Elder Craig A. Cardon

Of the Seventy

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Elder Craig Allen Cardon says there is no substitute for the power that comes through the scriptures. “I set a rule for myself long ago,” he says. “I was not going to let my eyes close for the final time upon the day unless they had fallen upon the scriptures.”

When serving as president of the Italy Rome Mission from 1983 to 1986, Elder Cardon started discussing the scriptures during each presidency meeting—a practice he continued in subsequent callings. “Teaching from the scriptures was always on the agenda,” he says. “We would spend a significant amount of time focusing on the doctrine as taught in the scriptures. That was a valued, cherished time.”

Elder Cardon was born on December 30, 1948, in Mesa, Arizona, USA, to Vilate Allen Cardon and Wilford Pratt Cardon. After serving a mission in Italy, he married Deborah Dana on November 25, 1970, in the Mesa Arizona Temple; they are the parents of eight children.

While growing up, Elder Cardon says, he benefited from the righteous example and teachings of his parents. “I had a mother who taught me to pray and a father who taught me to trust and love the Lord,” he says. Their guidance helped him recognize the Spirit at a young age. On one occasion, a concern weighed heavily on his mind. “Because of the way I’d been taught, I went out to kneel in the fields near our home. I remember getting some distinct answers.” Tutoring experiences continued throughout his life and helped prepare him for his call to the Second Quorum of the Seventy.

Elder Cardon, who has worked in a family real-estate business, received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and his master’s degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He has been a bishop, stake president, Gospel Doctrine teacher, and institute instructor.