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By Kent Larsen
Long-time Sunstone Publisher Elbert Peck Resigns
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Citing exhaustion after 15 years of running the
Sunstone Foundation and its magazine and symposiums, Elbert Peck turned in
his resignation to Sunstone's board of directors Friday. Peck is credited
with expanding Sunstone's mission to include regional symposiums in
Washington DC and the US west coast, among other places, and for giving the
magazine a vision of what it could become. The resignation, which was not
unexpected, came after the 46-year-old Peck had indicated that he feels worn
down for the past year.
Peck is a Utah native who served an LDS mission to Northern California and
Nevada before graduating from BYU with a bachelor's degree in political
science and philosophy and a master's degree in public administration.While
attending BYU, he worked for the LDS Church's missionary department,
assisting with a project that re-wrote the Church's missionary discussions.
But before leaving BYU, Peck spent a year as the founding editor of the
controversial campus newspaper, Seventh East Press, and a year later went to
work for Sunstone editing its short-lived sister publication, Sunstone
Review. After working as an urban planner for suburban Montgomery County,
Maryland for a time, Peck returned to Sunstone to take over as editor in
1986 as editor, and took on the Publisher job also in 1991, when Daniel
Rector left.
In a press release, the Foundation said that Peck will be sorely missed, "We
will miss having his creativity and vision steering us daily." And Peck said
he was thankful for the time he spent with Sunstone, "I leave with a deep
sense of gratitude for the wonderful experience of my fifteen years at
Sunstone. It is hard to imagine another job that could be so rewarding, that
could connect me with so many splendid people, that can call me to draw upon
my diverse skills, talents and ideals," he wrote in his letter of resignation.
Peck explained further in comments to the Salt Lake Tribune, "The last year
I have really been burned out. I had a hard time doing what I had done
before. The magazine, the symposia, the fund raising, our upcoming Web page
project, all required such a force of personality to do. I found I just
didn't have it in me to do it any more."
Because of the workload on Peck, Sunstone hired new staff members in the
last year. William Stanford joined the Foundation as business manager and
Dan Wotherspoon was hired in January as editor of the magazine. They have
both agreed to take on additional responsibilities with Peck's exit, as has
the Foundation's office manager, Carol Quist. Planning for the foundation's
August symposium remains in place, and should continue without additional
difficulties.
Sources:
Elbert Peck Resigns from Susntone Magazine
Sunstone Foundation Press Release 12Jun01 N4
Peck, Citing Fatigue, Steps Down at Sunstone
Salt Lake Tribune 13Jun01 N4
By Bob Mims: Salt Lake Tribune
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