Some 100 years after his father presided over LDS Business College, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the eighth home for the 120-year-old school in downtown Salt Lake City.
"My father, Bryant S. Hinckley, was requested by the First Presidency to come to Salt Lake from Provo to preside over this school in its early years. It was a very fortuitous move," the Church president said during the Wednesday, Sept. 13, dedication. "Here he met the woman who would become my mother, Ada Bitner, who was teaching English and Gregg shorthand at the time."
Bryant S. Hinckley and Ada Bitner were married in 1909, and Gordon B. Hinckley was one of five children. "I have a sister who is still alive," President Hinckley added. "The others are gone."
Standing in the amphitheater of the Triad Center on 95 North 300 West, two blocks west of Temple Square, President Hinckley offered the dedicatory prayer for LDS Business College, which now resides in the 10-floor Triad 4 building. (Please see related article on page 4.) On this warm late-summer day, hundreds of students, faculty and staff sat on chairs under a large tent or on the lawns of the amphitheater to listen to President Hinckley.
Also present were Elders Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales and David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve; and members of the Seventy and general auxiliary leaders. Also attending were presidents of other Church-owned universities.
Conducting the dedicatory services was LDS Business College President Stephen K. Woodhouse, who also offered brief remarks.
"Over the years," President Hinckley said, "this school has been housed in a number of places, and now, most recently, it is located in these wonderful facilities, which we will dedicate today.
"Later the Brigham Young University Salt Lake Campus will be moved to adjoining premises. This will become a great educational center. It will be easy to reach on the Trax line. Wonderful dormitory facilities have been made available."
Alluding to the Church's plans to revamp its ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza malls on Main Street, President Hinckley said that the school will be near a wonderful shopping center. "Altogether, nothing could be better than what we will have here," he said.
"We have left behind a very choice property on South Temple, but you will soon discover that this facility is even better," President Hinckley said. "And so I say, enjoy it, be grateful for the opportunity you have of attending school here. Pray to the Lord for His blessing and guidance as you pursue your academic course."
In his dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley asked for "special blessings upon the officers who direct this institution and the faculty who will provide instruction. Enlighten their minds and quicken their understanding. We likewise invoke thy blessings upon all who will study here. May thy Holy Spirit guide their thinking and bestow upon them knowledge and wisdom.
"We are grateful unto Thee for the Church which sponsors this institution. We express our gratitude for the great emphasis it places on education. We thank Thee for the restoration of the gospel through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph. May the spirit of learning 'out of the best books,' revealed unto him, motivate the efforts of all who participate here" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118).
In his remarks, President Woodhouse spoke of the advantages of the new location. "Nearly three years ago the Church announced it would move the college from its home of 44 years on South Temple to a new location in the heart of downtown. The announcement amazed us and filled our hearts with excitement at what such a move would do for our students."
Continuing, President Woodhouse described the facilities at Triad 4, which gives the college more than 150,000 square feet, which means larger testing and student commons areas, and a larger library. However, he emphasized, the classrooms were purposely kept small to "preserve the high level of interaction between students and faculty."
President Woodhouse described the view from the east side of the building, which looks toward the Salt Lake Temple. "The Salt Lake Temple faces east, toward the morning light. When our students look out our windows, they face the same direction and see 'the day star arise in (their) hearts,' as expressed in Second Peter. The message for them, both symbolically and literally, is to enhance their learning by their faith, to become lights in a world so desperately in need of men and women with intellectual ability and strength of character.
"It was upon those principles that the college was founded 120 years ago, and it has been a commitment to that educational philosophy that has sustained and directed those who came before us. It is the same force that will carry this college into the future."
As to the future of LDS Business College, 50 years from now faculty and students will open a time capsule that was sealed on this dedicatory day, Sept. 13, 2006. President Woodhouse led faculty, students and staff in sealing the capsule in a container made of New York blue slate.
Music for the dedicatory service was provided by the LDS Institute Choir under direction of Lonn Buckley, with Annalyn Christensen accompanying. Singing the National Anthem was Victoria Morris, a business major and a former member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Offering the invocation and benediction, respectively, were Bob H. Wiser, vice president of finance and controller; and Carolyn S. Brown, vice president of academic affairs.
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