Alan K. Parrish is a professor of religious education at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) who has written books and articles related to American education and

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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church), most notably a biography of

John A. Widtsoe John Andreas Widtsoe (; January 31, 1872 – November 29, 1952) was a Norwegian-American scientist, author, and religious leader who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church ...

. Parrish was born and raised in

Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 United States Census, 2020 census recorded the population at 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Ca ...

. He served in the Southwest British

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

of the LDS Church, based in

Bristol, England Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. After his mission he received a bachelor's degree and an MBA from

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

. After being in business for a short time he was recruited to work for the

Church Educational System The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...

beginning as a seminary teacher. He then taught institute adjacent to UCLA and served as bishop of the UCLA ward, while at the same time receiving an Ed.D. degree from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. From 1978 to 1984 Parrish was the director of the LDS Institute of Religion in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. In 1984 he joined the faculty of BYU.

Sources

*Dust Jacket bio attached to Biography of John A. Widtsoe *BYU bi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Alan K. Latter Day Saints from California American biographers American Mormon missionaries in England Brigham Young University faculty Church Educational System instructors Writers from Logan, Utah USC Rossier School of Education alumni Utah State University alumni 20th-century Mormon missionaries Living people Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Utah Year of birth missing (living people)