A new apostle, a new member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy and four new general authorities were named Saturday by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Richard G. Scott was named to the Council of the Twelve to fill a vacancy caused by the death of President Marion G. Romney May 20.Succeeding Elder Scott as a member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy is Elder J. Richard Clarke, a member of the quorum since 1985 and a former counselor in the Presiding Bishopric.
Named as new members of the First Quorum of Seventy were Monte J. Brough, 49, Kaysville; Albert Choules Jr., 62, Phoenix; Lloyd P. George, 68, Orem; and Gerald E. Melchin, 67, of Calgary, Alberta. All were called to the quorum for five years of service. The First Quorum of the Seventy now has 66 members.
Elder Scott, 59, is executive director of the church's Family History Department, overseeing its genealogical library and research.
He has been a regional representative, president of the Argentina North Mission, counselor in the Washington D.C. Stake presidency and was a seventies group leader. As a young man, he was also a missionary in Uruguay.
Prior to full-time service in the church, Elder Scott was a private consultant in mechanical and nuclear engineering. He worked with utility and power companies on the possible use of nuclear reactors and for 12 years worked on the staff of Adm. Hyman Rickover in the development of nuclear submarines.
He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from George Washington University in 1950 and later completed the equivalent of a doctorate in nuclear engineering at Oak Ridge, Tenn.
He married Janene Watkins, daughter of late U.S. Sen. Arthur V. Watkins. They are the parents of seven children, five of whom are living.
Elder Clarke, 61, served 8 1/2 years as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric before being called to the First Quorum of the Seventy on April 6, 1985.
He then presided for two years over the South Africa Cape Town Mission, where he also had served as a missionary when he was a young man. For the past year, Elder Clarke has been managing director in the church's Missionary Department. His previous church assignments include bishop, stake president and regional representative.
Elder Clarke is a native of Rexburg, Idaho, attended Ricks College, graduated from Brigham Young University and did graduate work at Stanford University. He was a general manager of a major insurance agency in Boise when he was called to full-time church service. He married Barbara Jean Reed, and they are the parents of eight children.
Elder Brough, who had been serving as a regional representative, is an assets manager. He was born in Randolph, Rich County, and is a graduate of the University of Utah. He married Lanette Barker, and they are parents of seven children.
As a young man, he served as a missionary in Great Britain. He later served as president of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, as a bishop and a member of the Young Men's General Board of the church.
Elder Choules also has been serving as a regional representative. A native of Driggs, Idaho, he is a graduate of BYU and the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He is employed in personal developing and investing.
Elder George is a native of Kanosh, Millard County. He studied at BYU before going into ranching and mercantile businesses. He later became a real estate broker. He married Leola Stott George, and they are the parents of three children. Elder George has served the church as a regional representative, stake president, bishop and president of the Arizona Tempe Mission.
Elder Melchin has been serving as a regional representative in Alberta. He also has been a bishop, ward clerk, stake president, president of the California Arcadia Mission, welfare region agent and missionary in the Eastern Canada Mission. He is a self-employed businessman and was born in Kitchener, Ontario. He married Evelyn Knowles, and they are parents of seven children.