University of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies

now the Utah State Division of Substance Abuse). In 1951 the Board approved a plan to send three people each year to the Yale School of Alcohol Studies in Connecticut (which later moved to Rutgers in New Jersey), the first such school of this kind. Gooderham attended and returned to Salt Lake City quite impressed by the concept of the school and convinced that this type of training was needed in the west. Gooderham’s plan was met with skepticism and resistance but with the support of Dr. Harold Bentley, Dean of the University of Utah Summer School, the University somewhat hesitantly agreed to allow the School to be held in what was then the old Student Union Building. In June 1952 the first session was attended by 103 people including 22 staff members. Each year the School has grown in stature and attendance, and has come to be recognized as one of the best, if not the best, school of its kind in the world. The School continues to draw participants from various professional groups from around the country. In its 62nd year of operation, it is the longest continuously operating school of its kind and has been attended by people from every state and 20 foreign countries. The University of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies continues to take pride in teaching the latest methods and techniques in the field of substance abuse education, prevention and treatment.