About the Author
Alma Don Sorensen was born in Hyrum, Utah. After serving a mission to the New England states, he earned his B.A. at Utah State University and his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois in political science. His field of study is moral and political philosophy. Sorensen taught at Indiana for six years, and then came to BYU in 1970, where he taught ethics and political philosophy, garnering several teaching awards, including an Alcuin Award. He retired in 1998, but still teaches an occasional class at BYU. Sorensen is married to Necia Lee, and is the father of six children and has twelve grandchildren. He has served as a bishop, branch president at BYU, and has served on a high council, and as a priesthood teacher. He and Necia make their home in Indio, California.
Valerie Hudson Cassler was born in Washington, D.C., and joined the Church in 1971. She attended BYU where she received her B.A. in political science, with minors in International Relations and Russian. One of her BYU professors was Don Sorensen, who greatly influenced her life. She obtained her Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University. She taught at Northwestern University and at Rutgers University before joining the political science faculty at BYU in 1987, becoming a colleague and neighbor of Sorensen¹s until his retirement. She served for eight years as director of graduate studies at the David M. Kennedy Center for International and Area Studies, and is the recipient of several teaching awards, including the Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award. She is the author, co-author, or editor of many scholarly books and articles on international relations, national security, and foreign policy. She is married to David Cassler, and they are the parents of six! children. They reside in Orem, Utah.
