Teachings of the Living Prophets Henry Bennion Eyring

David A. Bednar Worldwide In-service 3 August 2011 “If we go into a class totally knowing what to say then we are totally unprepared! That means you don’t walk into the classroom clueless—you must jump out of the boat! “I don’t think Peter personally knew he could walk on the water sitting in the boat. He fixed his gaze on the Savior and walked to the Savior. I think he was surprised that he was walking on the water.” David A. Bednar Worldwide In-service 3 August 2011

Henry Bennion Eyring

Born May 31, 1933 in Princeton, New Jersey Education Administrator Commissioner of Church Education (Twice) Presiding Bishopric (Robert D. Hales was the Presiding Bishop) President of Ricks College Sustained as a Apostle on 1 April 1995 (Upon the death of Howard W. Hunter) Graduate of U of U and Harvard Taught at Stanford and MIT 4 Sons and 2 daughters Friends call him “Hal”

While Hal was in high school, he read the Book of Mormon five times While Hal was in high school, he read the Book of Mormon five times. He played basketball at East High School in Salt Lake.

While going to Harvard, Hal met Kathleen Johnson of Palo Alto, California, who was in Boston to attend summer school. They were married in July 1962 in the Logan Temple by Elder Spencer W. Kimball.

“Soon after we were married, we had dinner and we watched the movie Forever Young with Mel Gibson. The music at the end of the film was Billie Holiday singing 'The Very Thought of You.' We, Kathleen in tennis shoes and I without shoes, danced on the basement carpet until the last note."

“My father was at a blackboard we kept in the basement “My father was at a blackboard we kept in the basement. Suddenly he stopped. ‘Hal,’ he said, ‘we were working this same kind of problem a week ago. You don’t seem to understand it any better now than you did then. Haven’t you been working on it?’ ”A little [uneasy and self-conscious], I admitted I had not. ‘When you walk down the street, when you’re in the shower, when you don’t have to be thinking about anything else, isn’t this what you think about?” When I told him ‘no’ my father paused. Then he said, ‘Hal, I think you’d better get out of physics. You ought to find something that you love so much that when you don’t have to think about anything, that’s what you think about.’ ”

After parking the car, he walked down his driveway to retrieve an empty garbage can. He was wheeling the can up the driveway when Kathy stepped into the open garage with a portable phone. “Hal,” she called, “it’s the phone for you.” “Can you take a message?” he replied. “It’s the office of the First Presidency,” Kathy said with a note of urgency. “I think you’d better take it.” Hal grasped the phone in one hand, still holding the garbage can in the other. He heard the secretary to the First Presidency, Michael Watson, say, “President Hinckley would like to talk to you.”

After an uncomfortable silence on Hal’s end, President Hinckley came on and declared, without introduction, “I’d like to ask you to join President Monson and me in the First Presidency.” “President Hinckley,” Hal blurted out, “are you sure you’re talking to the right person? This is Hal Eyring.” “I know who this is!” President Hinckley replied. The ensuing conversation was short. Hall accepted the call, saying he would do anything President Hinckley asked and that it would be an honor to serve with him and President Monson. Hal put the garbage can away and shared the news with Kathy.

Who knows him? Met him? Associated with him?

“Where two or three are Gathered”