Obert C. Tanner; Author, Philanthropist, Philosopher

Obert C. Tanner, 89, a philanthropist and philosopher who began teaching at the Mormon Seminary in Springville, Utah, and later became a professor and student chaplain at Stanford. Tanner wrote 10 books, including three texts on character education and three on the New Testament. In 1927, Tanner began selling commemorative pins and rings to high school students, making the merchandise himself in his mother’s basement. It was the birth of the O.C. Tanner Co., now an international business specializing in employee recognition awards with $200 million in annual sales and 2,000 workers. He used his wealth to benefit a number of community projects, universities and the arts. President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution in 1985. He received a National Medal of Arts award from the President in 1988. On Thursday in Salt Lake City of a head injury suffered in an Oct. 6 fall.