By Study and Also by Faith
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B y S t u d y and also By Faith B y S t u d y and also By Faith One Hundred Years of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah © 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America English approval: 9/15 PD10051058 ISBN-13: 978-1-4651-1878-3 ISBN-10: 1-4651-1878-0 Contents Foreword: Elder Paul V. Johnson .............................vii Preface: Chad H Webb . .xi Acknowledgments ........................................xiii Prologue: Foundations of Education in the Church, 1830–1911 .....1 Chapter One: By Small and Simple Things, 1912–1935 ...........33 Chapter Two: The Charted Course, 1936–1952 .................93 Chapter Three: Follow the Brethren, 1953–1969 ...............139 Chapter Four: Go Ye into All the World, 1970–1979 ............211 Chapter Five: Teach the Scriptures, 1980–1989 ................323 Chapter Six: Live the Gospel, Teach Effectively, Administer Appropriately, 1990–2000 ..............................381 Chapter Seven: We Must Raise Our Sights, 2001–2012...........481 Epilogue, 2013–2015 .....................................589 Appendix 1: A Chronology of Administrators of the Church Educational System and Religious Education, 1888–2015 ...595 Appendix 2: LDS Academies Opening Dates, 1875–1888 .........597 Appendix 3: Seminaries Opening Dates, 1912–1938.............599 Appendix 4: Institutes of Religion Opening Dates, 1926–1946.....603 Appendix 5: Worldwide LDS Religious Education Beginnings .....605 Appendix 6: Seminary and Institute Enrollment by Year, 1912–2013..........................................611 Appendix 7: Administrator Biographies.......................615 Index .................................................639 v Foreword ot many days after the announcement was made of my appointment as administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of NReligion, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited me to his office. He wanted to get to know me and help me understand some of the history of the system. After a few words of greeting he asked, “Do you know how to teach?” At that particular moment I wasn’t sure I knew how to do anything, but he impressed on me the centrality to our work of what happens with students, a teacher, and the scriptures. He then spent nearly an hour reviewing some history of seminaries and institutes, including important milestones, challenges faced in the past, and people who worked and sacrificed greatly so that the gospel could be taught to youth and young adults around the world. I was paying close atten- tion, and I sensed that President Packer wanted to transmit to me important historical information and that knowing what had gone on before would be crucial in making decisions about the future. President Packer has a unique connection with the history of seminaries and institutes. He was a seminary student in Brigham City, Utah, which was the second released-time seminary established vii By Study and Also by Faith in the Church. He was taught by, and later taught with, Abel S. Rich, one of the first released-time teachers ever hired. Because of those early connections, his years as a CES teacher and administrator, and his many years on the Church Board of Education, President Packer has uniquely strong links to the past and was the perfect person to help me see that we needed to preserve this important history. During the course of the conversation, President Packer advised me that some issues that had been faced in the past would surface again, and as I was leaving his office that day he gave me an assign- ment. He asked me to visit Franklin D. Day, a leader in CES who had been retired for a number of years. He told me that Frank could give me some helpful background and could help me see where land mines were buried. I had a delightful and enlightening visit with Frank, and I did my best to learn from what he had to share. Stanley A. Peterson held the office of administrator for the 24 years before my appointment. In the final weeks of his service, he spent many hours sharing with me important stories and issues from the past. These hours of learning more history were invalu- able to me, and I will be forever grateful for his personal tutoring. After Stan retired I realized that his was the first in an imminent wave of retirements of a whole generation of senior leaders and teachers, including the zone administrators (now called assistant administrators) with whom I worked. These individuals carried with them a storehouse of background and history, information that is so important to understand in order to accomplish the great work of the seminaries and institutes. With the coming retirements it occurred to me that we were in danger of losing a great deal of knowledge of our history. Some other organizations cut their connections to their roots and begin to drift. This organization could not afford this. Our history doesn’t limit us, but like a plant’s roots it anchors and nourishes us and is crucial for growth. Our history helps us grasp our identity and protects us. We had to find a way to capture the innovations that viii Foreword come with new faces and fresh ideas and allow those to be shaped and grounded by our purpose and history. Only with this balance could we make the progress needed. The concern about losing many details of our history weighed on my mind. We discussed the issue as administrators and decided that one way to preserve the history was to write a book. Eventually I talked with President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency, who at that time was in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was serving as Commissioner of the Church Educational System. I proposed that we have an updated history written that would be available to employees. He was amenable to the proposal, and since President Packer was the person with the longest connections with Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, the idea was presented to him. President Packer was supportive and even agreed to be interviewed to help us with the project. As you study this volume you will sense the dedication, love, and faith exhibited by those who went before. The accounts that are core to our history are touching and instructive. Some may also seem familiar, as many themes and challenges echo across time. Although an experience happened in another time and place, the underlying dynamics may be something you too have experienced. Despite this volume’s relatively large size, it cannot be compre- hensive. There are too many people, too many powerful accounts, and too many miracles and blessings to squeeze into one volume. The real history of seminaries and institutes is found in the lives of students and teachers who have been blessed, protected, and guided as they learned and applied the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen this in my own life. My parents both graduated from seminary and found each other at an institute activity when they were in college. My own life was blessed by my experience in seminary, including being in the same class with an outstanding young woman, Jill, whom I later married. I also was blessed by the religion classes in college, and all of our nine children have been blessed by their ix By Study and Also by Faith experiences in seminary, institute, and college religion classes. Jill and I look forward to blessings continuing to our posterity as they have their own experiences in seminary and institute. I cherish those interviews I had with President Packer and others who gave so much to this great work, and I hope readers of this history experience something like being in a conversation with those who went before—that across the span of time, readers will feel their dedication, learn from their experiences, and share their commitment to and love for the students whom we serve. Paul V. Johnson First Quorum of the Seventy Commissioner, Church Educational System x Preface uring my first few weeks serving as the administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, I, like Elder Paul V. Johnson, Dreceived a phone call from the office of President Boyd K. Packer, inviting me to meet with him. When I went to his office, he did not waste very much time before asking me, “What do you know about the history of seminary and institute?” He took that opportunity to make sure that I knew our history and suggested I read some things that would deepen my understanding. Later in the conversation, I told him that I loved the statement I had heard him use by Isaac Newton, that “we stand on the shoulders of giants.” I assured him that I loved and respected those who had gone before and that we would do all we could to honor our history by the decisions we made and by the way we worked to teach and bless our students. He seemed to be excited that I was familiar with that statement and pulled from his desk an English coin with that phrase printed on it. I have often remembered that experience. It taught me how important it is that we know our history. The history of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion is one of faith, sacrifice, and devotion. It is a history of commitment to and love xi By Study and Also by Faith for our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. It is a history of love for the sacred word of God, of love for youth and young adults and of lives dedicated to teaching, lifting, preparing, and protecting them. A study of this history offers enriching context for recognizing the spiritual and educational commitment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.