roid ▁cancer , ▁under going ▁five ▁sur ger ies ▁to ▁keep ▁the ▁cancer ▁at ▁bay . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 3 , ▁he ▁took ▁a ▁leave ▁of ▁absence ▁from ▁BY U ▁to ▁complete ▁his ▁dis sert ation ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 4 . ▁ ▁M orm on ▁fol kl ore ▁research ▁and ▁out re ach ▁Wilson ▁discovered ▁M orm on ▁fol kl ore ▁studies ▁when ▁he ▁review ed ▁Sain ts ▁of ▁S age ▁and ▁S addle ▁by ▁Austin ▁E . ▁and ▁Al ta ▁S . ▁F ife ▁for ▁a ▁class , ▁and ▁took ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁M orm on ▁fol kl ore . ▁He ▁wrote ▁an ▁article ▁on ▁Three ▁Ne ph ites ▁stories ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 9 , ▁surprising ▁D ors on ▁with ▁his ▁ability ▁to ▁collect ▁M orm on ▁fol kl ore ▁in ▁Indiana , ▁outside ▁of ▁the ▁Mountain ▁states . ▁In ▁his ▁later ▁research ▁on ▁the ▁Three ▁Ne ph ites , ▁Wilson ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁pers istence ▁of ▁the ▁stories ▁showed ▁how ▁M orm ons ▁believe ▁in ▁a ▁personal ▁and ▁bene vol ent ▁God . ▁While ▁at ▁first ▁Wilson ▁focused ▁on ▁super natural ▁tales ▁and ▁leg ends , ▁he ▁worked ▁to ▁extend ▁fol kl ore ▁studies ▁in ▁M orm ond om ▁to ▁include ▁every day ▁life . ▁Wilson ▁wrote ▁do z ens ▁of ▁articles ▁on ▁M orm on ▁fol kl ore , ▁covering ▁topics ▁like ▁M orm on ▁humor , ▁M orm on ▁mission aries , ▁the ▁port ray al ▁of ▁minor ity ▁groups ▁among ▁M orm