Over the past several decades my wife, Lisa, faithfully stood at our door to send our children off as they left our home for school. Without exception, she would call to them\u2014usually in her pajamas\u2014and say, \u201cStand up straight, smile, and remember who you are! You\u2019re a Richardson, a child of God!\u201d<\/p>\n
Without taking a breath, she would then say our family motto: \u201cReverence. Respect. Responsibility. Resourcefulness.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then, with the excitement of a cheerleader, she would roll her arms and say the final word: \u201cReeesolve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, but wait, she wasn\u2019t quite finished. She would cap it all off with an enthusiastic \u201cBe a light!\u201d<\/p>\n
After our children heard this charge nearly every day of their young lives, is it any wonder that this ritual has been forever engrained in their memories\u2014and in the memories of their friends and quite possibly of our neighbors?<\/p>\n
With this image fresh in your mind, I would like to focus on the first part of my wife\u2019s simple but profound instruction: \u201cStand up straight, smile, and remember who you are.\u201d BYU has impacted my ability to stand up straight, has influenced why I smile, and has greatly molded who I am today. I have been privileged to be part of this university as a student, a professor, and now an administrator for more than three decades.<\/p>\n
I know what you are thinking, and yes, three decades is a very long time\u2014and yes, I am old. After all these years you would think that I would know my way around campus, which I do; understand more about honor and integrity from the Honor Code, which I do; know all of \u201cThe Cougar Fight Song,\u201d which I do; and know and enjoy BYU\u2019s history and culture, which I do. Yet there are certain things about BYU that I earnestly hope I will never<\/i> forget.<\/p>\n
President Ezra Taft Benson once said, \u201cIt is our privilege to store our memories with good and great thoughts and bring them out on the stage of our minds at will.\u201d1<\/sup> Sadly, remembering even the good and great thoughts can be difficult.<\/p>\n I am confident that you, of all people, understand this well. After all, you have been taking quizzes and midterms lately and probably know that sick feeling in which your head is like a balloon with a small hole and all your preparation at the library is leaking out at an alarming rate as you make your way to the Testing Center. Oh sure, you try and pump your head up again by quickly reading through the stack of note cards as you walk, but you know deep down that all the good stuff is leaking out just as fast as you are putting it in.<\/p>\n There is great power in knowledge, but it seems that there is even greater power in remembering. President Spencer W. Kimball once asked, \u201cWhen you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is?\u201d<\/p>\n He then answered, \u201cIt could be remember.<\/i>\u201d2<\/sup><\/p>\n With everything you have tucked away, there are some things you should never forget\u2014like wisdom. More than knowledge and facts, wisdom deals with applied knowledge coupled with experience and good sense. It was Alma who admonished his son Helaman, \u201cRemember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth.\u201d3<\/sup> No wonder President Kimball said, \u201cOur greatest need is to remember,\u201d and emphasized that \u201cremember<\/i> is the word. Remember<\/i> is the program.\u201d4<\/sup><\/p>\n It is not unusual for people to use strategies or objects to help them remember things that are important. Everyone knows about tying a string around one\u2019s finger, but I have never met anyone who has actually used this technique. Others use rhyming patterns, flash cards, repetition, or other devices to create, categorize, or even trigger a memory. Some people save mementos. <\/i>More than just a keepsake or a souvenir, a memento <\/i>is an object with the purpose of helping one to remember. In fact, the word memento<\/i> comes from Latin, in which it literally means \u201cremember!\u201d (with an exclamation point, no less).<\/p>\n I would like to share four personal BYU mementos <\/i>that continue to help me in my quest to stand up straight, smile, and remember who I am. I realize that some of you may be thinking, \u201cWhat is the value of this little show-and-tell?\u201d<\/p>\n Consider Elder Jeffrey R. Holland\u2019s counsel as my response:<\/p>\n We who have already walked that portion of life\u2019s path that you are now on try to call back to you something of what we have learned. We shout encouragement. We try to warn of pitfalls or perils along the way. Where possible we try to walk with you and keep you close to our side.<\/i>5<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n So let\u2019s take a walk together.<\/p>\n One treasured memento from my BYU past is a Chemistry 105 exam. In truth, of all the hundreds of papers, quizzes, and exams from my undergraduate degree, this is the only academic memento <\/i>I saved from my entire<\/i> undergraduate experience.<\/p>\n I vividly remember watching the professor hand a big stack of exams to the person on the front row and say, \u201cFind your exam and pass the pile along.\u201d This was long before FERPA laws protected privacy, so public humiliation or adoration (depending on how you performed) was always a looming possibility. I hastily retrieved my exam and hurried out of class.<\/p>\n As I was walking out of the building, I quickly glanced at the exam and saw the number 76 scrawled across the top in red pen\u201476? I quickly stuffed the exam into my backpack. I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. My mind raced and I started thinking that obviously I wasn\u2019t smart enough to be at BYU, for surely everyone else in the class had scored much higher than I had. I envisioned my fellow classmates celebrating together at the Cougareat and toasting their success with chocolate milk.<\/p>\n The number 76 kept flashing over and over in my mind as I walked to my apartment by going down the stairs south of campus leading to the Botany Pond. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, I pulled the dreaded exam from my backpack, hoping that somehow I had read my score incorrectly. But sure enough, that red 76 was still there.<\/p>\n Then I saw something I hadn\u2019t noticed before. My heart raced when I saw a tiny minus sign. You see, I didn\u2019t get a 76 on this exam, I missed<\/i> 76! And sure enough, in the corner was the number 24! Surely this is the lowest score in BYU history given to someone who actually tried to do well.<\/p>\n I was so stunned that my first impulse was to jump into the Botany Pond, swim to the bottom, and hide from the entire world. Little did I know that the Botany Pond was less than three feet deep, so that plan would have also received a score of 24, as it too would have been doomed to failure.<\/p>\n Now you may ask, \u201cWhy in the world did you save that particular exam as your only memento <\/i>of your BYU undergraduate academic experience?\u201d<\/p>\n I saved it because this experience impacted and shaped me in significant ways\u2014ways I hope to never forget. I am not proud of failing\u2014or of failing with such absolute certainty. What happened next, however, was something that I hope I will always remember. Somehow I resisted the urge to pack all my belongings into my car, drive home, and leave BYU and all my humiliation in the rearview mirror. It was during this time that I came across a quote that read, \u201cSuccess is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.\u201d6<\/sup><\/p>\n My mother used to tell her children that we were of \u201cpioneer stock.\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure if I really knew what that meant when I was younger, but I did know the stories about crossing the plains. They were usually filled with unbearable challenges, setbacks, and seemingly impossible odds. And at the end of the day the pioneers circled their wagons, built a fire, sang, and danced\u2014or at least that is the way I remembered the stories. And what was their theme song? \u201cCome, Come, Ye Saints.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/i>I always thought this was a strange song for those who were hungry, fatigued, and at the brink of devastation. One verse, for example, reads, \u201cAnd should we die before our journey\u2019s through, Happy day! All is well!\u201d7<\/sup><\/p>\n All is well? Anybody could see that all was not<\/i> well. And just who were these overly optimistic people anyway? Apparently they were my people. And now, years later, they help me to remember just who I am and what it means to be of pioneer stock.<\/p>\n Years ago I was sitting on the stand in a chapel in Europe singing \u201cCome, Come, Ye Saints.\u201d A leader leaned over and whispered, \u201cYou know, the Polish translation of this song is quite different from the English version.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d I countered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really read, \u2018All is well! All is well!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him somewhat surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real translation,\u201d he said, \u201cis \u2018Not so bad, not so bad.\u2019\u201d8<\/sup><\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t help but quietly chuckle. Then I thought of the pioneers who might not have always described their own circumstances as being \u201call is well.\u201d But I could see how with their expanded vision and tremendous dedication they could say, \u201cThis is not so bad, not so bad,\u201d and then with a deep breath take yet another step and continue to forge on.<\/p>\n Oh, to be of pioneer stock! Regardless of your heritage, we can all be pioneers, as I learned from one of my favorite Primary songs:<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to push a handcart,<\/i> You do need to have great courage,<\/i> Not so bad, not so bad.<\/p>\n I occasionally look at that exam and remember that \u201cfailure is not fatal\u201d and that \u201cit is the courage to continue that counts.\u201d I remember that every storm will eventually break if you just hold on long enough. I remember that learning is a process and not an event and that I can do difficult things, even when it takes more time than I have and additional strength and effort. Most important, I am reminded that life is not determined by a singular performance and that there are times when we need, as my wife so eloquently taught our \u00adchildren, to remember who we are and to stand up straight\u2014no slouching, no shrinking, no wilting. Just stand up straight, smile, remind yourself that it is not so bad, and move on.<\/p>\n My next memento came from my graduate studies at BYU several years later. Upon receiving my master\u2019s degree, we held a family celebration. As I was running out of our home to the party with my new degree in hand, I had an epiphany. Without thinking, I went to the workbench and cut my degree in half. I drove to the party, walked in the door, and handed my wife half of my degree.<\/p>\n She looked somewhat stunned and asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my master\u2019s degree!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou sawed your degree in half?\u201d she asked incredulously.<\/p>\n Because of the look on her face and the sound of her voice, it was only then that I started to realize that this might not have been one of my better ideas. I explained that even though the degree had my name on it, it was just as much hers as it was mine. She had worked just as hard as I had and deserved at least half of the credit.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you cut it in half!\u201d she said again.<\/p>\n Now why would I keep half a degree on my shelf? Because I always want to remember that everything worthwhile comes with the help of others. Life is a collaborative endeavor, and \u00adsuccess\u2014genuine success\u2014is attributable to a lot more people than just you.<\/p>\n So please ask for help. Look for support. Seek for those who will cheer you on, support you, celebrate with you, and even push you to be more than you are at the moment. Be that person for others.<\/p>\n Karl G. Maeser used to tell the students of Brigham Young Academy, \u201cBe yourself, but always your better self.\u201d10<\/sup> I feel we need more Karl G. Maesers in our life. We need to smile more, encourage more, and help one another more. This is, after all, who we are.<\/p>\n Every fall I read the BYU foundational documents, a compilation of talks about BYU and who we are\u2014or at least who we must become. These include talks by Karl G. Maeser and past BYU presidents from Franklin S. Harris to our current president, Kevin J Worthen. You will also find the mission statement, The Aims of a BYU Education, and many addresses by prophets, seers, and revelators. I read these documents every fall so that I will never forget that at the core of this university are revelations, dreams, and visions.<\/p>\n There is one particular story that I would like to highlight today. In 1915, BYU was in dire financial difficulties and was preparing to sell the very land on which our campus now stands. The commencement speaker, a student named Alfred Kelly, was given an assignment to promote selling the property in his speech, but he was troubled by the idea. Early one morning he walked to the land that was to be sold. He prayed, and then it happened. He saw what he called a \u201cstrange vision\u201d with <\/i>\u201cthousands of young people who approached me, their arms laden with books.\u201d Kelly continued:<\/p>\n I turned around to find the area behind me illuminated as well. In that light I saw hundreds of buildings, large and beautiful temples of learning. Those young people passed by me and entered in. Then, with cheerfulness and confidence, they turned toward the east and lifted their eyes heavenward, where, again becoming part of the sunlight, they gradually disappeared from my view.<\/i>11<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n He decided to share this experience in his \u00adcommencement speech instead of promoting the idea of selling the land. After finishing his comments he sat down, and everyone present was silent. I have always loved how Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, when he was BYU president, told what happened next:<\/p>\n Longtime BYU benefactor Jesse Knight jumped to his feet and shouted, \u201cWe won\u2019t sell an acre. We won\u2019t sell a single lot.\u201d And he turned to President George Brimhall and pledged several thousand dollars to the future of the university.<\/i>12<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Why was this experience so important? Was Alfred Kelly\u2019s vision of BYU\u2019s future needed to inspire and motivate those like Jesse Knight to invest in BYU with confidence and to ensure its future? If so, this reminds me of a movie about an Iowa farmer working in his fields when he heard a voice say, \u201cIf you build it, he will come.\u201d He then saw a vision of a baseball field appear in his cornfields.13<\/sup> Perhaps the vision of Alfred Kelly was akin to Ray Kinsella\u2019s vision: \u201cIf you build BYU, they will come.\u201d And build it they did\u2014and thousands did come.<\/p>\n So was the ultimate goal only to ensure that one future day degrees would be awarded, jobs would be secured, and one\u2019s eventual contacts on LinkedIn would overflow? If this is what you think, then I would ask you to consider Alfred Kelly\u2019s vision more carefully. It is true that his vision did describe a <\/i>BYU, with thousands of young people laden with books entering into large and beautiful buildings. In this way it was a vision\u2014a crystal-ball view\u2014showing that this educational enterprise was all going to work out in the end.<\/p>\n I believe that Alfred Kelly\u2019s vision, however, did much more than just save the campus. I believe it defined our campus as well. Alfred Kelly not only saw future buildings but purposefully described them\u2014as did Karl G. Maeser earlier14<\/sup>\u2014as \u201ctemples of learning.\u201d And this was not all. Those temples of learning were illuminated by light. Sixty years later President Spencer W. Kimball said that all subject matter at BYU should be \u201cbathed in the light and color of the restored gospel.\u201d15<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n With all this in mind, I feel that BYU aptly fits a descriptor that Hyrum Smith once used to describe his own family\u2019s household. In the fall of 1829, Solomon Chamberlain visited the Smith farm in Palmyra, New York, to inquire about a gold bible and heavenly visitors.<\/p>\n Upon entering the Smiths\u2019 house, he asked, \u201cIs there any one here that believes in visions or revelations?\u201d<\/p>\n Hyrum Smith was the first to respond, and he said, \u201cYes, we are a visionary house.\u201d16<\/sup><\/p>\n I have always imagined Hyrum standing up straight and smiling as he said that.<\/p>\n But consider Hyrum\u2019s words carefully. Note that he did not<\/i> say, \u201cThis is a visionary house,\u201d but he specifically said, \u201cWe<\/i> are a visionary house.\u201d The emphasis here is not on the house, as important as it may be. Hyrum underscored that the occupants created a visionary house.<\/p>\n With this in mind, consider Alfred Kelly\u2019s vision once again. More than just buildings and a campus, he saw future BYU students. I believe that it is very likely that Alfred Kelly may have seen you: you were coming out of those temples of light \u201cwith cheerfulness and confidence,\u201d and you \u201cturned toward the east and lifted [your] eyes heavenward.\u201d<\/p>\nMemento 1: A Chemistry 105 Exam<\/b><\/h2>\n
\nLeave your fam\u2019ly dear, <\/i>
\nOr walk a thousand miles or more<\/i>
\nTo be a pioneer!<\/i><\/p>\n
\nFaith to conquer fear,<\/i>
\nAnd work with might for a cause that\u2019s right<\/i>
\nTo be a pioneer<\/i>!<\/i>9<\/sup><\/p>\nMemento 2: Half a Degree<\/b><\/h2>\n
Memento 3: BYU Foundational Documents<\/b><\/h2>\n