Paul R. Cheesman

Paul R. Cheesman was an influential businessman and educator. He had a passion for the Book of Mormon and did extensive research on the archaeology of the Book of Mormon.

Cheesman was born on May 31, 1921, in Brigham City, Utah. After losing both his parents at a young age, he oversaw his own schooling until he enrolled at San Diego State University, eventually graduating with a degree in education. He later earned both a master's degree and a doctorate degree in religious education from Brigham Young University.

He served as a military chaplain during the Korean War, and as president of the Foster Corporation. This last position required Cheesman to be heavily involved in Central America, where he discovered a love for archaeology, thereafter amassing a sizable collection of pre-Columbian artifacts. [1]

He was a public school teacher, and he later worked as a seminary teacher for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 1963 to 1986, he was a professor in Brigham Young University's religion department. For a time, he served as director of scripture studies and director of Book of Mormon studies in BYU's Religious Studies Center. Cheesman was known for research of correlations between the Book of Mormon and pre-Columbian American discoveries.[2] However, fellow scholars did not praise all of his writings about his research.[3]

He married Millie Foster in 1944 and was the father of six children. He and his wife served as mission leaders in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission from 1980 to 1983. After his retirement, he was director of the Church's New York Visitors' Center; however, he suffered a massive heart attack and returned to Utah for surgery. He died soon afterward in November 1991.