Each year the descendants of former Brigham Young University president George H. Brimhall honor the founders of the university by sponsoring the Brimhall Essay Contest. Held in conjunction with the university's Homecoming celebrations, the contest is designed to introduce students to the individuals who have helped to shape Brigham Young University’s unique institutional character.

The L. Tom Perry Special Collections preserves and makes available a range of manuscript and archival resources documenting the contributions of the university's founders. A bibliography of related materials is available below. If you would like to learn more about the resources available for this year's founder, contact the University Archivist.

Archival Materials

• Jane Thompson papers (UA 5663; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/9915)

• Jane Thompson life sketch (MSS SC 2967; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/1268)

• Program Bureau records (UA 518; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/8322)

• Program Bureau files in the Office of the President records (UA 1086), including:

  • Program Bureau and public service, tour logs, correspondence, and memos, 1951-1956 (UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 47 File 27; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/231746)

  • Program Bureau, reports, leaflet, brochures, news clippings, correspondence, and memos, 1952-1955 (UA 1086 Series 1 Sub-Series 47 File 22; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/231741)

  • Program Bureau, correspondence, memos, policy and procedures, itineraries, 1969 (UA 1086 Series 12 Sub-Series 2 File 93; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/242765)

  • Program Bureau booklet, correspondence, memos, news clippings, 1970 (UA 1086 Series 13 Sub-Series 2 File 209; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/244433)

  • Program Bureau correspondence and memos, 1971 (UA 1086 Series 14 Sub-Series 7 File 62; http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/246435)

Publications

• Banyan student yearbook

  • "Student Program Bureau," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1953): 157, https://archive.org/details/banyan1953brig/page/156/mode/2up

  • "Graduates," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1953): 337, https://archive.org/details/banyan1953brig/page/336/mode/2up

  • "Student Program Bureau," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1956): 197, https://archive.org/details/banyan1956brig/page/196/mode/2up

  • "Program Bureau Captivates the World with Enthusiasm," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1969): 98-101, https://archive.org/details/banyan55brig/page/98/mode/2up

  • "Program Bureau," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1972): 358-359, https://archive.org/details/banyan58brig/page/358/mode/2up

  • "Lamanite Generation," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1972): 126-127, https://archive.org/details/banyan60brig/page/126/mode/2up

  • "Twenty Years of Entertainment... Program Bureau," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1975): 110-111, https://archive.org/details/banyan61brig/page/110/mode/2up

  • "'A Group Concerned About Each Other'... The Lamanite Generation," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1975): 116-117, https://archive.org/details/banyan61brig/page/116/mode/2up

  • "Spreading Happiness to Children," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1975): 120-121, https://archive.org/details/banyan61brig/page/120/mode/2up

  • "Frolics!" in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1976): 56-57, https://archive.org/details/banyan62brig/page/56/mode/2up

  • "Program Bureau Directors," in Banyan (Provo, Utah: Associated Students of Brigham Young University, 1976): 91, https://archive.org/details/banyan62brig/page/90/mode/2up

• Student newspapers

  • The Program Bureau, Lamanite Generation, and other performing groups are often referenced in the university's student newspapers. Search results in these publications are available for the name Janie Thompson (https://archive.org/details/byustudentnewspapers?query=%22janie+thompson%22&sin=TXT), and Jane Thompson (https://archive.org/details/byustudentnewspapers?query=%22jane+thompson%22&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=collection%3A%22byustudentnewspapers%22).

Secondary Sources

• Betsy Lee Bailey, "Memories of Aunt Janie," The Music of Betsy Lee Bailey, November 19, 2013, https://www.betsyleebaileymusic.com/my-musical-musings/memories-of-aunt-janie

• Tom Boyd, "Founder of Living Legends and Young Ambassadors Passes Away," Daily Universe, June 7, 2013, https://universe.byu.edu/2013/06/07/1founder-of-living-legends-and-the-young-ambassadors-passes-away/

• Barbara Christiansen, "Living Legends Creator Janie Thompson Dies at 91," Daily Herald, June 4, 2013, https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/living-legends-creator-janie-thompson-dies-at-91/article_5788932a-ca0b-5306-88b4-b2e1bf404ebf.html

• Emma Penrod, "BYU legend Janie Thompson Launched Careers, Touched Lives as Founder of Young Ambassadors, Lamanite Generation," Deseret News, June 8, 2013, https://www.deseret.com/2013/6/8/20520946/byu-legend-janie-thompson-launched-careers-touched-lives-as-founder-of-young-ambassadors-lamanite-ge#bernie-berrett-tells-a-story-during-a-memorial-service-for-janie-thompson-the-founder-of-byus-internationally-touring-young-ambassadors-at-the-byu-multi-stake-center-in-provo-on-saturday-june-8-2013

• Celeste Tholen Rosenlof, "Young Ambassadors Founder, Performer Dies," KSL, June 1, 2013, https://www.ksl.com/article/25427913

• Ernest L. Wilkinson, ed. Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1975): 363-370, https://archive.org/details/brighamyounguniv04wilk/page/362/mode/2up

• Charlene Renberg Winters, "Janie Thompson to Headline at Homecoming ’99," Brigham Young Magazine, Fall 1999, https://magazine.byu.edu/article/janie-thompson-to-headline-at-homecoming-99/

• Thomas Zimmerman, "A History of the Program Bureau at Brigham Young University" (Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1975), https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub/248/