Historian to speak at U. rites and at Tabernacle

Connecting people with the past was one of Larry H. Miller's greatest desires.

"He believed that if we really understand how this country was formed, the sacrifice that was paid, the miraculous events surrounding the coming together of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, he believed that if people had that, especially kids in the classroom today, that it would really change their perspective on life," said Steve Starks, vice president of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.

With the help of world-renowned author, educator and friend David McCullough, Miller developed the Education Project, which aims to put Utah educators in the path of history, learning exactly what happened as America was founded. A similar effort was being made in McCullough's home state of Maine and he had told Miller it was really making a difference, Starks said.

Today, McCullough is speaking to the University of Utah's class of 2009, providing perspective as a historian and an educator, which U. President Michael K. Young says is "a profound honor for the U. and one that will resonate deeply for our graduates."

McCullough will go from inspiring graduates to encouraging teachers on Saturday, when he'll speak to more than 2,000 of Utah's educators at the Salt Lake LDS Tabernacle. His address is part of Miller's "Teach the Teacher" program, which has grown from the original event that was to be held at an area high school.

"If you can get teachers to experience history first-hand, the premise is that they will become more knowledgeable, more passionate and that will trickle down to the students," Starks said, adding that the program was "one of the things (Miller) was able to do philanthropically that really excited him."

Since the program began two years ago, approximately 160 history and government teachers in Utah have been on trips to learn about what started America. The all-expense-paid historical excursions are supported by the project, as well as Zions Bank and are led by professors at Weber State University.

"To me history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is," McCullough has said.

A citation from Yale University, where McCullough holds an honorary degree in English literature, states, "As an historian, he paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breathe and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement and moral character."