Ronald W. Walker was a professional historian who passed away in 2016. A professor of history at Brigham Young University, he also served as acting director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies and as president of the Mormon History Association. He was the author or editor of eight books and more than a hundred historical articles dealing mainly with Western, Utah, and Mormon history. His books included Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections (2009, with Richard E. Turley Jr.), Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young (1998), and Mormon History (2001, with David J. Whittaker and James B. Allen). The Mormon History Association recognized his work with many citations and awards, including its Best Book Award and, three years in a row, its Best Article Award. He also received the annual Dale L. Morgan Award for best scholarly article appearing in the Utah Historical Quarterly. A native of Missouri and Montana, Mr. Walker was raised in the American Midwest and the San Joaquin Valley in California. He made his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, for most of his adult life.

Richard E. Turley Jr. is the coauthor or coeditor of several works on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, including Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections (2009); and Mountain Meadows Massacre: Collected Legal Papers, 2 vols. (2017).

He is the recipient of the 2017 Genealogy/History Achievement Award from the American Library Association; the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Conference of Intermountain Archivists; the 2015 Honorary Lifetime Member Award from the Utah State Historical Society; the 2013 Herbert Feis Award from the American Historical Association for distinguished contributions to public history; the 2012 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Utah Board of State History; the 2010 Smith-Petitt Foundation Best Documentary Book in Utah History Award; the 2010 Steven F. Christensen Award for Best Documentary Book on Mormon History; the 2009 Best Book Award from the Mormon History Association; the 2008 Co-Founders Best Book Award from Westerners International; and the Historic Preservation Medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2004. Mr. Turley worked as a lawyer before spending the next thirty years as a professional historian.

Glen M. Leonard retired after twenty-six years as director of the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1970 with a Ph.D. in history and American Studies. Formerly the managing editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly and associate editor of the Journal of Mormon History, he has published articles on the history of Utah, the Mormons, and the American West and has taught classes at Brigham Young University and Utah State University. Mr. Leonard has also served on the advisory boards of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University, the Utah State Historical Society, and the National Park Service for the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. His previous books include The Story of the Latter-day Saints (1976, with James B. Allen) and A History of Davis County. His work has earned him numerous awards including a Dale L. Morgan Award and a T. Edgar Lyon Award of Excellence. His comprehensive study Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, A People of Promise (2002) received the best book award from the John Whitmer Historical Association and the Thomas Rice King Award for Best Book on Community History from the Mormon History Association.