PROVO, UTAHThe newly dedicated Joseph Smith Memorial Building "becomes the newest and brightest star" in the constellation of buildings that constitute Brigham Young University and "will become a place of learning for uncounted generations of eager and able students," said President Gordon B. Hinckley.
"How fitting it is, my brothers and sisters, that this new structure, dedicated to learning principles of eternal truth, should carry his [the Prophet Joseph'sT name," President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, remarked at the Dec. 10 dedication of the building. "For the truths which will be taught here he gave his life. For the testimonies which will be spoken here he shed his blood."I'm glad that [the building hasT been built in the center, in the heart as it were, of the campus rather than out on the perimeter. It deserves to be here in this central axis."
President Hinckley gave the dedicatory address and prayer for the new 75,000-square-foot building. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building replaces the old Joseph Smith Building, which was dedicated 50 years ago on Oct. 6, 1941, by President David O. McKay. The new building is west of where the old one used to stand; the old building was razed upon completion of the new facility.
Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve, Elder J. Richard Clarke of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elders Clinton L. Cutler, Lloyd P. George and Hartman Rector Jr. of the Seventy also attended the dedication, as did Elder Eldred G. Smith, an emeritus General Authority who is a great-great-grandnephew of Joseph Smith.
Relief Society Gen. Pres. Elaine L. Jack and Young Women Gen. Pres. Ardeth G. Kapp were present as well.
In his dedicatory address, President Hinckley explained: "I need not remind you that all that we have in the Church today - the great educational program which includes Brigham Young University, the thousands of houses of worship and temples scattered across this broad world; the vast missionary program carried forward in more than a hundred nations . . . and every other program and facility find their roots in the life, the experiences, teachings, and the divine authority that flow from the genius of him who was the first prophet, seer, and revelator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the man, young in years, to whom the God of heaven and His beloved Son appeared and upon whom prophets and apostles of old bestowed the keys and divine authority long absent from the Church.
"To me the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith is a constantly refreshing miracle. In terms of what we do this day it is interesting to note that this great institution is a part of the lengthened shadow of a man whose formal schooling was meager, scarcely worth mentioning. And yet from his lips flowed such words of divine revelation. . . . "
Giving the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley offered: "We pray for those who will walk [the building'sT halls and sit in its classrooms, that their minds may be enlightened, that their understanding may be quickened, that they may learn those things which will bless their lives in the world of which they will become a part, and in a more particular way, that they will become familiar with that truth which is eternal in its nature and everlasting in its consequences."
In brief remarks, Elder Packer said: "At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the Lord appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. And in that great event, the prophecy was made that "the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands," so that the name of Joseph Smith would be known for good and for evil across the world.
"As improbable as that was then, now we are seeing the fulfillment of that across the world as the Church grows rapidly in places where just a year or two ago it would not have had a foothold. And students from all those lands will come to this university and at the center [learnT what we are about."
BYU Pres. Rex E. Lee and Robert L. Millet, dean of religious education at the university, also offered remarks at the dedication.
"Joseph Smith's life and work are as central to the Restoration, and to the welfare of humankind, as the learning which will occur in this building is central to the mission of our university," Pres. Lee said.
Joseph Smith demonstrated the ability and the willingness to think, to feel, and to help others, he continued. "Each is important to all who would be true daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father.
"Here was a man who `communed with Jehovah,' a man whose mission it was to `wake up the world for the conflict of justice.' Today we dedicate a building that bears his name. May we also dedicate our lives to the kingdom he brought back to the world for the last time, and to those principles and beliefs which he taught and which are the mainstays of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Brother Millet commented: "Today begins a time of re-dedication for all of us, a time for focusing attention upon things dear to the heart, things closely associated with why we do what we do. This facility, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, named after and dedicated to the honor of Joseph Smith Jr., shall stand as a constant reminder of the light that has burst upon a modern world, that light we call the Restoration."
The new building, which will serve as the center of the Religious Education Department, includes a 900-seat auditorium and 17 classrooms on the first floor and 75 offices on the second and third floors. It also includes a conference room, a small faculty library, a faculty support office, a baptismal font, and a commons area for students.
At the center of the building is an atrium with a garden featuring various plants mentioned in the Bible.
The building, which incorporates some characteristics of the original building, such as the tower, was designed by John and Dixon Markham, sons of the architect who designed the earlier structure.
Music performed by the Brigham Young University Singers and the congregation helped set the tone for the dedication. The choir, conducted by Ronald J. Staheli, performed an impressive arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." The congregation later sang "Praise to the Man."
Daniel H. Ludlow, former dean of Religious Education and editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, offered the invocation, and Robert J. Matthews, former dean of Religious Education, gave the benediction.