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Show I r s .',if Pres. David O. McKay . . . died Sunday LDS leader, U alumnus, dies at 96 President David O. McKay of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS) died at 6 a.m. Sunday at the age of 96. Funeral services will be held Thursday noon on Temple Square. President McKay, born in 1873 in Huntsville, Utah entered the University in 1894. He was active at the University both during his college years and after he graduated. grad-uated. He played guard on the University's Uni-versity's football team and was captain in 1894. In 1968 the "Distinguished "Dis-tinguished American" citation from the National Football foundation foun-dation and Hall of Fame was presented pre-sented in absentia to President McKay. At the time of the event he was recognized as the oldest former gridder in the nation. Class valedictorian President McKay graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1897. He was also the president of his class. It was during his years at the University that President McKay met Emma Ray Riggs, who became his wife in 1901. Among the many positions President McKay held in UtalT schools, he taught at Weber Stake Academy (now called Weber State College) and at age 29 he became the Academy's principal. He was on the University's board of regents, re-gents, Utah State board of trustees trus-tees and was chairman of Brig-ham Brig-ham Young University's board of trustees. President McKay was called to be a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles at the age of 33 and 45 years later, in 1951, he was appointed president of the LDS church. At the time of his appointment he received an honorary doctorate degree from the University along with two other honoraries from BYU, and one from Temple University Uni-versity of Philadelphia, Perm. University fan All of President McKay's children chil-dren have graduated from the University and he has supported his alma mater continuously throughout the past years. His son, Llewelyn R., is a professor of Languages at the University. Mr. James Jack, director of athletics and former director of performing arts, said President McKay greatly influenced the LDS Church to make a large donation and an additional loan when it was believed, because of lack of iunds, that the Pioneer Memorial Theater of the University would not be completed. Mr. Jack said, "President McKay Mc-Kay was both an ardent fan of the theater, as well as of football. Without his help the Pioneer, Memorial Me-morial Theater would not have been completed." President McKay also gave the dedicatory address at the opening Of the Union in 1957. On KUED Sunday, President Letcher said the people of Utah lost a great leader and that he 'was a lover of beauty and a life long friend of education, valedictorian vale-dictorian of his class, and a devoted de-voted alumnus of the University." |