Name: J.B. Haws
BYU employee since: 2011
My job at BYU is… I teach courses related to church history — courses like Foundations of the Restoration; the Modern Church: Latter-day Saint History since 1900; American Christianity — and do research and writing in those same areas.
Currently I’m working on… an essay looking at the atonement of Jesus Christ in the Doctrine and Covenants and a larger project thinking about recent changes in the Latter-day Saint history landscape — and changes in the “doing” of Latter-day Saint history.
When I have 30 minutes of free time, you can find me… talking with my wife, Laura. I’m always looking for ways to sneak in more time with her. She is just that fun to be around.
The best-kept BYU secret is… The Sensory Lab …because... what could be better than having participants get paid to participate in taste tests?! Taste-testing was actually my first career choice, so BYU is helping me live some of my earliest dreams.
My favorite spot on campus is… that’s a tough one — this is a remarkable campus. I’ll say the basketball courts in the RB — so many great games (and great friendships) happen there. I also have to say the Cannon Center. The best combination is going to the Cannon Center after basketball games at the RB.
My go-to comfort food is… potato chips.
Three things that are always found in my refrigerator are… grapes, oranges and (in the cupboard next to our refrigerator) marshmallows.
My dream car is... one that we currently have — a Chrysler Town and Country minivan. That really is true. I realize this might be the only time in my life that I’ll have my dream car. We’ve had it for 14 years, but I can’t seem to let it go, because it’s tied up in all of the memories of our kids’ growing-up years, and so I get a little misty-eyed thinking about a change…. Sentimentality manifests itself in unexpected ways the older I get.