__NOTOC__ Richard S. Van Wagoner (July 23, 1946 – October 10, 2010) was an American historian, audiologist, and author who published works on the history of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and the

history of the Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement within Christianity that arose during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century and that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called ''Mormonism'', and to the exi ...

Early life and education

Van Wagoner was a Lehi, Utah, native and a fifth-generation

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 severa ...

."Utah, LDS historian won acclaim"
''

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...

'', 2010-10-12. He was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

and was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

in the church's Central States

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

. In 1970, he graduated from

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-d ...

with an M.S. degree.

Career

He was trained as a clinical

audiologist Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , ''-logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing vario ...

and beginning in 1977 operated a hearing center in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. Van Wagoner wrote the books '' Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess'' and ''Mormon Polygamy: A History''.Michael DeGroote
"Richard Van Wagoner, historian, dies at 64"
'' Deseret News'', 2010-10-12. His 1994 biography of

Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (February 19, 1793 – July 14, 1876) was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Biography Early life Rigdon was born in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 1793. He was ...

won awards from the

Mormon History Association The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...

and the

John Whitmer Historical Association The John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) is an independent, nonprofit organization promoting study, research, and publishing about the history and culture of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is especially focused on the Community of Christ ...

. Van Wagoner was a member of the board of Signature Books, and was described after his death as a "trailblazer in Mormon studies", having published historical articles in ''

Utah Historical Quarterly Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

'', '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', and ''

Sunstone Sunstone is a microcline or oligoclase feldspar, which when viewed from certain directions exhibits a spangled appearance. It has been found in Southern Norway, Sweden, various United States localities and on some beaches along the midcoast of ...

''. He lived in Lehi, Utah, and acted as the town's historical archivist.

Personal life

From the early 1980s, Van Wagoner lost his hearing due to

otosclerosis Otosclerosis is a condition of the middle ear where portions of the dense enchondral layer of the bony labyrinth remodel into one or more lesions of irregularly-laid spongy bone. As the lesions reach the stapes the bone is resorbed, then har ...

; he received a

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech unde ...

in 2001, which partially restored his hearing. Van Wagoner died unexpectedly at his home in Lehi, Utah, at age 64.

Works

Books * * * * * * Articles * * * * * * * * * * * Sunstone Symposium presentations *Van Wagoner, Richard; Allen D. Roberts (August 27, 1982)
"From Grace to Grace"
*Bradley, Martha; Richard Van Wagoner (August 23, 1985)
"Changed Faces: LDS Positions on , 1890-1-80"
*Van Wagoner, Richard S.; Lynne Watkins Jorgensen (August 12, 1995)
"The Making of a Mormon Myth: The 1844 Transfiguration of Brigham Young - and - The Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Passes to Brother Brigham and the Twelve Apostles: A Collective Spiritual Witness"
*Van Wagoner, Richard S. (August 17, 1996)
"Sidney Rigdon and the Elect Sisterhood"
*Ehat, Andrew E.; Richard S. Van Wagoner (August 22, 1996)
"Pseudo-Polyandry: Explaining Mormon Polgyny's Paraboxical Companion"
*Van Wagoner, Richard; Breck England (August 23, 1996)
"Orson Pratt, Jr"

Notes

External links

The Richard S. Van Wagoner Papers
( J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah) {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Wagoner, Richard S. 1946 births 2010 deaths American historians Latter Day Saints from Utah Audiologists Deaf writers Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement American Latter Day Saint writers People from Lehi, Utah American Mormon missionaries in the United States Brigham Young University alumni Writers from Utah 20th-century Mormon missionaries American deaf people