The Mormon History Association Spring 2014 newsletter is now available, and we wanted to continue our tradition of highlighting its contents and announcements.

Registration is now open for the San Antonio conference (MHA’s 49th), expertly organized by Brian Cannon, and the lead story reminds us that there is a long history of church connections with Texas dating back to 1844 and continuing through the followers of Lyman Wight, missionary efforts in the 1850s, and vibrant local growth in the 20th century. The conference will take place at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk hotel, and self-guided tour maps will be available for those wanting to see the city on foot. There are still some seats open in the pre-conference tour to the Spanish Missions, and in the post-conference tour to the Wightite sites, state capitol at Austin, and LBJ locations.

Starting in July 2014, MHA welcomes its new executive directors, Debra J. and David B. Marsh of Sandy, Utah, who are profiled in this issue. Debbie is a professional genealogist and historian who will be defending her PhD dissertation at the University of Utah this summer on the Carthage mob. David is a longtime CES educator and church curriculum designer with degrees in psychology, family studies, and sociology of religion, currently working for the church’s Priesthood Department.

Calls for Papers and Upcoming Events, in order of their submission deadlines –

Sunstone Symposium, 30 July – 2 August 2014 (Salt Lake City) “Bridges and Byways: Traversing the Mormon Landscape.” First-round consideration deadline is 14 April 2014.

Utah Division of State History Annual Conference, 26 Sept 2014 (Leonardo Museum, SLC) “Utah Technology Through Time.” Proposal submission deadline is 22 April 2014.

Mormon Media Studies Conference will host a dual-format 2-day symposium on 17-18 October 2014 in Salt Lake City. Day 1 is academic in focus: “Mormons and Meaning: How Media Shapes Mormon Identities”(submission deadline 15 May 2014). Day 2 is for a more general church audience, “Hastening the Work: Using Media to Share the Gospel” (submission deadline 1 June 2014).

Save the date for MHA’s 50th anniversary conference, 4-7 June 2015 in Provo; the theme is “Mormon Cultures, Cultural Mormons.” See the newsletter for the complete CFP. The conference’s program committee co-chairs are Spencer Fluhman and yours truly, and it promises to be a milestone event worth planning ahead for! (I’m lobbying for a Green and Gold ball)… Submission deadline is 1 October 2014.

Lastly, and speaking of anniversaries, if you’re in Salt Lake this weekend and want more about some of the Mormon intellectuals profiled in the Tribune’s recent article on brainy faithful Mormons, check out the University of Utah’s Tanner Humanities Center symposium on April 11 and 12, marking the Center’s 25th anniversary. The event is titled “Faith and Reason, Conscience and Conflict: The Paths of Lowell Bennion, Sterling McMurrin, and Obert Tanner,” and it’s free and open to the public; Kathleen Flake will deliver the Sterling McMurrin Lecture on Religion and Culture as a keynote on Friday evening at the SLC Main Library, and the Saturday sessions will feature panels on the legacies of all three scholars.