LaMar C. Berrett

LaMar C. Berrett was a professor of religion at Brigham Young University for 29 years. He served as chairman of the Department of Church History and Doctrine for nine of those years. BYU honored him with the Religious Education Service Award for teaching, research and publication.He directed Semester Abroad programs in Jerusalem and guided 51 tours to Israel.

He is known for his extensive documentation of places of Church history, especially for researching and mapping the Mormon trail, documenting the history of the restored Church from the eastern seaboard to the great Salt Lake Valley. He was the editor for the six volume Church History series, Sacred Places. He was honored by the Oregon California Trails and America's History Trails Associations for discovery and preservation of the trails.

He also authored Discovering the World of the Bible, An Annotated Catalog of Documentary-Type Materials in the Wilford C. Wood Collection, and Holy Places: A History of Latter-day Saints in the Near East.

Berrett was born on March 28, 1926, in Riverton, Utah. He turned 18 during World War II and was drafted and sent to Belgium where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After his military service, he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Southern States Mission.

He received his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Utah and his master’s and doctorate degrees from BYU. He taught Seminary in Heber City and Copperton, Utah, before he joined the faculty at BYU. He and his wife, Darlene, were the parents of nine children. Together they served a mission in Kirtland, Ohio. He passed away on August 25, 2007.