2007 Symposium

The 2007 Symposium explores the emergence of the Utah Construction Company and the lives and careers of its entrepreneurial founders -
Thomas D. Dee, David Eccles, Edmund O., William H. and Warren L. Wattis.

Continental Breakfast & Exhibit at 9:00 a.m.

“Utah and the Western Pacific Railroad”
Presented by WSU visual arts students, this photographic exhibit retraces historical points of interest along the Western Pacific Railroad,
specifically in the Feather River Gorge area.

Presentations by the 2007 Utah International Center Fellows:
10:00 a.m. “David Eccles and the Origins of the Utah Construction Company”
Dr. Thomas Alexander, Lemuel Hardison Redd Jr. Professor of Western American History Emeritus, Department of History, BYU

11:15 a.m. “The Wattis Brothers: Spanning Distances, Spanning Eras”
Dr. Stan Layton, Visiting Instructor, Department of History, WSU

2:00 p.m. “Thomas D. Dee: Founder, Builder, Public Servant”
John Sillito, Professor and Curator of Special Collections,

WSU Individual research in the Utah Construction Collection 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Library staff will be available in the Thomas D. Dee Reading Room to assist symposium attendees with their research in the Utah Construction/Utah International Collection. The reading room is located in the Special Collections area of the library.

The continental breakfast and the presentations will be held in the Hetzel-Hoellein Room, located in the Stewart Library Special Collections area. The photographic exhibit will be displayed throughout the library.