Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Scholarship

The Utah Genealogical Association and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy are pleased to announce that essay entries for the Jimmy B. Parker Scholarship are now being accepted.

The scholarship recipient will receive full tuition to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2016.  The scholarship will be awarded to the individual whose essay and application reflect a commitment to genealogical excellence and community involvement. Past winners are Debra Hoffman of New Windsor, Maryland; Susan LeBlanc of Gladstone, Oregon; and Patti Gillespie of Decatur, Texas.

Since 2012, the Utah Genealogical Association has offered this scholarship in honor of Jimmy B. Parker, a Utah family historian and teacher of more than 50 years. He said, “Few things have greater impact on us in this life than knowing about our heritage—who we are, where we have come from, our culture, our ancestors.” The winning essay with be posted on this blog.

Applicants are asked to submit the following via email to sligdirector@ugagenealogy.org:

• A one page essay detailing how attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy will prepare you to give back to the genealogical community.
• A short biography or resume detailing your previous volunteer and research experience.
• The name of the course you hope to attend, and why.
• A letter of recommendation from someone who has benefitted from your volunteer service.

Essays and applications are due May 15, 2015, and the winner will be announced June 15. The winner will be chosen by a committee comprised of SLIG committee members and the family of the late Jimmy B. Parker.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy registration opens June 20, 2015 at 9:00 AM MST.

The following biographical information was provided by the Parker family:

Jimmy Parker was interested in Family History for over 50 years.  That interest led him to work for the LDS Church in the 1960's. In his long career, he did many different facets of Genealogical and Family History Work which included patron research and negotiating records to be microfilmed all over the United States and Canada.  He had major responsibilities in organizing and carrying out two World Conferences on Records, which were sponsored by the LDS Church, and he also pioneered a study to help with Native American Indian research, for which he had a great love.

Jimmy Parker received many awards and honors for his work in family history, but the most meaningful experiences that he had were those related to his teaching. Teaching was a big part of his life.  He was a school teacher in Idaho Falls before taking the position with the LDS church, and teaching was an ongoing thread which tied together his passion for teaching and his love of family history.

He taught at countless seminars, individual classes, at BYU Education Week, and much more.  He had a talent for being a friend to everyone, and had a great love for just about everyone he met. Helping people find out more about their heritage gave him great happiness.

A thought that came to him just before he found out he had cancer was this: "Few things have greater impact on us in this life than knowing about our heritage - who we are, where we have come from, our culture, our ancestors." He would be very pleased to see his legacy of furthering family history work carried forth by those who receive the SLIG scholarship, which is given in his name.  It is hoped that all who receive this scholarship will go forth to leave their own legacy of love and service.