BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 37 Issue 2 Article 2 4-1-1997 Youth and Beauty: The Correspondence of Hugh Nibley Boyd Petersen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Petersen, Boyd (1997) "Youth and Beauty: The Correspondence of Hugh Nibley," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 37 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol37/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Petersen: Youth and Beauty: The Correspondence of Hugh Nibley ice collcoul nodnon f d r iveIVC r iday m san m listiiseitse medla itelie r u aw consecration caicar ced against sore temptatioitemptation confronts us anresunres imas what I1 promise dc covenant order my lif Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 1997 1 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 37, Iss. 2 [1997], Art. 2 youth beauty correspondence hugh nibley personal letters written hugh nibley during youth show fundamentalthefundamental consistencconsistencyconsiconsistencestency bis personalityhispersonality style beliefs concerns andpenetratingpenetrating perceptions throughout lifetime boyd petersen sometime early part 1910 agnes sloan nibley attended salt lake temple middle difficult pregnancy likely went temple seeking peace comfort while president john R winder president temple first counselor president joseph FE smith approached asked give blessing blessing president winder spoke son sister nibley soon deliver stating accomplish important work march 27 year president winder died according nibley family story parting words president winder inquired whether sister nibley yet given birth son sig- nificantlynificantly nibleysNibleys son born very day honor president winder baby boy named hugh winder nibley 1 extraordinary introduction expect hugh nibley man extraordinary gifts indeed moreover I1 researched correspondence past seven years I1 decided extraordinary qualities hugh nibley remarkable consistency life words correspondence documents consistency between public private man beliefs sentiments opinions nibley stated books articles echoed personal letters further I1 discovered contrary what I1 expected little change style interests beliefs throughout lifetime letters nibley wrote youth BYU studies 37 2 19919971997987987 98 7 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol37/iss2/2 2 Petersen: Youth and Beauty: The Correspondence of Hugh Nibley 8 byustudiesBYU Studies erudite witty those written later years while letters written throughout life share youthful tone exu- berance reflect passion life learning ageless- ness correspondence remarkable I1 almost come suspect hugh nibley really born instead leapt fully formed head strangely dressed multilingual zeus spouting obscure poetry commenting phases moon biographical introduction readers books know hugh nibley grew oregon later southern california where attended los ange- les high school age seventeen called swiss german mission returning mission attended UCLA grad- uating summa cum laude 19541934 1938 received doctor- ate berkeley then taught claremont scrips pomona colleges prior service army during world war II11 joined army september 1942 served military intel- ligence european campaign following war worked editor improvement era where became ac- quainquaintedted elder john widtsoeWidtsoe 21 elder widtsoe urged nibley apply teaching position brigham young university wrote letter recommending him president univer- sity howard mcdonald elder widtsoe described hugh book worm first order probably annoy wife marries life coming home late night too late dinner sitting night books bottom letter added 1 I believe must keep man our use 1133 hugh took elder widtsoesWidtsoes advice accepted position assistant professor history religion BYU became man campus teaching language courses latin arabic greek russian hebrew old norse well courses early christianity ancient history ancient near eastern religion course book mormon elder widtsoe did concern hugh rec- ommendingommending him teach BYU marital status hugh Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 1997 3 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 37, Iss. 2 [1997], Art. 2 correspondence huehhugh nibley 9 thirty six year old bachelor letter close friend paul springer nibley described elder widtsoesWidtsoes prodding rising admonition brethren I1 get me espoused 1 I4 obedient end nibley told elder widtsoe 1 I marry first girl I1 met BYU 2151155 first days campus may 25 1946 hugh walked housing office where first young woman met phyllis draper receptionist 6 single en- counter hugh decided going marry phyllis whom later described mother delectable ever sensible 1173177 courted until august 18 popped question 8 couple married september 18 1946 whirl- wind courtship nibley quips thats why called byroobywoo I1 guess 199 hugh phyllis reared eight children house full books music guests ageless style young hugh nibley certainly precocious intel- lect wisdom self deprecating humility evident earli- est correspondence I1 found 1924 exchange between hugh grandfather charles W nibley then presiding bishop church birthday letter written hughs fourteenth birthday grandpa nibley praises hugh abilities same time warns him beware vanity think you gifted talented above many your fellows lord blessed you greatly surely you favored lord you must use your ability service humility faithfulness do ever allow yourself get big headed always humble always prayerful do forget pray I1 am going keep my eye you see what you do whether you going success whether make believe 10 hughs response grandfathers sober warning docu- ments hughs imaginative wit characteristic tendency draw parallels few things turn resemble what theyre cracked cleopatra irresistible moonlight egyp- tian sun scorched hideous map antony doubt turned little pale asked excused https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol37/iss2/2 4 Petersen: Youth and Beauty: The Correspondence of Hugh Nibley 10 byustudiesBYU Studies same hold true my case you werent exersiz ing your your stenographers imaginative ability birthday letter going awful shock unlike kind pro- duced lord mayor dublin joins shrinersshriversShriners getting bigheadedpigheadedbigheaded my case pin does big head unnecessary foolish although exceptions part pin none persons responding another grandpa bleysnibleysNi adulatory letters written occasion hughs seventeenth birthday hugh writes same vein accomplishments why do you suppose think efforts anything futile minces beginners greek book first steps german anglo saxon grammar schools how get big head easy lessons latin day passes what I1 am completely silenced urchin knows what every urchin should know I1 dont little arithmetic 12 hughs early letters erudite witty honest hallmarks later writing content those letters consis- tent later themes environment environmental movement certainly trendy logging camps pacific northwest 1925 neverthe- less nothing better illustrates fact hughs concerns interests remained consistent letter wrote mother age fifteen hugh spending summer working grandfathers nibley stoddard lumber company along banks feather river cromberg california since family business hugh probably felt obligated work own intellectual autobiography hugh states work mills ranches summer become seasonal tramps something did young man thing schoolboys do those halcyon days 13 however certainly enticed work mill uncontrol- lable sense adventure passionate love nature fifteen year olds chance go woods letter responding mothers plans him return home hugh Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 1997 5 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 37, Iss. 2 [1997], Art. 2 correspondence huehhugh nibley 11 writes ironic heart wrenching opportunity surrounded nature while witnessing participating destruction dear mother whats business coming home let me live par- adise while lasts I1 climbed jackson peak sunday I1 looked around I1 saw great graygreengray green expanse forest I1 expected hundreds miles rocks stubble broken here well thinned plains dry pines disap- pointing presence great patch woods what heaven look down onto blue tops those great cool firs know stronghold lives nature great family citadel flocked aliail hosts forest here cold green temple oozing dripping licentious profusprofusityity life I1 felt I1 trillion years old nothing seemed strange unusual badgers coons deer skunks porcupines snakes paid me passing glance went business unlogged tract within half hundred miles here five hundred million feet owned devil damn black shakespeare nibley stoddard lumber soon leveled desert streams dry leave sun sage brush snakes lizards 14 what nibley saw logging camp profoundly affected life 1985 film documentary faith observer conversations hugh W nibley hugh recounts story summer sawmill same disdain 15 delivered speech 1971s ASBYU lecture series hugh spoke another forest leveled grandfather my mission I1 visited glorious redwood grove near santa cruz california grove two thousand year old trees gone them left standing my own grandfather converted them cash grandfather took something priceless irreplaceable gave return few miles railroad ties 16 what I1 find notable hugh viewed grandfathers legacy wiping acres redwoods same contempt time happened did years later rein- terpterpretationretation facts reevaluation grandfathers legacy since teenage