Professional Career and Awards
Tanner contributed enormously to Utah's cultural community, chairing the commission that planned the construction of Abravanel Hall, the Utah Art Center, and the restoration of the Salt Lake Capitol Theatre. He also served on the Utah American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, the Utah Symphony Board, and the White House Conference on Children and Youth.
In 1927 he founded O.C. Tanner Co. by selling class rings and pins to graduates. A company that specializes in employee recognition and compensation services, they have offices in the US, Canada, and the UK.
Before his appointment as professor of philosophy, he was an instructor in Religious Studies at Stanford University from 1939 to 1944. He was the author or co-author of 10 books, including New Testament Studies, The New Testament Speaks, Christ’s Ideals for Living, and co-author of Toward Understanding the New Testament. His autobiography One Man's Journey: In Search of Freedom, discusses his views about his commitment to learning and freedom.
Tanner was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and an honorary fellow of the British Academy, Oxford University, and Cambridge University. In 1978, he permanently endowed the Tanner Lectures on Human Values, which are presented annually at several universities in England and the United States. He enjoyed donating fountains, often to universities and hospitals, which can be found at the University of Utah, Stanford University, Westminster College, Primary Children's Hospital, among others.
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