In this revealing talk about producing a book 40 years in the making, come see how President A. Ray Olpin crafted a massive recruitment campaign that transformed the University of Utah from a provincial college to a first-rate national university. If you’re a fan of the ’50s, fond of the University of Utah, or simply curious how this university came to play such a vital role in expanding Western minds, you won’t want to miss this provocative telling of tales through photos depicting the mid-century optimism of the A. Ray Olpin era. This dramatic narrative provides a candid and compelling account of Olpin’s tenure as president, placing him as a central figure in American higher education and convincing us that his legacy belies mere attachment to one of the University’s best-known gathering places. A. Ray Olpin is more than a mere namesake of the University of Utah’s Student Union Building. He’ll mean much more than a Union to readers who have longed for this important chapter in the University of Utah’s history to be published at last. Featuring a foreword by University of Utah president emeritus David P. Gardner, and a collection of moving archival photos, Years of Promise is a portrait of uncommon leadership and foresight, a work of historical recovery that chronicles how these traits shaped an unlikely university into the internationally respected institution it is today.