Tuesday, January 16, 2018

MEET THE NEW LDS CHURCH FIRST PRESIDENCY


Meet the new LDS Church 1st Presidency
Left to right:  Dallin H. Oaks, 1st Counselor   Russell M. Nelson, President  
 Henry B. Eyring, 2nd Counselor

And, in a roundabout way, I have a connection to all.
(Yes, it's a stretch with President Eyring)

With the death of President Thomas S. Monson, the
first presidency must be reorganized.
There is no secret who the next prophet will be.
When President Monson passed away, he was the last of
the general authorities of my youth.
(Pre-teaching days)

Meet the new First Presidency
(The First Presidency consists of the president, a 1st & 2nd counselor.
There have been occasions where there were more than two counselors.)

Russell Marion Nelson, Sr., President
Prophet, Seer, Revelator

Age:  93
Birthplace:  Salt Lake City

Education:  University of Utah (BA) (MD)
University of Minnesota (PhD)

Military Service:  US Army, Captain   Army Medical Corps, Korean War
Occupation:  Heart Surgeon

Family:  Married Dantzel White (passed away February 12, 2005)
10 children, 9 daughters (1 deceased), 1 son
Married Wendy Watson . . . RN, Professor at BYU, Chair of BYU's
Women's Conference, Author

Little known fact:  Besides English, speaks French, German, Spanish, 
Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese.
President Nelson is a skier!  He skied
last year, at age 92.  Hasn't gone this season because of lack of snow.

My connection:  He performed open heart surgery on my dad, 1979


1st Counselor
Dallin Harris Oaks

Age: 85
Birthplace:  Provo, Utah

Education:  Brigham Young University (BS)
University of Chicago Law School (JD)

Military Service:  Utah National Guard

Occupation:  Lawyer
 Faculty at University of Chicago Law School
Clerked for Chief Justice Earl Warren
Board of Directors at PBS
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polynesian Cultural Center at BYU-Hawaii
President, Brigham Young University
Justice of the Utah Supreme Court

Family:  Married June Dixon (passed away July 21, 1998)
6 children:  2 sons, 4 daughters . . . including violinist, Jenny Oaks Baker
Married Kristin McCain, University of Utah (BA) (MA)
Brigham Young University, Doctorate of Educational Instruction

Little known fact:  Play by play announcer at high school
basketball games while a student at BYU

My connection:  President of BYU when I attended. 


2nd Counselor
Henry Bennion Eyring

Age:  84
Birthplace:  Princeton, New Jersey

Education:  University of Utah (BS)
Harvard University (MBA) (DBA)

Military Service:  United States Air Force

Occupation:  Professor at Stanford University
Visiting Faculty Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Commissioner of Church Education System
President, Ricks College

Family:  Married Kathleen Johnson
6 children:  2 daughters and 4 sons . . . including Henry J. Eyring, President
of Brigham Young University-Idaho (formerly Ricks College)

Little known fact:  His father, Henry Eyring, was a professor at
Princeton University, Dean at the University of Utah, Chemist.  
His sister, (President Eyring's aunt)  Camilla, is the wife of former
LDS Church President, Spencer W. Kimball (I met him at Dixie).

My connection:  He became Commissioner of Church
Education System following Rolfe Kerr, the president of
Dixie Jr. College when I attended (yes, a stretch).

It's amazing that all 3 men have doctorate degrees!!!

 The Quorum of the 12 Apostles
(10 currently.  2 vacancies upon the deaths of 
President Thomas S. Monson and Robert D. Hales.  Will probably
be filled at the upcoming April General Conference)

Upon the death of a church president, the First Presidency is
dissolved, and the surviving counselors resume their position
in the Quorum of the 12.  The The new president picks his counselors
(usually from the apostles)
Because the president of the church is based on seniority,
there is a President of the Quorum of 12 Apostles.
This president becomes the new LDS Church President
upon the death of the current president.
If the President of the Quorum of 12 Apostles is named
a counselor, then the man next in line is named
Acting President of the quorum. 
(Thomas S. Monson was a counselor when he became prophet.)

President Dallin H. Oaks will be the next President of
the Church (unless he passes away before President Nelson).
Since he is in the 1st Presidency, there is an
Acting President.

My connection to the Quorum of 12 Apostles:
Left, Acting Quorum President, M. Russell Ballard:
I taught his grandson, Tommy Ballard, in 5th grade.
Another former student, Samantha Raven, married his
grandson last year.
Elder Ballard has served on the National Board of
Directors of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
I am currently on the Utah Board, education committee.

Next in photo:  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
He had been installed as President
of BYU 2 weeks before I graduated.  My dad taught
Elder Holland in several classes at Dixie . . . as a junior and senior 
in high school, and as a freshman and sophomore in college.

Next to Elder Holland is former 2nd Counselor to 
President Thomas S. Monson, Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
He resumes his place in the Quorum.  


President Nelson is the 17th president of the LDS Church.
(The LDS Church was founded April 6, 1830)

1.  Joseph Smith  1830-1844

2.  Brigham Young  1847-1877
(Led the pioneers to Utah.  From the time of Joseph Smith's assassination
 in 1844, the Church was led by the Quorum of 12 Apostles, with 
Brigham Young as its president.  This happened frequently
at the beginning of the Church)

3.  John Taylor  1880-1887

4.  Wilford Woodruff  1889-1898
(President when Utah became a state)

5.  Lorenzo Snow  1898-1901

6. Joseph F. Smith  1901-1918
(President during World War I)

7.  Heber J. Grant  1918-1945
(My dad used to always say:  FDR was always the president
of the United States and Heber J. Grant was always president
of the Church.  President during Great Depression and
World War II)

8.  George Albert Smith  1945-1951

9.  David O. McKay  1951-1970
(president when I was born - 6th grade)

10.  Joseph Fielding Smith  1970-1972
Son of 6th president, Joseph F. Smith
(6th grade-9th grade)

11.  Harold B. Lee  1972-1973
(9th grade-sophomore)

12.  Spencer W. Kimball 1973-1985
(sophomore-year #5 teaching)

13.  Ezra Taft Benson  1985-1994
(Secretary of Agriculture to President Dwight Eisenhower
for 8 years while an apostle)
(year #5-14 teaching)

14.  Howard W. Hunter  1994-1995
(year #14-15 teaching)

15.  Gordon B. Hinckley  1995-2008
(year #15-28 teaching)

16.  Thomas S. Monson  2008-2018
(year #28 teaching - year #5 retirement)

17.  Russell M. Nelson  2018 -
(year #5 retirement - )


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