LDS Scene

Henry Eyring Honored

Dr. Henry Eyring, distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of Utah and an active member of the Church, has been given the Priestley Award by the American Chemical Society.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin while he was there to receive the award, Dr. Eyring explained his combined faith and scientific knowledge. While he was preparing to leave for college, he said, his father told him to learn everything he could: “He said that all truth is the gospel—anything that is the truth is the gospel, whether found in or outside the Bible.”

He believes in God, he said, because “it’s the best way to explain this very magnificent world we live in.”

Dr. Eyring explained to the reporter his belief in a life after death, comparing the compassion of God with the compassion his neighbors feel for someone who dies. If the neighbors could, they would bring the person back to life, he said, and “I can’t believe God is less compassionate than my neighbors, so I know there’s a life after death. I’m convinced in my own mind.”

The reporter asked if that also applies to animals, and Dr. Eyring recalled a conversation with scientist Albert Einstein while they were both at Princeton University. “Einstein asked me the same question,” said Dr. Eyring. “I answered that the Supreme Being would take care of them. I’m sure he is sensitive to all needs.”

BYU History Published

The first volume of a comprehensive three part centennial history of BYU, entitled “Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years,” is off the press.

The history, a major project of the University’s centennial celebration being observed from April 1975 to April 1976, is under the direction of Dr. Ernest L. Wilkinson, who served as president of BYU from 1951 to 1971.

The first volume traces the development of the university through its first 46 years during the administrations of Warren N. Dusenberry, Karl G. Maeser, Benjamin Cluff, Jr., and George H. Brimhall. The other two volumes, to appear later on in the year, will cover the growth of BYU from 1921 to the present.

Ricks Begins Farm Program

In the fall of 1976, Ricks College will begin a new two-year agricultural program designed to give students “practical as well as personal experiences,” according to Ricks’ President Henry B. Eyring.

The program will encompass four major courses of study: field crop management; livestock production and beef management; landscape nursery experience; and horse science, including stable management, riding, and horse training.

The program is a “rolled shirt-sleeves” approach, emphasizing job skill preparation, supervised internships, and basic business training to prepare students for managerial and ownership responsibilities.

Communications Director Honored

F. Charles Graves, director of the New York office of the Church Public Communications Department, has been elected to the board of directors of the International Radio Television Foundation for 1975–76.

The foundation works to recruit outstanding young people into the field of broadcasting and to improve teaching of broadcasting in colleges and universities.

Brother Graves is also director of the New York office of the Development Program for the Church Educational System.

F. Charles Graves