180:
In 1972, the Church planned a new sixteen-volume sesquicentennial history to be published in 1980, and Cowan was commissioned to write about the 20th century. These contracts were all canceled in 1981, but Cowan still completed and published his volume as
71:
from 1953 to 1956. Cowan tells of one instance when he was able to use his braille scriptures to prove his gospel knowledge to another minister. On his mission, he met Dawn
Houghton, which he later married, and decided to teach religion at
119:
Beginning in 1961, Cowan was a professor of Church
History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. Cowan received BYU’s professor of the year award in 1965. He has taught at the
142:
closely. He attended the dedication in 1972 and was moved by the proceedings. He wrote some of his memories of the time and compiled other people's memories into his 2015 book
437:
770:
174:
383:
492:
800:
399:
188:
From 1981 to 1993, Cowan served as the chair of the committee in charge of preparing Gospel
Doctrine lessons for the Church. Among his books are
423:
166:
56:
20:
517:
346:
805:
785:
463:
795:
765:
135:
Cowan has focused a good portion of his scholarship on temples and has been sought out by the media and academics for his expertise.
780:
220:. He wrote the article on the history of the Church from 1945 until 1990 (or basically as recent as he could at the time) for the
775:
835:
596:
27:(BYU). He was one of the longest-serving BYU faculty and the longest-serving member of the Church History Department ever.
830:
820:
815:
825:
689:
647:
568:
370:
324:
438:"Scholars, senior missionaries and community members gather for the Mormon Pacific Historical Society Conference"
226:. He also wrote the articles for History of Temples, Missionary Training Centers, Branch, and Branch President.
790:
312:
105:
560:
745:
162:
222:
726:
274:
208:, which covered about the same topic but was written 15 years later. He also co-wrote a book with
73:
24:
52:
810:
170:
718:
316:
303:
554:
267:"The Worldwide Evacuation of Latter-day Saint Missionaries at the Beginning of World War II"
760:
550:
120:
108:
60:
40:
8:
101:
623:
615:
89:
400:"Salt Lake Temple renovation reaches 'hardest stage' with work on foundation underway"
235:
The
Mormons: An Illustrated History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
695:
685:
627:
564:
417:
364:
320:
139:
464:"Kirtland temple ownership not 'us versus them' for LDS Church, Community of Christ"
673:
605:
209:
85:
230:
591:
669:
262:
213:
93:
111:, selected as one of four visually handicapped students in the United States.
754:
699:
153:
Among other positions in the Church, Cowan has served as a stake patriarch.
681:
266:
655:
36:
740:
619:
592:"Career Apostates: Reflections on the Works of Jerald and Sandra Tanner"
518:"Provo temple reaches 50-year anniversary with plans for reconstruction"
23:(LDS Church) and a former professor in the Church History Department of
124:
68:
51:
Halfway through his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Cowan served a
610:
493:"LDS Church celebrates 50 years of Provo Utah Temple, remodel coming"
201:
398:
Williams, Carter; Sept. 30, KSL com | Posted-; P.m, 2020 at 12:15.
212:
about the international church. Cowan, along with Cannon and
97:
64:
43:
since birth, and by 2000, he had lost nearly all vision.
194:
California Saints, A 150-year Legacy in the Golden State
648:"Sesquicentennial History - Volumes and Current Status"
387:
article about a book published in honor of Cowan’s work
240:
In 2015, BYU’s
Religious Studies Center published his
123:
and in the spring of 2007 was a visiting professor at
302:
771:American Mormon missionaries in the United States
300:
752:
589:
229:He was a co-editor with John P. Livingstone and
668:
397:
261:
167:the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
57:the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
21:the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
311:(Revised ed.). Provo, Utah: Young House,
309:Doctrine & Covenants: Our Modern Scripture
801:Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement
741:Faculty page at the BYU College of Religion
422:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
609:
549:
716:
678:Encyclopedia of Latter-Day Saint History
218:Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History
515:
347:"Richard Cowan: Man of Uncommon Vision"
344:
138:Cowan followed the construction of the
100:in 1961 in American History, both from
753:
104:. In 1959, he received an award from
597:Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
46:
487:
485:
483:
461:
340:
338:
336:
296:
294:
292:
290:
717:Zawrotny, B. Robert (Summer 1994).
198:The Church in the Twentieth Century
183:The Church in the Twentieth Century
148:
13:
676:; Cowan, Richard O., eds. (2000).
63:, among the Mexican immigrants in
14:
847:
806:Latter Day Saints from California
786:American male non-fiction writers
734:
480:
333:
287:
796:Brigham Young University faculty
766:20th-century Mormon missionaries
590:Foster, Lawrence (Summer 1984).
556:Adventures of a Church Historian
345:Gardner, Cynthia M. (Jan 1988).
216:, was one of the editors of the
781:American historians of religion
662:
640:
583:
543:
534:
127:. He retired from BYU in 2015.
39:. He is legally blind, having
776:American expatriates in Israel
509:
455:
430:
391:
377:
313:Brigham Young University Press
254:
19:(born 1934) is a historian of
1:
746:Author's page at Deseret Book
710:
516:Richael, Allie (2022-02-18).
369:: CS1 maint: date and year (
836:Blind scholars and academics
719:"Following Beacons of Light"
561:University of Illinois Press
462:Cain, Eleanor (2018-03-27).
206:The Latter-day Saint Century
79:
30:
7:
351:www.churchofjesuschrist.org
273:. . Department of History,
156:
10:
852:
831:Historians from California
821:Stanford University alumni
654:. May 1997. Archived from
301:Cowan, Richard O. (1978).
169:from 1978 to 1980, on the
130:
816:Occidental College alumni
223:Encyclopedia of Mormonism
114:
92:in 1958. He received an
826:Writers from Los Angeles
680:. Salt Lake City, Utah:
540:Canadian Mormons, p. 127
275:Brigham Young University
271:Theses and Dissertations
247:
190:Temples to Dot the Earth
88:in political science at
74:Brigham Young University
59:in the Spanish-American
25:Brigham Young University
161:Cowan helped write the
171:Doctrine and Covenants
791:American blind people
563:. pp. 165, 173.
551:Arrington, Leonard J.
237:, published in 2013.
144:Provo's Two Temples.
121:BYU Jerusalem Center
109:Dwight D. Eisenhower
41:retinitis pigmentosa
35:Cowan was raised in
658:on January 4, 2001.
242:Provo's Two Temples
102:Stanford University
84:Cowan received his
17:Richard Olsen Cowan
522:The Daily Universe
468:The Daily Universe
304:"About the Author"
90:Occidental College
47:Missionary Service
674:Cannon, Donald Q.
260:Middle name from
200:(Salt Lake City:
140:Provo Utah Temple
843:
730:
704:
703:
666:
660:
659:
644:
638:
637:
635:
634:
613:
611:10.2307/45225254
587:
581:
580:
578:
577:
547:
541:
538:
532:
531:
529:
528:
513:
507:
506:
504:
503:
489:
478:
477:
475:
474:
459:
453:
452:
450:
449:
434:
428:
427:
421:
413:
411:
410:
395:
389:
381:
375:
374:
368:
360:
358:
357:
342:
331:
330:
306:
298:
285:
284:
282:
281:
258:
210:Donald Q. Cannon
149:Church positions
86:Bachelor of Arts
851:
850:
846:
845:
844:
842:
841:
840:
751:
750:
737:
713:
708:
707:
692:
670:Garr, Arnold K.
667:
663:
646:
645:
641:
632:
630:
588:
584:
575:
573:
571:
548:
544:
539:
535:
526:
524:
514:
510:
501:
499:
497:heraldextra.com
491:
490:
481:
472:
470:
460:
456:
447:
445:
442:BYUH Ke Alaka'i
436:
435:
431:
415:
414:
408:
406:
396:
392:
382:
378:
362:
361:
355:
353:
343:
334:
327:
299:
288:
279:
277:
265:(August 1981).
263:Boone, David F.
259:
255:
250:
231:Craig J. Ostler
159:
151:
133:
117:
82:
49:
33:
12:
11:
5:
849:
839:
838:
833:
828:
823:
818:
813:
808:
803:
798:
793:
788:
783:
778:
773:
768:
763:
749:
748:
743:
736:
735:External links
733:
732:
731:
712:
709:
706:
705:
690:
661:
639:
582:
569:
542:
533:
508:
479:
454:
429:
390:
376:
332:
325:
286:
252:
251:
249:
246:
214:Arnold K. Garr
158:
155:
150:
147:
132:
129:
116:
113:
96:in 1959 and a
81:
78:
48:
45:
32:
29:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
848:
837:
834:
832:
829:
827:
824:
822:
819:
817:
814:
812:
811:Living people
809:
807:
804:
802:
799:
797:
794:
792:
789:
787:
784:
782:
779:
777:
774:
772:
769:
767:
764:
762:
759:
758:
756:
747:
744:
742:
739:
738:
728:
724:
720:
715:
714:
701:
697:
693:
691:1-57345-822-8
687:
683:
679:
675:
671:
665:
657:
653:
652:LDS-Bookshelf
649:
643:
629:
625:
621:
617:
612:
607:
603:
599:
598:
593:
586:
572:
570:0-252-02381-1
566:
562:
558:
557:
552:
546:
537:
523:
519:
512:
498:
494:
488:
486:
484:
469:
465:
458:
443:
439:
433:
425:
419:
405:
401:
394:
388:
386:
380:
372:
366:
352:
348:
341:
339:
337:
328:
326:0-8425-1316-7
322:
318:
314:
310:
305:
297:
295:
293:
291:
276:
272:
268:
264:
257:
253:
245:
243:
238:
236:
232:
227:
225:
224:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
186:
184:
178:
176:
172:
168:
164:
163:Sunday School
154:
146:
145:
141:
136:
128:
126:
122:
112:
110:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
77:
75:
70:
66:
62:
58:
54:
44:
42:
38:
28:
26:
22:
18:
723:BYU Magazine
722:
682:Deseret Book
677:
664:
656:the original
651:
642:
631:. Retrieved
601:
595:
585:
574:. Retrieved
555:
545:
536:
525:. Retrieved
521:
511:
500:. Retrieved
496:
471:. Retrieved
467:
457:
446:. Retrieved
444:. 2020-02-18
441:
432:
407:. Retrieved
403:
393:
385:Deseret News
384:
379:
354:. Retrieved
350:
308:
278:. Retrieved
270:
256:
241:
239:
234:
228:
221:
217:
205:
197:
193:
189:
187:
182:
179:
160:
152:
143:
137:
134:
118:
83:
50:
34:
16:
15:
761:1935 births
404:www.ksl.com
315:. pp.
175:LDS history
165:manual for
37:Los Angeles
755:Categories
711:References
633:2009-12-30
576:2010-01-17
559:. Urbana:
527:2022-05-28
502:2022-05-28
473:2022-05-28
448:2022-05-28
409:2022-05-28
356:2022-05-28
280:2016-02-09
125:BYU-Hawaii
69:New Mexico
628:254403678
604:(2): 45.
204:, 1985);
202:Bookcraft
185:in 1985.
106:President
80:Education
31:Biography
700:44634356
620:45225254
553:(1998).
418:cite web
365:cite web
192:(1997),
157:Writings
131:Temples
61:mission
53:mission
698:
688:
626:
618:
567:
323:
317:225–26
244:book.
115:Career
624:S2CID
616:JSTOR
248:Notes
98:Ph.D.
65:Texas
696:OCLC
686:ISBN
565:ISBN
424:link
371:link
321:ISBN
173:and
94:M.A.
67:and
55:for
727:BYU
606:doi
233:of
757::
725:.
721:.
694:.
684:.
672:;
650:.
622:.
614:.
602:17
600:.
594:.
520:.
495:.
482:^
466:.
440:.
420:}}
416:{{
402:.
367:}}
363:{{
349:.
335:^
319:.
307:.
289:^
269:.
196:;
177:.
76:.
729:.
702:.
636:.
608::
579:.
530:.
505:.
476:.
451:.
426:)
412:.
373:)
359:.
329:.
283:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.