residence where he created the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture.
He was teaching there at the time of his death from complications of brain cancer.
Uncle Gene was born in Logan, Utah while his father was attending USU. The family then moved to Downey, Idaho where his father taught school and bought a farm from his father-in-law, Jacob L. Hartvigsen. When his father was also the LDS Seminary principal in Downey, Idaho. His supervisor, who had come to observe, came to the home for dinner. Gene's mother was holding his sister, Ann, and getting dinner ready. Gene proceeded to empty the bookcase in order to get attention.
He was a typical older brother who loved to tease. One time he threw his sister, Ann's, dolls over the picket fence and told her that the dogs were going to eat them. She was soon in hysterics. In climbing over the fence to retrieve the dolls, he slipped and fell on a picket. There was a lump on his tongue and blood in his mouth. His father thought that the picket had gone all the way through. But Gene had been chewing a piece of bread and had only bitten his tongue.
The family moved to Salt Lake City when Gene was 12. Gene was very talented and would perform the child's parts in East High School's plays. His father rented out the farm and became very wealthy buying and selling real estate in the Salt Lake Valley.
The farm was eventually sold to Gene's brother in law Duane Barker and is now owned by the Barkers.
Gene attended East High School. He excelled academically, debated, and played the piano well and was taught by the best piano teacher in Salt Lake City--until he decided he liked basketball better. At East High School he met his future wife, Charlotte Hawkins, in Seminary. She was dating his best friend. When they broke up, Gene began dating Charlotte.
His father had a new car every other year and Gene would often drive the Cadillac to school. He wore the nicest slacks and didn't get into the Levi culture until he went to the U of U.
He married Charlotte in 1953 and they were called to the Samoan Mission. Gene became very ill with blood poisoning and was healed by the faith of the Samoan people. Those humble people had a lasting influence on him. Gene and Charlotte were transferred to the Hawaiian Mission where his daughter Katherine was born in 1956.
His daughter Jody was born while he was finishing his bachelors degree at the U of U in 1958. He graduated with one of the highest grade point averages ever achieved at the university. He had a double major in English and Math.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force and moved his family to Massachusetts where his son Mark was born. There he studied meteorology at MIT.
He served as a meteorologist in Victorville, California for two years. There his daughter Jennifer was born.
He entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Scholarship. In 1966, while at Stanford, Gene and fellow academic Wesley Johnson started "Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought". His daughters Rebecca and Jane were born in California.
After graduating from Stanford University with a Ph.D., Gene taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College in Northfield, Minnesota where he was Dean of Academic Affairs.
He then moved to Kaysville, Utah; taught at the U of U's LDS Institute of Religion, and worked for Leonard Arrington at the LDS Church Archives.
Finally Gene was able to land a professorship at BYU where he taught for 22 years. While there he took many Study Abroad students to London, England.
Gene was present at the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and from 1982 to 1985 he was involved in the Food for Poland Drive.
He authored countless books and articles and was a poet. His bibliography covered 4 single spaced pages.
In 1998 when Gene retired from BYU, UVSC {UVU} named him its Writer in Residence where he created the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture.
He was teaching there at the time of his death from complications of brain cancer.
He was a typical older brother who loved to tease. One time he threw his sister, Ann's, dolls over the picket fence and told her that the dogs were going to eat them. She was soon in hysterics. In climbing over the fence to retrieve the dolls, he slipped and fell on a picket. There was a lump on his tongue and blood in his mouth. His father thought that the picket had gone all the way through. But Gene had been chewing a piece of bread and had only bitten his tongue.
The family moved to Salt Lake City when Gene was 12. Gene was very talented and would perform the child's parts in East High School's plays. His father rented out the farm and became very wealthy buying and selling real estate in the Salt Lake Valley.
The farm was eventually sold to Gene's brother in law Duane Barker and is now owned by the Barkers.
Gene attended East High School. He excelled academically, debated, and played the piano well and was taught by the best piano teacher in Salt Lake City--until he decided he liked basketball better. At East High School he met his future wife, Charlotte Hawkins, in Seminary. She was dating his best friend. When they broke up, Gene began dating Charlotte.
His father had a new car every other year and Gene would often drive the Cadillac to school. He wore the nicest slacks and didn't get into the Levi culture until he went to the U of U.
He married Charlotte in 1953 and they were called to the Samoan Mission. Gene became very ill with blood poisoning and was healed by the faith of the Samoan people. Those humble people had a lasting influence on him. Gene and Charlotte were transferred to the Hawaiian Mission where his daughter Katherine was born in 1956.
His daughter Jody was born while he was finishing his bachelors degree at the U of U in 1958. He graduated with one of the highest grade point averages ever achieved at the university. He had a double major in English and Math.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force and moved his family to Massachusetts where his son Mark was born. There he studied meteorology at MIT.
He served as a meteorologist in Victorville, California for two years. There his daughter Jennifer was born.
He entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Scholarship. In 1966, while at Stanford, Gene and fellow academic Wesley Johnson started "Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought". His daughters Rebecca and Jane were born in California.
After graduating from Stanford University with a Ph.D., Gene taught at St. Olaf Lutheran College in Northfield, Minnesota where he was Dean of Academic Affairs.
He then moved to Kaysville, Utah; taught at the U of U's LDS Institute of Religion, and worked for Leonard Arrington at the LDS Church Archives.
Finally Gene was able to land a professorship at BYU where he taught for 22 years. While there he took many Study Abroad students to London, England.
Gene was present at the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and from 1982 to 1985 he was involved in the Food for Poland Drive.
He authored countless books and articles and was a poet. His bibliography covered 4 single spaced pages.
In 1998 when Gene retired from BYU, UVSC {UVU} named him its Writer in Residence where he created the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture.
He was teaching there at the time of his death from complications of brain cancer.
