The J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah is delighted to announce that Gregory C. Thompson (Greg), Ph.D., former Associate Dean for Special Collections, will receive this year’s S. J. Quinney Award for outstanding contributions to skiing.

In 1989 Greg co-founded the Marriott Library’s Utah Ski Archives (now known as the Ski and Snow Sports Archives) with Sue Raemer (now deceased). Skiing has been a passion for Greg, going back to the 1950s. Growing up in Durango, Colorado, Greg as a youngster skied and competed in Colorado and New Mexico.

An original member of the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation Board, Greg’s passion for both the sport of skiing and archiving important materials came together in a monumental way in the creation of the Ski and Snow Sports Archives. Greg has lectured widely and published numerous articles on the history of skiing in the Intermountain West. He co-wrote with Alan K. Engen, First Tracks: A Century of Skiing (2001) which focuses on the history of skiing in Utah.

The Quinney Award will be presented to Greg at this year’s Ski Affair, to be held on Wednesday, October 25, starting at 6 P.M., at the Cleone Peterson. Eccles Alumni House on the U campus. All proceeds benefit the Ski and Snow Sports Archives in Special Collections.

“I was fortunate to meet Greg through Sue Raemer at the inception of the of the Ski Archives. He’s been a pleasure to work with all these years,” explains Barbara Yamada, Chair of the Ski and Snow Sports Archives Board. “He has always amazed me as to how much he did and what he accomplished. To be selected by the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation to receive the S.J. Quinney award is well deserved and a credit to his many years of dedication to what the archives have accomplished.”

Congratulations to Greg on receiving this prestigious award!

The archives are one of the most comprehensive collections containing the history and development of Utah’s prospering winter sports industry. Researchers find materials on the history of ski competition on local, national and international levels; the founding of major resorts; snow safety and avalanche control; ski equipment; ski instruction; freestyle skiing; WWII’s 10th Mountain Division; back-country skiing and virtually every facet of winter sports in Utah and the surrounding region. The archives are also the repository for the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games Bid Committee records and the records of the 2002 games themselves.

At the archives’ founding, the S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation recognized the importance of the project and provided critical seed funding. In 1993, the archives were incorporated into the newly established Joe Quinney Recreation Archives, which contain materials on river running, hiking clubs, mountaineering, climbing, and other outdoor activities. S.J. (Joe) Quinney was Utah’s ski industry’s pioneer who founded Alta Ski Area; he was also a founding partner of the law firm Ray, Quinney and Nebeker, where he practiced until he passed away at the age of 90. He and his wife Jessie were ardent supporters of the arts and culture in Utah.

Future additions of material and development of the Ski and Snow Sports Archives will continue to strengthen its importance as a repository of primary-source research materials. In addition to scholarly research on winter sports, these materials are valuable resources for research into skiing-related industries such as public relations, transportation, resorts and their amenities, equipment, and clothing.