Donor Biography

Dr Howard R. Driggs (1873-1963) graduated from the University of Utah, then a two year institution in 1897. He then married Eva May Frampton, a fellow school teacher from their mutual home down in Pleasant Grove, Utah. They moved to Cedar City, Utah, where he helped launch what is now known as Southern Utah University. This opportunity was a great challenge to him, particularly in light of the short time frame in which the school had to be launched. (see suu.edu/backupthemountain)

Driggs served on the first faculty of Southern Utah University when it was founded as the Branch Normal School in 1987. Howard and Eva had two children, Howard Wayne Driggs born in 1902, and Harold Perry Driggs, born in 1907. Eva taught at the Cedar City School. Howard later taught at the University of Utah and at New York University, where he was a Professor and Chair of the English Department in the School of Education.

Driggs felt it was not enough to teach pupils how to read well; it was also necessary to provide worthwhile reading material and cultivate in them a lasting love for good books.Thanks to his efforts and the support of others, nearly 100 public libraries, all supported by tax funding, were established in Utah.

During his distinguished career, Dr. Driggs was also a well-known historian and author or editor of over 50 books including writings on the pioneer trails and settlement of the West. He became the President of the Oregon Trail Memorial Association in 1928, a national organization dedicated to the preservation of the Oregon Trail.

Because of his impact on the origins and history of SUU, his portrait hangs in the Gilbert Great Hall in the Hunter Conference Center.

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Scholarship Criteria

Was funded by Harold Perry Driggs in honor of his parents to award outstanding students with financial need at SUU.

Varied Dollars/yr