Reuben D. Law
1st President of BYU-Hawaii
In office
1954–1959
Preceded byInaugural president
Succeeded byRichard T. Wootton
Personal details
Born(1903-03-19)March 19, 1903
Avon, Utah
DiedApril 19, 1981(1981-04-19) (aged 78)
Provo, Utah
Spouse(s)Leda Ethelyn Call (1925–1973)
Lue Groesbeck (1973–1978)
Children5
Alma materBrigham Young College
Utah State Agricultural College
University of Southern California
ProfessionProfessor of education
Academic administrator

Reuben Deem Law (March 19, 1903 – April 19, 1981)[1][2][3] was the first president of the Church College of Hawaii (CCH), which was later renamed Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU–Hawaii).

Biography

Law was born in Avon, Utah,[4] and raised on a ranch and farm.[5] He married Leda Ethelyn Call in 1925 in Logan, Utah, and they had five children.[4]

While in Logan, Law graduated from Brigham Young College and Utah State Agricultural College, receiving his bachelor's degree in history and education. He later attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he received a master's degree in education and educational administration, followed by an Ed.D. in teacher education in 1941.[5][6]

Law's career began as an elementary school principal in Box Elder County, Utah. After teaching some high school, he became the first principal at the consolidated South Rich High School in Randolph, Utah. After one year, he became the county superintendent, here he served for six years in the 1930s.[5][7] He then briefly served as superintendent in Duchesne County School District before joining the faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1936.[5] Law was appointed dean of BYU's college of education from 1946 to 1954.[8]

Church College of Hawaii

Three years after becoming president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), David O. McKay decided that the church would establish a college in Hawaii. Although Law had just finished building a new home in Provo, Utah, he accepted the invitation plan the new school and be its first president and "turn President McKay's vision into a reality." Eric B. Shumway, BYU–Hawaii's president fifty years later, said Law was "a man of strong character, [who] wielded a firm hand" and held an "absolute and fervent testimony of President McKay's calling as a prophet, seer, and revelator".[9] Some contemporaries also saw him as a strict or authoritarian figure.[10][11][12]

With no preexisting facilities, Law led the survey committee to investigate potential attendance and locations. Although Law recommended the school begin in Fall 1956 in Honolulu, the population center, McKay decided it should be on church-owned property in Laie, and open soon as possible, in September 1955.[3][13] In the complex work of urgently organizing a new junior college "from scratch", Law was given "direct access to President McKay on nearly all matters concerning the college, including budget, thus bypassing much of the bureaucracy and red tape of the church". Law had some private conflicts with Frank Woolley and the LDS Church's Pacific Board of Education about acquiring resources and the scope of academic programs.[13] The school began in temporary buildings with 20 faculty and 153 students, which rose to 250 students by the end of Law's term. Law resigned in 1959 to accept a position in Southern California, and he was replaced by prolific faculty member Richard Wootton.[9]

Later activities

In the 1970s, Law served on the Utah State Board of Education,[14][15] which he chaired in 1976 to 1977.[16][17][18] He was also a temple worker in the Provo Temple in the 1970s.[5][19]

In the LDS Church, Law served as a bishop, a counselor in a stake presidency, and a member of the church's Sunday School General Board.[5]

Law's wife Leda died in 1973. Later that year he married Lue Groesbeck. In 1981, Law died at the age of 78 in Provo and was buried in Logan.[4]

Writings

  • Law, Reuben D. (1928), History of Tremonton, [Seminar paper under Dr. Joel E. Ricks], Logan, Utah: Department of History, Utah State Agricultural College.
  • Law, Reuben D. (April 1941), Content and Criteria Relating to Professional Teacher Education, [Doctoral thesis], University of Southern California.
  • Law, Reuben D. (1952). The Utah School System: Its Organization and Administration. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press.
  • Law, Reuben D. (1953). "The Program of Teacher Preparation at Brigham Young University". In Jesse A. Bond & John A. Hockett (ed.). Curriculum Trends and Teacher Education. Lock Haven, Pennsylvania: The Association for Student Teaching, State Teacher's College. pp. 170–182.
  • Law, Reuben D. (1972). The Founding and Early Development of the Church College of Hawaii. St. George, Utah: Dixie College Press.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Law, Zola Rae". Alumni. Brigham Young High School Alumni. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  2. ↑ "Reuben D. Law oral history interview, Aug. 22, 1977". iLink BYU Online Catalog. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  3. 1 2 "BYUH Timeline". Golden Jubilee. Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  4. 1 2 3 "Reuben Deem Law". Whipple Genweb. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Law, Reuben D.; Baldridge, Kenneth W. (March 6, 1980), "[Reuben D. Law interview]", Oral History Program, OH-104, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03
  6. ↑ "Content and criteria relating to professional teacher education". HOMER Catalog. USC Libraries, University of Southern California. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  7. ↑ "Earthquakes Again Shake Northern Utah: Geologist Warns More Temblors May Be Expected". Deseret News. March 15, 1934. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  8. ↑ "Biographical History". Register of the Brigham Young University College of Education Teacher Education Records, 1973-1995. L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  9. 1 2 Shumway, Eric B. (October 18, 2005), Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (PDF), Jubilee Devotional, BYU Broadcasting, retrieved 2009-12-03
  10. ↑ Goo, Charles; Goo, Mildred; Baldridge, Kenneth (February 13, 1984), "Charles & Mildred Goo Interview", Oral History Program, 0H-194, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03
  11. ↑ Georgi, Nephi; Greenwood, Tim (March 12, 1979), "Nephi and Heidi Georgi", Oral History Program, OH-66, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, pp. 46, 50, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03
  12. ↑ Allen, Ross R.; Baldridge, Kenneth W. (January 24, 1990), "[Ross R. Allen interview]", Oral History Program, OH-354, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, pp. 12–13, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03
  13. 1 2 Swapp, Wylie; Baldridge, Kenneth (June 21, 1982), "[Wylie Swapp interview]", Oral History Program, OH-178, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, pp. 10, 31–32, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03
  14. ↑ Minutes of a Joint Meeting Utah State Board of Regents and Utah State Board of Education (PDF), December 15, 1977, p. 159, retrieved 2009-12-03
  15. ↑ Sorensen, Wilson W. (1985). A Miracle in Utah Valley: The Story of Utah Technical College, 1941-1982 (PDF). Provo: Utah Technical College. p. 330. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  16. ↑ Sorensen, Wilson W. (1985). A Miracle in Utah Valley: The Story of Utah Technical College, 1941-1982 (PDF). Provo: Utah Technical College. p. 350. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  17. ↑ Minutes of a Joint Meeting of the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah State Board of Regents (PDF), January 31, 1977, p. 199, retrieved 2009-12-03
  18. ↑ "Deaf seek better schooling". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. February 19, 1977. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  19. ↑ Miles, David H.; Baldridge, Ken (December 16, 1991), "David H. and Mary W. Miles", Oral History Program, OH-390, Laie: Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, p. 29, archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011, retrieved 2009-12-03

Sources

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