Joseph F. Merrill
Born: 24 August 1868
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 8 October 1931
Died: 3 February 1952
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 8 October 1931
Died: 3 February 1952
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Instructor, October 1931, Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill
Improvement Era, November 1931, Dr. Joseph F. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve
Relief Society Magazine, November 1931, Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill
Improvement Era, December 1932, Greatness in Men: Joseph F. Merrill
Instructor, March 1943, Boyhood Experiences - Joseph F. Merrill
Improvement Era, March 1952, Church Mourns Passing of Elder Joseph F. Merrill
Improvement Era, March 1952, Tributes Paid Elder Merrill
Relief Society Magazine, April 1952, Elder Joseph F. Merrill (August 24, 1868 - February 3, 1952)
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Instructor, October 1931, Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill
Improvement Era, November 1931, Dr. Joseph F. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve
Relief Society Magazine, November 1931, Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill
Improvement Era, December 1932, Greatness in Men: Joseph F. Merrill
Instructor, March 1943, Boyhood Experiences - Joseph F. Merrill
Improvement Era, March 1952, Church Mourns Passing of Elder Joseph F. Merrill
Improvement Era, March 1952, Tributes Paid Elder Merrill
Relief Society Magazine, April 1952, Elder Joseph F. Merrill (August 24, 1868 - February 3, 1952)
Jenson, Andrew. "Merrill, Joseph Francis" Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 784-785.
MERRILL, Joseph Francis, first assistant superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion, is the son of Apostle Marriner W. Merrill and Maria L. Kingsbury, and was born at Richmond, Cache county. Utah, Aug. 24, 1868. He was baptized into the Church July 22, 1877. His first ordination to the Priesthood was to the office of a Teacher, and on Sept. 22, 1889, he was ordained an Elder by his father; he received the Priesthood of a Seventy Sept. 23, 1898, under the hands of Apostle Heber J. Grant. Brother Merrill was brought up on his father's farm in Richmond, where he attended the common schools till 1887, when he entered the University of Deseret as a normal student. He graduated from that institution in 1889, and in the fall of the same year he became a student in the University of Michigan, graduating in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. The summer of 1892 he spent as a student at Cornell University, and in the summer of 1894 he studied at the University of Chicago. In 1893-95 he was assistant professor of chemistry and physics in the University of Utah. During 1896-97 he studied physics and electrical engineering, in the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,, Md., and in the University of Chicago. After his return to Utah he resumed teaching again in the University of Utah; but after being elected Fellow in Physics in the Johns Hopkins University he went east once more and further continued his studies, till 1899, when he took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins institution. An abstract of his doctorate thesis was published in the "Physical Review" for Feb. 1899. A later article by Dr. Merrill, embodying the results of original research was published in the same journal for March, 1900, an abstract of which article was also published in the "Physikalische Zeitschrift" of Germany. Doc- tor Merrill is now professor of physics and electrical engineering in the University of Utah, and is also principal of the State School of Mines, a department in the University. During his stay in Michigan, in 1892-93, he acted as presiding Elder of the "Mormon Colony" at Ann Arbor. In November, 1897, Elder Merrill was chosen as first assistant superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion. which position he still holds. He married Annie Laura Hyde, a daughter of Alonzo E. and Annie Taylor Hyde, June 9,1898,which union has been blessed with two children. During 1898-99 Brother Merrill and his wife labored as regularly appointed missionaries in Baltimore Elder Merrill is looked upon as a conscientious Latter-day Saint and as a .scholar of imminent ability.
MERRILL, Joseph Francis, first assistant superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion, is the son of Apostle Marriner W. Merrill and Maria L. Kingsbury, and was born at Richmond, Cache county. Utah, Aug. 24, 1868. He was baptized into the Church July 22, 1877. His first ordination to the Priesthood was to the office of a Teacher, and on Sept. 22, 1889, he was ordained an Elder by his father; he received the Priesthood of a Seventy Sept. 23, 1898, under the hands of Apostle Heber J. Grant. Brother Merrill was brought up on his father's farm in Richmond, where he attended the common schools till 1887, when he entered the University of Deseret as a normal student. He graduated from that institution in 1889, and in the fall of the same year he became a student in the University of Michigan, graduating in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. The summer of 1892 he spent as a student at Cornell University, and in the summer of 1894 he studied at the University of Chicago. In 1893-95 he was assistant professor of chemistry and physics in the University of Utah. During 1896-97 he studied physics and electrical engineering, in the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,, Md., and in the University of Chicago. After his return to Utah he resumed teaching again in the University of Utah; but after being elected Fellow in Physics in the Johns Hopkins University he went east once more and further continued his studies, till 1899, when he took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins institution. An abstract of his doctorate thesis was published in the "Physical Review" for Feb. 1899. A later article by Dr. Merrill, embodying the results of original research was published in the same journal for March, 1900, an abstract of which article was also published in the "Physikalische Zeitschrift" of Germany. Doc- tor Merrill is now professor of physics and electrical engineering in the University of Utah, and is also principal of the State School of Mines, a department in the University. During his stay in Michigan, in 1892-93, he acted as presiding Elder of the "Mormon Colony" at Ann Arbor. In November, 1897, Elder Merrill was chosen as first assistant superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion. which position he still holds. He married Annie Laura Hyde, a daughter of Alonzo E. and Annie Taylor Hyde, June 9,1898,which union has been blessed with two children. During 1898-99 Brother Merrill and his wife labored as regularly appointed missionaries in Baltimore Elder Merrill is looked upon as a conscientious Latter-day Saint and as a .scholar of imminent ability.
Jenson, Andrew. "Merrill, Joseph F." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 244.
MERRILL, Joseph F., a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1927 to 1933. (See Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 784.
MERRILL, Joseph F., a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1927 to 1933. (See Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 784.
"Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill." Instructor. October 1931. pg. 576.
DR. JOSEPH FRANCIS MERRILL 'Sustained as a member of the Council of the Twelve by the membership of the Church at the General Conference, Sunday, October 4, 1931. Joseph Francis Merrill, Is the son of the late apostle Marriner Wood and Maria L. Kingsbury Merrill, and was born at Richmond, Cache County, August 24, 1868. «Who's Who In America*' contains the following abbreviated account of Dr. Merrill: «Grad. Normal School, U. of U., 1880; B. S., 17. of Midi. 1893; Cornell, Summers 1893, 1902; TT. of Chicago, Summers 1884, 96, 97; Ph. D. Johns Hopkins University, 1899; D. Sc„ U. of V., 1020; m. Annie Laura Hyde, of Salt Lake City, June 9, 1898. (Died Feb. 1917) M. 2nd. Emily li. Traub, of Fort Wayne, Ind., June 29, 1918. Asst. Prof. Chemistry, lsy3-97. Prof. Physics and Phys, Chemistry, 1697-99, director U. State School of Mines and J2ngtneering, 1897, Prof. Physics and Klec. Engineering, 1899, dlr. War training, 11118, TJ. of U. Member and secretary Utah State Conservation Com. 1000-12. First Couns- Presidency Granite Stake, 1011-1918. Fellow Am. Inst. Blec, Fngrs., A. A. A. S., Am. Phys. Soc, Utah Academy of Science; Member Soc. Promotion Eng'ring. Edn. N. E. A., Utah Soc. Engrs. (Pres, 1907-10) Utah Teachers Assn. (Pres. 1911). Mem. Governing Board Eng'ring Council of Utah, 1921-27, (Pres. 1923-24). Author: 'Manual of Physics,' 1907, 3rd Edition, 1927." Dr. Merrill has been L. D. S. Commissioner of Education since 1928. He is the father of six children. |
Lyman, Richard R. "Dr. Joseph F. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve." Improvement Era. November 1931. pg. 9-10.
Dr. Joseph Merrill of the Council of the Twelve By DR. RICHARD R. LYMAN CLASSMATES at the University of Michigan forty years ago this very fall, and later having our offices side by side in the University of Utah for twenty-six years, few men have been more intimately associated during what is now rather a long lifetime than have Joseph Francis Merrill and the writer of this sketch. As Superintendent of the Mutual Improvement Associations in the former Salt Lake Stake, I suggested Joseph F. Merrill as my first assistant. "Who is the man? Where is he?" asked President Angus M. Cannon. "He is a son of Marriner W. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve and a teacher in the University of Utah; at present he is at Johns Hopkins University." "How long has he been away from home?" asked President Cannon. "Two years." "Are you sure that he is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the Gospel?" “Yes, President Cannon, I know the man. A testimony of the Gospel is in his heart and soul. I may say that I speak his language, and he speaks mine; that is, we understand each other. We are kindred spirits." IN youth, while at Ann Arbor, Joseph F. Merrill was associated with great investigators who were building upon the discoveries of Pasteur, the man who in 1880 made to human welfare perhaps the greatest of scientific contributions. Because of the accuracy and thoroughness of his work, Joseph F. Merrill was one of the students from the department of chemistry to aid in this experimental research. Outstanding in his character is persistence. When he attacks a problem, for him no road is too long, no combination of circumstances too difficult. Unusual good fortune came for Joseph F. Merrill and for the Church when he went into the Presidency of the Granite Stake, for it was then that he had the opportunity and the vision to begin the work of the present seminary system, now comprising, under his leadership, ninety institutions. The present definite details of the unique and remarkable program of the General Board of Education in its courses of religious education have come largely as a result of the clear vision and efficient leadership of Dr. Merrill as Commissioner of Education. NATIONALLY Dr. Merrill has risen to membership in the scientific societies of his profession. At home he has been honored by his associates in all local organizations of which he is a member, having served as president of the Utah Society of Engineers, of the Utah Educational Association, of the Utah Section of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and of the Engineering Council of Utah. He is a born executive. Under his leadership the State School of Mines and Engineering at the University achieved phenomenal growth and prestige. Unceasingly working for the public good, he is by nature a legislator. I have never known him to take a narrow view on any subject. The State is indebted to him for suggesting legislation requiring the interest on State money to go to the State rather than to the Treasurer. Joseph F. Merrill is the soul of honor. In him a chemical analysis could not find a trace of deceit. He holds the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from that famed graduate institution, Johns Hopkins University, and by it was in addition awarded membership in the honorary society Phi Beta Kappa. The technical work done for his doctorate was published in the Physical Review for February, 1899, and later was translated into foreign languages. Though a scientist of high order, he has developed his religious thought side by side with his attainments in scholarship, and he finds, therefore, no real conflict between true Religion and true Science. THIS man comes from that chosen few who have been gathered "one of a city and two of a family" from nearly every country of the world. Of pioneer parents and a native of Utah, he was born in Richmond in 1868. He was a pupil of that devoted teacher, Ida Cook. He was graduated from the Normal school of the University of Utah in 1889, and from the University of Michigan with the degree of B. S. in 1893. The summers of 1893 and 1902 he spent in special study at Cornell, and the summers of 1894, 1896 and 1897 at the University of Chicago. In addition to this training, and the honors from Johns Hopkins, in 1920 he was awarded the honorary degree, Doctor of Science by the University of Utah. Ponder these lines; they are his own: "In December, 1888, when I asked my father if I could go east to college beginning in the fall of 1889, without a moment's hesitation he said, yes, and that he would help me to remain in college as long as I would care to stay. In explanation he said that all his life he had been handicapped because of a lack of education and that years ago he had concluded that the best thing he could do for his children was to give them all the opportunities of an education rather than to leave them material things to quarrel over after he was gone. And so my going to college in 1889 created a desire among all the younger ^members of my father's family to go to college also, which all of them younger than I subsequently did. There were twelve sons younger than myself; of this number ten have been graduated from college." A WORTHY son of a worthy father, he had also a devoted, intellectual and faithful mother, From the beginning his life has been a prayerful one. To his callings in the Church he has devoted himself with the same earnestness that he gave to his professional duties. He has been a most industrious worker, and still has found time for recreation. By his faith, by his years of honest and unremitting .study, by profound scholarship, by continuous years of successful leadership in religious, educational, and pub lie affairs, this man, Joseph F. Merrill, has had a preparation which seems well-nigh perfect for work [in the Council of the Twelve. There is no group of scholars, no association of scientists or philosophers, whose respect and attention Joseph F. Merrill can not command. He speaks the language of thinkers, scientists, philosophers. Theirs is a language familiar to Dr. Merrill. It is my conviction that during the whole of his life he has, by the power of God, been in course of preparation for the place to which he is now called. |
Reynolds, Alice Louise. "Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill." Relief Society Magazine. November 1931. pg. 602-605.
Dr. Joseph Francis Merrill By Alice Louise Reynolds DR. JOSEPH FRANCIS MERRILL has a record of achievement as a scholar and as a churchman. This record indicates clearly the major interests of his life. It furnishes the key to his character. The urge for knowledge and the .urge for righteousness have gone hand in hand in the making of his personality. In him is a mingling of characteristics that made certain the scholar, and spiritual urges that make being a scholar most worth while. Industry is one of his outstanding virtues, and, of course, accounts in part for his record of achievement Accuracy is nearly an obsession with him. He wants the facts on any given matter on which he is to pass judgment. This quality of mind has of course played a major part in making the scientist!—but it has never made obscure to his mind those subtle influences which are so potent in the spiritual life, and which may not be listed as material or intellectual facts. Dr. Merrill was born in Cache Valley, Aug. 24, 1868, where he grew up. His father was Marriner W. Merrill |and his mother was Mariah L. Kingsbury Merrill. He comes of a family with traditions for learning. He is the nephew of Jos. T. Kingsbury, President Emeritus of the University of Utah. His father's family has been unusually prominent in education. During my career as a teacher, I have had three of his brothers as my colleagues. This tradition is apparent in the achievements of his own family; for all of his children who are old enough have college degrees. At a recent commencement at the University of Utah Dr. Merrill's wife and two daughters received bachelor's degrees, each one of them having been elected to the Phi Kappa Phi honorary scholastic fraternity. His father being a member of the Council of Twelve, made it certain that he would be reared in a home where emphasis was placed upon spiritual values. With such environment, we should expect to find one eager for knowledge concerning the Lord and his plan for the redemption of mankind. In this, we are not disappointed. We shall, in our writing, give attention for the present, to his training for his life's work. He was graduated from the Normal department of the University of Utah, in 1889. He went to Ann Arbor that autumn to obtain his bachelor's degree, an ambition realized in 1893. He married Annie Laura Hyde, a daughter of Annie Taylor Hyde, associated with the General Board of the Relief Society for many years, and Alonzo Hyde. She was a granddaughter of President John Taylor. His first wife was a woman of sterling character. Six children blessed their union. His second wife, Emily L. Traub, is a woman of culture and charm. She has been a member of the faculty of the University of Utah for some years, holding a position in the language department, where she teaches German. I was at the University of Michigan, when he was doing his undergraduate work. One day while conversing with Professor Isaac N. Demon, head of the English department he said, "Miss Reynolds, your Mr. Merrill ranks high in scholarship; he is a sound student, and a capable man." I responded that the Utah students associated with him were of that opinion, but we were very glad to have it substantiated by a member of the faculty. While at Ann Arbor, he was associated with a number of Utahns, who have served both the Church and the State as leaders in education. I shall mention only one of these persons, his life long friend. Dr. Richard R. Lyman, because their lives have so often paralleled and because they are now in the Council of the Twelve together. Later Dr. Merrill entered Cornell University, and the University of Chicago, for graduate work, finally taking his doctorate with honors from that great graduate institution Johns Hopkins University, which is in itself a guarantee of high scholarship. This was in 1899. During the six years intervening between taking his bachelor's and his doctor of philosophy degrees he taught both chemistry and physics at the University of Utah. Then came his career as head of the State School of Mines and Engineering at the University of Utah. In a state—prominent' among mining states—such as Utah, there is great opportunity for a strong school of mines and engineering. In his new capacity, Dr. Merrill saw to it that his native state did not lose this opportunity. Through intelligent direction, he placed this school in a leading position in the nation. Also, he worked closely with President Joseph T. Kingsbury in administrative work as vice-president. He gave of his best wherever placed, and is one of the men to whom the University of Utah owes much of its growth and advancement along scholastic lines. After years of devotion to his work at the State University, came his call as Commissioner of Education of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1928. He was happy to receive the appointment, for it gave him an opportunity to make use in full measure of the deeply religious urge of his soul. Those acquainted with him were happy in his appointment, because they knew he was grounded in the religious life of his people, and that he would be a force for regenerating, and building on spiritual foundations, the lives of those whom he contacted. Some of us were well aware of his power in this direction, because in days past at the University of Michigan, when he was presiding over a group of Utah students, we came to know the depth of his spiritual life. Then came his service as first assistant superintendent in the Y. M. M. I. A. work, of Salt Lake Stake, and later his service as counselor to the president of the Granite Stake. At' present he is a member of the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A. His appointment on this board came shortly after he was called to be Commissioner of Education. His call as Commissioner of Education is a highly spiritual one. To follow Karl G. Maeser in any calling, is to make it highly spiritual, for spirituality was of the air that he breathed. That Dr. Merrill has been able to satisfy those who knew Karl G. Maeser, and were with him in his work, is one of the highest tributes that can be paid him as an administrator in an office where the spiritual entities are foremost. Those who have worked with him in his present position appreciate his care of details, his promptness, his close attention to facts in a case whenever he is to render judgment, or whenever he is dealing with a matter where facts are important. His friends would vouch for his integrity, for his absolute reliability, for his scholarship, and his faith in the Lord and in the ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness. He believes sincerely in the good life. During the past months, thousands have listened to his radio addresses, and have heard him expound the gospel of Jesus Christ in the light of scientific knowledge. They have felt the power of his testimony, and know of his faith in the life that is in harmony with the plan of our Father in Heaven. At this very opportune time comes his call to the Council of the Twelve. There is joy and rejoicing in Israel, for they recognize in him one who, through the blessings of the Lord, will feed them the bread of life. |
DR. JOSEPH FRANCIS MERRILL
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Hinckley, Bryant S. "Greatness in Men: Joseph F. Merrill." Improvement Era. December 1932. pg. 74-77, 121.
Greatness in Men JOSEPH F. MERRILL By BRYANT S. HINCKLEY In this last biography of a series of fifteen which has pictured all three members of the First Presidency and all twelve members of the quorum of the Twelve, President Hinckley has drawn another portrait of a great man who has climbed to unusually high altitudes in the fields of education and religion. The story of Dr. Merrill’s life is a fitting climax to fifteen unusual stories. THERE is no greater inspiration to the youth of this Church than the achievements of its leaders. "Who's Who in America," a biographical dictionary of notable living men and women of the United States has this to say with reference to Dr. Joseph F. Merrill: "Educator; born in Richmond, Utah, August 24, 1868; son of Marriner Wood and Maria L. (Kingsbury) Merrill; graduated from Normal School of University of Utah, 1889; B. S., University of Michigan, 1893; Cornell, summers of 1893 and 1902; University of Chicago, summers of 1894, 1896, 1897; Ph. D., Johns Hopkins University, 1899; D. Sc, University of Utah, 1920. Married Annie Laura Hyde, of Salt Lake City, June 9, 1898. She died February 1917. Married Emily L. Traub of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, June 29, 1918. Assistant professor of chemistry 1893-97, professor of physics and physical chemistry 1897-99, director Utah State School of Mines and Engineering 1897-1928, professor of physics and electrical engineering, 1899-1928, director of war training 1918, University of Utah; Commissioner of Education, Latter-day Saint Church, 1928. Member and secretary Utah State Conservation Commission 1909-12. Advisory member Democratic State Central Committee, campaigns 1910, 12, 14, 16. Member Mormon Church; 1st counselor in presidency of Granite Stake, 1911- 19. Fellow of American Institute Electrical Engineers A. A. A. S., American Physical Society, Utah Academy of Science. Member Society for Promotion of Engineering. Education, N. E. A., Utah Society of Engineers (pres. 1907-10). Utah Teachers' Association (pres. 1911). Member of the Governing Board of Engineers,- Council of Utah, 1921-27 (pres. 1923-24). Author: Manual of Physics, 1907, 3rd edit. 1927. Home: 1324 East 1st South St., Salt Lake City, Utah." THE foregoing is a compact statement epitomizing the work of a busy life and giving in outline the achievements of the latest apostle to be ordained in the Church, Dr. Joseph F. Merrill. While it clearly indicates definite capabilities and characteristics it gives no clear impression of the man himself who is finer and better than anything he has done. Reading this digest one is enabled to make some deductions with reference to him. 1st—He is scientific-minded, which means that he has that quality of intellect upon which superior accomplishments depend, else he could not have achieved so splendidly, winning the titles which adorn his name and doing the work which stands to his credit. The men are few indeed who have achieved so much in the scientific field. This is the result of superior ability backed with hard work. Commenting upon Dr. Merrill's ability, his lifelong friend and intimate associate, Dr. Richard R. Lyman, said: "Joseph F. Merrill has a keen intellect. His degree, Doctor of Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, with election to the honorary literary society of Phi Beta Kappa on top of it, makes a scholastic honor obtained by few anywhere in the land, to say nothing of those from our small state. It is only possible for those who have unusual mental capacity to achieve such eminence in modern scholarship." 2nd-—He is thoroughly trained, as shown in the fact that he has the highest credentials from some of the foremost institutions in the United States. He is recognized as an authority in the field in which he has given his major service. This is further shown in the contributions which he has made to engineering through research and investigation. WHILE a student in the University of Michigan, Dr. Merrill assisted Professor Novey and others in the medical department who were carrying on some very important experimental work and needed the assistance of a competent chemist. He was recommended for this work by the department of chemistry. This contact with great investigators was an inspiration to him in his later work and his selection for this work is proof of his superior ability. 3rd—He is professionally interested in his work, which fact is evidenced by his active participation in the learned societies and organizations with which he is identified and which have for their aim the advancement of engineering and all that is related to it. HE has membership in the national as well as local scientific organizations in his field of work; he is a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physics Society, the Utah Academy of Sciences, the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, and the National Educational Association; At home he has been active in all local organizations of like character. He is a charter member of the Utah Society of Engineers and has repeatedly been president of the society. He has been president of the Utah Educational Association, of the Utah Section of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, also of the Engineering Council of Engineers. 4th—He is practical in his thinking, preferring always to deal with realities rather than with theories. He keeps his feet firmly on the ground—he never loses his orientation; he is sane and safe. 5th—He is alert and progressive in his ideas, always thinking ahead of his profession. 6th—He is thoroughly grounded in his faith. PERHAPS the major accomplishment of his life was the work which he did in the University of Utah in the establishment of the School of Mines and in the organization and development of the department of physics and electrical engineering over which he presided. Economy, honesty, and industry are ingrained in his very nature. He is intrinsically and genuinely honest and any waste or extravagance is distasteful to him. He learned these great underlying and fundamental virtues as a boy in his own home and they have found expression throughout his life. The fact that he is ruggedly and basically honest is shown in the way in which he has handled public funds. This was clearly manifested in his work in the University of Utah. He managed the affairs of his department most efficiently and economically, planning the courses so that civil, electrical, mechanical, mining and other engineering students had the same curriculum for the first two years of their courses. This plan of keeping the students together in the same classes avoided small classes and thus greatly reduced expenses and thereby made it possible better to equip the laboratories. The plan proposed by Dr. Merrill at the University of Utah later became the plan generally approved by engineering schools and the one recommended in 1925 by the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, the authoritative organization in this country in the teaching of engineering. This plan was best for the institution and best for the students —best for the institution because it cost less and best for the students because it provided better facilities without additional cost. Dr. Merrill introduced another innovation of great merit: In January, 1919, the large freshman class in engineering was divided into two sections, one with class work in the morning and laboratory work in the afternoon; the other with laboratory work in the morning and class work in the afternoon. This made the laboratory available and busy all day and likewise kept the class rooms occupied. Under this plan, laboratory equipment which otherwise might be used by only twenty students going once a week provided facilities for two hundred and twenty students, there being eleven one-half day periods during the school week. It is apparent that this plan effected a tremendous economy without interfering with the efficiency of the work and at the same time enabled students who were compelled to do part time work for their maintenance to better adjust their program of study. AS director of the School of Mines and Engineering and head of the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Utah, as well as Commissioner of Education, this same principle of wisdom and economy was carried out. These are all general statements and they do not deal with the interesting human side of his life. Joseph F. Merrill has a fine background. His forbears on both sides were strong and superior people. His father, Marriner W. Merrill of the Quorum of Twelve, was a man of enterprise and business sagacity, with an unusual spiritual insight, possessing at the same time that rare and priceless capacity of training boys in the fundamentals of success, industry, integrity, self-reliance, and a desire for learning. To his children this man was far above all other men. Dr. Merrill grew to manhood on a farm near Richmond, Cache County, Utah, the eldest of his mother's boys, which fact forced him, early in life, to carry responsibility and to make the acquaintance of hard work. The farm has been the cradle of many of the ablest and best men in America. Contact with the soil gives a boy a soberness in his thinking and a sense of values hard to acquire in any other way. When eleven he worked with a railroad construction camp as water boy, and then he drove a team and scraper when he was so small that his brother had to help him dump the scraper, and at thirteen he did a man's work on the railroad. He was large for his age. He attended a school in the little town of Richmond which was two miles from the farm on which his family lived. Whenever the weather would permit he walked to and from school. This necessitated his rising early in the morning in order to do his chores in time for school and then working after school until dark, so he had no time to play. HE was exceedingly diffident and now refers with much feeling and interest to his first experience as a ward teacher. Ward teaching among the scattered families of his neighborhood had to be done during the day. When he was a young priest he was assigned to labor in this capacity with Elder Joseph Kerr, an experienced and capable teacher. With regularity these brethren made their visits every month. During these visits the young priest had to take his turn presiding, conducting the meeting in every other family. It was a great and difficult task for a boy but he did his best. When it was over and he returned home his heart was light and his soul full of peace and satisfaction. He declares now that that was the best training and among the best experiences he has ever had in the Church. Thus in his youth he became thoroughly established in his faith —it has been a settled and dominant influence in his life. No matter where Joseph F. Merrill has gone, or in what company he has mingled, he has been able to make an intelligent and convincing defense of the religion of the Latter-day Saints. AS a boy he had a deep desire for an education and his wise father sought to satisfy this longing by giving to his son every encouragement in his educational ambitions, supplying him with the necessary funds, but otherwise leaving the responsibility with him. All of the money was returned with interest. Dr. Merrill's record in school, which was outstanding, inspired his brothers with an ambition to emulate his example and here is the record of the family: Fourteen sons—eleven of whom were graduated from college. Eight of them did graduate work in leading American universities outside of Utah, three of them receiving the degree Ph. D. and four Masters' degrees. The two others received M. D. degrees. Four sons became heads of departments in state universities, one other a department head in a private university, and another a public school superintendent. Of the others, one became a bank manager, and two heads of departments in large industrial organizations functioning in several states, one of them national in scope. Of the remaining three sons one is a farmer and two are equally successful business salesmen and are leaders in their communities. FROM his childhood Joseph F. Merrill has been active in Church service. While attending the University of Michigan he presided over the branch there and on his return he was associated with Dr. Richard R. Lyman in the Superintendency of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association of Salt Lake Stake. For eight years he was counselor to President Frank Y. Taylor of Granite Stake. He was ordained to the apostleship October 8, 1931. In June, 1898, he married Annie Laura Hyde, daughter of Alonzo and Annie Maria Taylor Hyde, a woman of nobility of character and rare sweetness of disposition. She died in 1917, leaving the following children: Joseph H., Annie H., Edith H., Rowland H., Taylor H., Eugene H., and Laura H. These children have displayed the sterling qualities of their parents. They have all been graduated from college except the youngest daughter, Laura H., who is in the University of Utah at the present time. The eldest son, Joseph H., died from an attack of influenza in November, 1918, while in the service of the U. S. Government. The other three boys have filled honorable missions. These children are all brilliant and ambitious and have maintained the fine traditions of the Merrill family. In June, 1918, he married his present wife, Emily L. Traub, who has been an inspiration to her husband and a mother to his children —always cooperating with him in his endeavors. She is an educated woman of sound judgment and warm sympathies, wise and prudent in the management of his home, amiable, ambitious and capable. In addition to managing the home she attended the University of Utah and, in 1922, graduated with her foster daughters, Annie and Edith, and the three of them were made members of Phi Kappa Phi, honorary scholarship fraternity. IN Dr. Merrill the love of home and children is very strong. His many and exacting duties require his frequent absence from home, particularly since his call to the apostleship; but whenever he is not obliged to be away on duty he is at home, for that is the abiding place of his affections and the center of his interest. In 1928 he was made Commissioner of Education for the Church and vigorously set to work to administer the duties of this important calling. It is interesting to note that Joseph F. Merrill was the man who had the vision to see the possibilities of our present Seminary work. When he was taken into the Granite Stake presidency twenty-two years ago, he became interested in the religious education of the students of Granite High School and as a result of his initiative this work was introduced in that district. He has lived to see more than one hundred seminaries established in connection with the leading high schools of this intermountain country. It seemed particularly appropriate and happy that he should be selected to give direction to this great movement, to plan its promotion and to prescribe its course. This is a movement of far-reaching and deep significance. Dr. Merrill is a natural leader and legislator. He makes up his mind definitely and acts promptly. At the same time he has a large and statesmanlike view and has been instrumental in securing some important legislative measures. He wrote the bill establishing the State School of Mines at the University of Utah. He was also instrumental in establishing the Utah Experiment Station including the department of Mines and Metallurgical Research. His leadership and cooperative work in this direction have been worth millions of dollars to this state. He is and always has been a vigilant and tireless- worker. AT the time he was made Commissioner of Education he was Dean of the Engineering School and Director of the Utah Engineering Experiment Station at the University of Utah and at the same time Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering. Thus in addition to his important executive work he carried a full teaching load. If we were called upon to make an analysis of Dr. Merrill's fitness for his place among the general authorities of the Church, which is an exalted and responsible calling, we would at least accent the quality and steadfastness of his faith. He is a man of great intellectual power, of unusual scientific training, with a wide contact with philosophers, scientists and thinkers. Always with an open mind and an honest heart he has sought after truth, exploring the realms of religion, philosophy and science, and through it all nothing has dimmed or disturbed his faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never has he wavered in his allegiance to the Church. No one has ever questioned his faith or his orthodoxy. His understanding of religion, like his understanding of science or mathematics, is profound and fundamental. The currents of his life run deep and strong and quiet. Clear in his thinking, broad in his sympathies, tolerant in his views, unassuming, approachable, sincere and genuine, he has in happy combination all the major qualifications for a leader among this people and a place in the Apostleship of the Church. |
Mrs. Emily Traub Merrill
The Family Twenty-two Years Ago
Maria L. Kingsbury Merrill
Apostle Marriner Wood Merrill
Dr. Joseph F. Merrill at the Age of 25
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Merrill, Joseph F. "Boyhood Experiences III. Does the Lord Answer Children's Prayers?" Instructor. March 1943. pg. 146.
BOYHOOD EXPERIENCES
Does The Lord Answer Children's Prayers?
By Elder Joseph F. Merrill
(For use with Lesson 41, in the First Intermediate Department)
Of course, every boy and girl in the Church who has attended Primary and Sunday School knows that He does, for when Joseph Smith, the lad, only a little more than fourteen years old, went into the woods to pray he received the most glorious vision that has ever been given to mortal man. This was in answer to his simple, earnest prayer. He read what the Apostle James wrote in -his Epistle, found in chapter 1, verses 5 to 7, in the New Testament.
Now it happens that I, too, know that the Lord hears the prayers of children. You know, we are taught at our mother's knee to say our little prayers, and when we learn how to say them we are expected to continue praying in secret, that is in private. I was taught to do this and never doubted the value of prayer. When I was about ten years of age, after the candle was blown out at night in my little bedroom, I knelt down and prayed for a special thing that I wanted : but father taught us that we should pray only for things we really needed and that we should pray worthily and pray in faith. I thought I needed a special blessing. I had no doubt of it, and so every night in my private prayer I prayed for this particular blessing, but I 'did not get it the first week, nor the first year, but this did not discourage me. I thought the reason was that I wasn't worthy of the blessing, but because I wanted it very much I tried day by day to be a little better than I was the day before—to overcome my childish faults. One was disobedience to mother.
We lived nearby a swimming hole. The boys from town came down about every day in summer to swim. I always wanted to go swimming with them but mother did not like it, thinking there was danger of my going in swimming where the water was over my head. So she asked me not to go swimming unless bigger boys than I were there. But forgot to do so and sometime was chastised by mother for my disobedience. I knew it was wrong to disobey mother, therefore I felt that the Lord likely would not answer my prayer until I had overcome my disobedience. Well, I continued to pray month after month every night. I was sure that the Lord heard me and as soon as I made myself worthy enough and it was wise for Him to do so, I felt He would answer. But it wasn't until one night in August, about my 19th birthday, that I prayed perhaps more earnestly for this special blessing than I had ever prayed before. Among other things, I said very pleadingly, "Oh Father, wilt Thou not hear me?" Then as distinctly as any word I ever heard in my life, I heard the word, "Yes," softly spoken, and I was thrilled from head to foot with the most happy, satisfying, joyous feeling that it was possible for one to have. I sprung from my knees and shouted, "Oh Father, I thank Thee."
After praying nine years every night as earnestly as I knew how to pray, the Lord answered me. Then I knew that He lives just as certain as I know that I live. But I have thanked Him many times since, that He kept me waiting for the answer. The great desire to have the answer helped me every day to be a better boy than I was before, and it came at a critical time in my life. A few weeks later I left home to go to the University. Had I left without an answer, I may have forgotten to continue to pray, for college life is none too helpful to a religious faith. Many students begin to study science, as I did, and many students of science begin to feel sooner or later that there is no personal God. I always remembered the remarkable way in which the Lord answered me, so I never forgot to pray.
I know that the Lord has answered my prayers many times since, and sometimes in a perfectly definite way as He did that night in August 1887.
What the Lord did for me He will do for every other boy that continues to seek Him worthily for such needs as the Father finds it wise to grant.
BOYHOOD EXPERIENCES
Does The Lord Answer Children's Prayers?
By Elder Joseph F. Merrill
(For use with Lesson 41, in the First Intermediate Department)
Of course, every boy and girl in the Church who has attended Primary and Sunday School knows that He does, for when Joseph Smith, the lad, only a little more than fourteen years old, went into the woods to pray he received the most glorious vision that has ever been given to mortal man. This was in answer to his simple, earnest prayer. He read what the Apostle James wrote in -his Epistle, found in chapter 1, verses 5 to 7, in the New Testament.
Now it happens that I, too, know that the Lord hears the prayers of children. You know, we are taught at our mother's knee to say our little prayers, and when we learn how to say them we are expected to continue praying in secret, that is in private. I was taught to do this and never doubted the value of prayer. When I was about ten years of age, after the candle was blown out at night in my little bedroom, I knelt down and prayed for a special thing that I wanted : but father taught us that we should pray only for things we really needed and that we should pray worthily and pray in faith. I thought I needed a special blessing. I had no doubt of it, and so every night in my private prayer I prayed for this particular blessing, but I 'did not get it the first week, nor the first year, but this did not discourage me. I thought the reason was that I wasn't worthy of the blessing, but because I wanted it very much I tried day by day to be a little better than I was the day before—to overcome my childish faults. One was disobedience to mother.
We lived nearby a swimming hole. The boys from town came down about every day in summer to swim. I always wanted to go swimming with them but mother did not like it, thinking there was danger of my going in swimming where the water was over my head. So she asked me not to go swimming unless bigger boys than I were there. But forgot to do so and sometime was chastised by mother for my disobedience. I knew it was wrong to disobey mother, therefore I felt that the Lord likely would not answer my prayer until I had overcome my disobedience. Well, I continued to pray month after month every night. I was sure that the Lord heard me and as soon as I made myself worthy enough and it was wise for Him to do so, I felt He would answer. But it wasn't until one night in August, about my 19th birthday, that I prayed perhaps more earnestly for this special blessing than I had ever prayed before. Among other things, I said very pleadingly, "Oh Father, wilt Thou not hear me?" Then as distinctly as any word I ever heard in my life, I heard the word, "Yes," softly spoken, and I was thrilled from head to foot with the most happy, satisfying, joyous feeling that it was possible for one to have. I sprung from my knees and shouted, "Oh Father, I thank Thee."
After praying nine years every night as earnestly as I knew how to pray, the Lord answered me. Then I knew that He lives just as certain as I know that I live. But I have thanked Him many times since, that He kept me waiting for the answer. The great desire to have the answer helped me every day to be a better boy than I was before, and it came at a critical time in my life. A few weeks later I left home to go to the University. Had I left without an answer, I may have forgotten to continue to pray, for college life is none too helpful to a religious faith. Many students begin to study science, as I did, and many students of science begin to feel sooner or later that there is no personal God. I always remembered the remarkable way in which the Lord answered me, so I never forgot to pray.
I know that the Lord has answered my prayers many times since, and sometimes in a perfectly definite way as He did that night in August 1887.
What the Lord did for me He will do for every other boy that continues to seek Him worthily for such needs as the Father finds it wise to grant.
Hinckley, Gordon B. "Church Mourns Passing of Elder Joseph F. Merrill." Improvement Era. March 1952. pg. 144-147, 203-205.
Church Mourns Passing Of ELDER JOSEPH F. MERRILL by Gordon B. Hinckley We were only a half dozen, we elders who had the privilege of working with Joseph F. Merrill during the years he presided over the European Mission. We knew him well, with the peculiar intimacy that grows between a mission president and his office staff. And when we learned of his quiet passing while asleep on February 3, 1952, we were stunned with the realization that we had lost a great and loyal friend, such a man, in many respects, as we would never know again. It was as if a great oak had fallen — a rough-barked tree, with solid, straight-grained timber beneath, a tree which occasionally had bruised us when we had been careless, but which also had sheltered us, and from which we had drawn inspiration and strength. He arrived in London in 1933. In some respects he was not easy to become acquainted with. He had the aloofness and precise manner of a general. Smiles were infrequent those first few days. His life was almost Spartan. He lived carefully in a fourth floor apartment, with no elevator. Cold water for shaving was the invariable rule, although he never objected to our using hot. His meals were simple little meat, mostly grains, fruits, and vegetables. He never missed a day from illness, never suffered from a cold, never took a nap. Early in the morning we could hear him in the room above—"One, two, three, four!"—as he swung his arms in setting-up exercises. Invariably of an evening he walked a mile or so along the gas-lit streets, oblivious to fog or rain. Morning gymnastics and evening walks, with newspaper reading after each—these were his chief means of relaxation from the tensions of his office. Impatient of waste, he suggested that we turn off the lights when we left the room, and he reminded us that the bills of the mission, were paid from the consecrations of the people. He prayed as a humble, thankful man, and his requests were modest. His theology was likewise simple. The "mysteries" held no appeal for him. To discuss them was idle speculation. He dealt with basic fundamentals and taught as one without doubt—yet with a certain caution, restricting himself to what he could support from the standard works of the Church. During the first few days of our acquaintance we regarded him as an austere man. In fact, we thought him severe. But each morning we knelt with him in prayer. Then we studied together for an hour, and worked through the day. The ice melted, and we discovered in our president a remarkable warmth and depth—an example of integrity and loyalty that has helped us over almost a score of years since. His drive, his Spartan ways, his aloofness, and his searching mind all became understandable when we learned his background—likewise, his unflinching devotion to the Church, and his loyalty to the faith of his pioneer forebears. And when we knew of his achievements in the face of great odds, our own young hearts were quickened to higher endeavor. He did not tell us of these things. The broad facts were gleaned from published sources, and these were readily at hand for a man of Joseph F. Merrill's distinction. The more intimate details were revealed when occasionally we shared experiences, as missionaries are wont to do, even men with boys when they are working together in the closeness of missionary life. He was born August 24, 1868, on a farm near Richmond, Cache County, Utah. His father was Marriner W. Merrill, a man of deep convictions who presided over the Logan Temple, and who was later called to the Quorum of the Twelve. His mother was Maria L. Kingsbury, a woman of fine intellect and great resourcefulness. Few of this generation appreciate the anxious years of Joseph F. Merrill's boyhood. Occasionally in London conversations he referred to them. They were scarred not only by the economic struggle to wrest a living from the wilderness; the legal might of the nation was then marshalled against the Mormons of Utah, and the Merrills and their neighbors were made to feel the weight of that oppressive hand. The family was large, and dollars were scarce. At eleven Joseph carried water to the track-gang laying rails into Idaho. Two summers later he drove a team with a fresno scraper, building the railroad grade. From a country school, he went to the University of Deseret, where in 1889 he was awarded a normal certificate and was thereby qualified to teach. But that was not enough. Ann Arbor was next on his itinerary, and in 1893 he received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Michigan. While in Ann Arbor his qualities for Church leadership first emerged. He there served as president of the branch. Returning to Salt Lake City, he was named a member of the faculty of the University of Utah, with an assistant instructorship in physics; he was also sustained a member of the superintendency of the Salt Lake Stake Y.M.M.I.A. Intermittently he studied at Cornell and Johns Hopkins, and in 1899 received his doctor of philosophy degree from the latter institution. At the same time he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, honorary scholarship fraternity. The farm boy from Cache Valley had won laurels in three of the great universities of the nation. His Utah alma mater rewarded him first with a professorship in physics and chemistry and later made him dean of the School of Mines and Engineering. Here he served until 1928, when he was called to become Church commissioner of education. The University of Utah also conferred upon him, in 1928, an honorary doctor of science degree in recognition of his outstanding achievements and loyal service. He has since received a number of other honors for varied scientific achievements. In 1912, while serving as a member of the Granite Stake presidency, he advocated off-campus religious training for L.D.S. students at Granite High School. His method was characteristic. With approval of his stake president, he explained the plan to the General Authorities of the Church, who gave their endorsement. Then he explored the legal aspects of "released time," and when he was sure of his ground, he approached district and state school officials. His arguments were unassailable, and cooperation was promised. That 1912 beginning grew into an institution. Today more than a thousand students receive religious training at Granite Seminary. When he became Church commissioner of education, Elder Merrill expanded the idea. Today there are one hundred and thirty- two seminaries and sixteen college institutes operating on the same basic plan first conceived in 1912. Joseph F. Merrill, more than any other man, is recognized as father of the great seminary system of the Church. On October 8, 1931, he was sustained a member of the Council of the Twelve. From that time forward, without stint, he gave of his time and talents to the work of the Lord, and in that capacity he came to London to preside over the affairs of the Church in the missions of Europe, South Africa, and Palestine. We who were with him then have known him since. With his quiet passing, several of his great qualities have come to our minds. Preeminent among them was his honesty. He disputed with many, but none could ever argue his motive or his integrity. He was prominent in early Utah politics, a tireless worker in one of the national parties. But when party leaders laid aside, as he viewed the matter, the political philosophy which he believed consistent with truth, he forsook them. Principle was more important than either party or friends. He was thoroughly intolerant of all politicians who preached one thing and practised another, and without fear or favor he denounced them in private correspondence and from the public podium. He followed an inflexible rule of complete honesty with his employers. For the thirty-five years he served on the university faculty, he never missed a class he was obligated to attend. He was inflexible in his punctuality and expected his students and associates to be likewise. This was not simply an old-fashioned schoolmaster's whim; it came of his old-fashioned code of honesty. When he traveled on expense accounts, there was no entertainment. Statements were submitted to the exact penny. Those of us who worked with him came to regard him as a scrupulously honest man, a man almost without parallel. His diversity of interests was phenomenal. By training he was a physicist and chemist, and he kept pace with the latest developments in physical science. But this was only a beginning. A tireless reader and student, he became an authority on physiology and hygiene. Few men in the Church have been more devoted to the Word of Wisdom as a code of health. His devotion came of faith in the revelation of God, and he sustained and strengthened that conviction with careful studies of the findings of science. In the field of world affairs, he could speak with the fluency of an expert. A knowledge of history and political philosophy had come of wide background reading. But the world picture is constantly changing, and Dr. Merrill kept abreast of the changing times. While in England he subscribed to several of the most ably edited newspapers and magazines. Long before the milkman made his early-morning rounds, and again late at night after his evening work, he read and clipped these publications. London then afforded a ringside seat on the world arena, and Elder Merrill was an avid spectator. He loved life. When we came to know him, we found him to be a man of genuine warmth. We stood beside him at Empire soccer matches. We sat together in the stands at Wimbledon when the world's great won their tennis laurels. He cheered and laughed with the rest of us. Together we visited many of the scenes of England's glory. Such was his occasional recreation. Beneath his brusque exterior lay a compassionate heart. Our London door carried a brass plaque reading, "European Mission." In England that had a "soup-kitchen" connotation, and the hungry and poor often rang the bell. They never went away emptyhanded, and most of what they received was drawn from President Merrill's own pocket. Well do we recall the disheveled young man who came coatless and penniless, and who left with a Merrill coat and a pound note. Many a student has been assisted by his beneficence. Brother Merrill was a tireless worker, both as a mission president and during the years that followed. Few men in the history of Mormonism have given more generously of themselves to the cause of the Lord. He was often to be found at the Church office building at 7:30 in the morning, and he usually remained until the same hour at night. Holidays counted for nothing. If he were in town, he would be at the office, willing to interview, counsel, ordain, or set apart, as the case might be. If out of town, it was on the Lord's errand. No stake conference was too far away; the weather was never too bad; he was never too tired to go where assigned. His sense of duty was as rigid as his code of honesty. When one of his associates sympathetically inquired whether he did not weary of traveling to conferences week after week, Elder Merrill replied, "Not at all, that's my job." His testimony of the gospel was un- equivocal and his diligence in the work of the Lord was consistent with his belief. Not the least of his virtues was his great courage. He publicly defended labor unions when he thought their cause was just; he openly criticized them for their denial of the right to work. As chairman of the No- Liquor-Tobacco committee of the Church, he eloquently denounced the selfish and powerful interests which promoted smoking and drinking. These are among the qualities we came to know, and they drew us close to him—these, and his good wife who labored with him in the work of the Lord. His first marriage was to Annie Laura Hyde in 1898. She was a woman of pioneer heritage, a woman of culture and ability, and the mother of his seven children: Mrs. Alando B. (Annie) Ballantyne, Tucson, Arizona; Mrs. Richard E. (Edith) Mollinet, Dr. Rowland H., Taylor H., of Salt Lake City, end Eugene H., of Washington, D.C. A son, Joseph H., died in 1918, and a daughter, Laura H., died in 1950. Sister Merrill died in 1917. In 1918 Elder Merrill married Emily L. Traub, who served with him in the mission field, and who died in 1941. He now has gone, also. But to those who knew him and worked closely with him, he will remain as a monument of integrity and as an example of the virtues that have made us strong—industry, loyalty, and faith. |
Elder Joseph Francis Merrill
Joseph Francis Merrill as a young man.
Dr. Merrill about the time of his marriage.
Annie Laura Hyde Merrill
Marriner W. Merrill, father of Joseph F. Merrill.
Maria L. Kingsbury Merrill, mother of Joseph F. Merrill.
Brother and Sister Merrill and six of their seven children, about 1910, left to right: Rowland H.; Eugene H.; Elder
Joseph F. Merrill; Annie H. (Ballantyne) ; Taylor H.; Annie Laura Hyde Merrill; Joseph H. (died in 1918); Edith H. (Mollinet). The youngest child, Laura, was born after this picture was taken. She passed away in 1950. Brother and Sister Merrill and the family, children and grandchildren, about 1938.
FIRST PRESIDENCY PAYS TRIBUTE TO ELDER JOSEPH F. MERRILL
Another great stalwart in the defense of truth, has been called home—Elder Joseph F. Merrill, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. For years he has fulfilled every call made upon him, never excusing, never shirking, never complaining. He has been a minuteman in the service of the Lord, ready to meet every appointment given to him, equally ready, in case of emergency, to meet the appointment given to another. His faith was great; his courage, unflinching; his ardor, never wavering. He was bold in denouncing evil. Past associations and affiliations meant nothing, where he felt the upholding of right was involved. Of great learning and ability, he brought his full store of the great truths—the divinity of the restored gospel and priesthood, the divinity of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the regular succession from the Prophet Joseph to those who have succeeded him as Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or all the prerogatives,' rights, powers, authorities divinely bestowed upon the Prophet Joseph. His was a great voice in behalf of righteousness. Over a long and active life, he gave his all in the service of the Lord. We shall greatly miss his earnest, devoted, never-failing effort in that work. Truly he had, as Paul of old, fought the good fight, finished his course, kept the faith. All the Saints will join us in a deep sorrow at his passing. He has gone to a well-earned reward in our Father's Kingdom. DAVID O. McKAY STEPHEN L RICHARDS J. REUBEN CLARK, JR. The First Presidency February 3, 1952 Elder Merrill and Sister Emily Traub Merrill, photograph taken about 1938.
The home of Marriner Merrill in Bountiful, Utah.
|
"Tributes Paid Elder Merrill." Improvement Era. March 1952. pg. 205-207.
TRIBUTES PAID ELDER MERRILL
Church and civic leaders have paid tribute to Elder Joseph Francis Merrill for his unswerving labor as an educator and leader of men toward truth.
President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Council of the Twelve, speaking for members of the Council, said:
"It was a tremendous shock to me when I learned Sunday afternoon of the passing of Dr. Joseph F. Merrill. I have been associated with him in religious work for more than half a century. I first became acquainted with him when he was serving in the presidency of the Mutual Improvement Association of the Salt Lake Stake as early as 1898, and I was a member of that board.
"In October 1931, he was called and ordained a member of the Council of the Twelve, and from that day until his death we were almost daily in each other's presence. I have served with him on important committees laboring for the welfare of the youth of the Church and in the educational departments of the Church. During all these years of close association, I learned to love him and admire him for his faithful and tireless application to the labors assigned to him.
"He had a strong will, was pronounced in his opinions, but he was always submissive to the majority decisions of his brethren. He had a firm testimony that Jesus Christ is in very deed the Redeemer of the World and the only begotten Son of God, and that Joseph Smith was divinely called and died a martyr for the cause of truth.
"There was no journey that was too long for him to take, no labor that was too difficult for him to perform, and no complaint ever passed his lips because of any assignment. His motto was, I want to die in the harness, and this wish was granted.
"We, his associates, will miss him."
President Levi Edgar Young, representing members of the First Council of the Seventy, said:
"Dr. Joseph F. Merrill became well-known while he was a professor at the University of Utah. During his many years at that institution, he was honored by many universities and learned societies, and the students who were fortunate enough to be admitted to his classes will recall his refined nature coupled with his rare intellectual gifts. His influence in the field of scholarship has been impressive and will be permanent.
"When he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his activity took him into the homes of people far and wide where he came to be loved because of his deep and abiding religious life. This he expressed in kindness and joyful anticipation in meeting his friends. He knew what the Lord required of him: 'To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.'
"A wise man of old has truthfully said that a plain man striving to make of life something high and noble and clean is the man who really lives. Joseph F. Merrill really lived, for life to him was a great and noble calling. Could each person who knew him vow to do his little task even as he did his greater one, in the manner of a true man, what a better world we would have!
"He always had for his loved ones and friends cheerful and loving words. Traveling hopefully on from day to day, he did not rail at conditions, but he strove to better them. He was truly a Christian gentleman who held his calling as an Apostle of Jesus Christ as the most sacred thing of life."
Governor J. Bracken Lee:
"The death of Elder Joseph F. Merrill is a great loss to the Church, and a great loss to the state.
"I knew him very well, having worked closely with him, especially during the last six years. I considered him a most outstanding man.
"He was a man of very high principles, and I learned to respect him very much."
Mayor Earl .J Glade:
"Elder Joseph F. Merrill combined an extraordinary array of talents. His extensive training as an engineer and his wide experience in classroom and laboratory no doubt contributed in his later life to the precision in writing and speaking for which he was well-known.
"He was an exemplar in positive utterance. This had beautifully mellowed in his later years, although to the last, his stand against the forces of evil, as he saw them, was adamant.
"In the death of Dr. Merrill, the Church and the West lose a valiant crusader in the cause of righteousness and a leader who was the soul of courage."
Dr. A. Ray Olpin, president of the University of Utah:
"The university family has lost a close friend in the death of Elder Joseph F. Merrill, a man who was a great force for character building in the West.
"Elder Merrill pioneered in the development of mining and engineering in the Intermountain West, and his interest in the university remained active to the end.
"It has been nearly sixty years since he first joined the faculty of the University of Utah as an assistant professor of chemistry. He remained at the university for over a third of a century serving most of the time as director of the school of mines and engineering. During this period, the school developed into national promise, if we are to judge from the number of graduates who were to achieve positions of prominence throughout the length and breadth of the country.
"He was a staunch supporter of the university activities and a constructive critic of what transpired in the name of the school. He was generous in praise of programs he liked but sharp in rebuking those responsible for offerings which did not meet his standards of professionalism and ethics."
TRIBUTES PAID ELDER MERRILL
Church and civic leaders have paid tribute to Elder Joseph Francis Merrill for his unswerving labor as an educator and leader of men toward truth.
President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Council of the Twelve, speaking for members of the Council, said:
"It was a tremendous shock to me when I learned Sunday afternoon of the passing of Dr. Joseph F. Merrill. I have been associated with him in religious work for more than half a century. I first became acquainted with him when he was serving in the presidency of the Mutual Improvement Association of the Salt Lake Stake as early as 1898, and I was a member of that board.
"In October 1931, he was called and ordained a member of the Council of the Twelve, and from that day until his death we were almost daily in each other's presence. I have served with him on important committees laboring for the welfare of the youth of the Church and in the educational departments of the Church. During all these years of close association, I learned to love him and admire him for his faithful and tireless application to the labors assigned to him.
"He had a strong will, was pronounced in his opinions, but he was always submissive to the majority decisions of his brethren. He had a firm testimony that Jesus Christ is in very deed the Redeemer of the World and the only begotten Son of God, and that Joseph Smith was divinely called and died a martyr for the cause of truth.
"There was no journey that was too long for him to take, no labor that was too difficult for him to perform, and no complaint ever passed his lips because of any assignment. His motto was, I want to die in the harness, and this wish was granted.
"We, his associates, will miss him."
President Levi Edgar Young, representing members of the First Council of the Seventy, said:
"Dr. Joseph F. Merrill became well-known while he was a professor at the University of Utah. During his many years at that institution, he was honored by many universities and learned societies, and the students who were fortunate enough to be admitted to his classes will recall his refined nature coupled with his rare intellectual gifts. His influence in the field of scholarship has been impressive and will be permanent.
"When he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his activity took him into the homes of people far and wide where he came to be loved because of his deep and abiding religious life. This he expressed in kindness and joyful anticipation in meeting his friends. He knew what the Lord required of him: 'To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.'
"A wise man of old has truthfully said that a plain man striving to make of life something high and noble and clean is the man who really lives. Joseph F. Merrill really lived, for life to him was a great and noble calling. Could each person who knew him vow to do his little task even as he did his greater one, in the manner of a true man, what a better world we would have!
"He always had for his loved ones and friends cheerful and loving words. Traveling hopefully on from day to day, he did not rail at conditions, but he strove to better them. He was truly a Christian gentleman who held his calling as an Apostle of Jesus Christ as the most sacred thing of life."
Governor J. Bracken Lee:
"The death of Elder Joseph F. Merrill is a great loss to the Church, and a great loss to the state.
"I knew him very well, having worked closely with him, especially during the last six years. I considered him a most outstanding man.
"He was a man of very high principles, and I learned to respect him very much."
Mayor Earl .J Glade:
"Elder Joseph F. Merrill combined an extraordinary array of talents. His extensive training as an engineer and his wide experience in classroom and laboratory no doubt contributed in his later life to the precision in writing and speaking for which he was well-known.
"He was an exemplar in positive utterance. This had beautifully mellowed in his later years, although to the last, his stand against the forces of evil, as he saw them, was adamant.
"In the death of Dr. Merrill, the Church and the West lose a valiant crusader in the cause of righteousness and a leader who was the soul of courage."
Dr. A. Ray Olpin, president of the University of Utah:
"The university family has lost a close friend in the death of Elder Joseph F. Merrill, a man who was a great force for character building in the West.
"Elder Merrill pioneered in the development of mining and engineering in the Intermountain West, and his interest in the university remained active to the end.
"It has been nearly sixty years since he first joined the faculty of the University of Utah as an assistant professor of chemistry. He remained at the university for over a third of a century serving most of the time as director of the school of mines and engineering. During this period, the school developed into national promise, if we are to judge from the number of graduates who were to achieve positions of prominence throughout the length and breadth of the country.
"He was a staunch supporter of the university activities and a constructive critic of what transpired in the name of the school. He was generous in praise of programs he liked but sharp in rebuking those responsible for offerings which did not meet his standards of professionalism and ethics."
Benson, Ezra Taft. "Elder Joseph F. Merrill (August 24, 1868 - February 3, 1952)." Relief Society Magazine. April 1952. pg. 217-218.
Elder Joseph F. Merrill (August 24, 1868 - February 3, 1952) Elder Ezra Taft Benson Of the Council of the Twelve “HE has fulfilled every call I made upon him, never excusing, never shirking, never complaining. He has been a minute man in the service of the Lord ..." so said the First Presidency, as they, with numerous others, paid high tribute to Elder Joseph F. Merrill, nationally known churchman, educator, and scientist. Coming from the valley of his boyhood, associating with him in the Quorum of Twelve, and sharing an outer office in the Church Office Building have brought a deep appreciation and love for this warm-hearted, generous servant of the Lord. Through inheritance, experience, training, and practice, he developed those rugged qualities that make for sterling character. Born and reared on a farm, he was driving cows long distances to pasture at five years of age and later walked miles to school. When eleven he was water boy on a railroad construction gang. At thirteen he was doing a man's job driving teams. The habit of long days of toil acquired in his youth carried throughout his life as student, Ph. D., university dean, commissioner of education, mission president, and apostle of the Lord. The first child of a pioneer mother and a distinguished father, twenty years older, he ever acknowledged the blessings of coming from "a good Latter-day Saint home." Here he partook of a spirit of unity, love, and filial affection that formed a pattern for his own home with seven children. As a boy in his home he learned well the lessons of industry, frugality, honesty, service, generosity, and faith in God and his purposes. A great advocate of secret and family prayer, he pointed with pride to his boyhood home where sometimes his father was too busy to eat his breakfast, but always had time for family devotion. His insatiable desire for knowledge was in evidence when a child as he read aloud by candlelight from The Book of Mormon while his mother performed the numerous household duties. In his love for truth he never temporized. This love for learning took him to four eastern universities for advanced work. His love of knowledge was a vital part of his very being, not only during the thirty-five years as a member of the faculty of the University of Utah, but every day of his long, progressive, and useful life. His family of children, all of whom have caught of this spirit, have all earned one or more college degrees. Brother Merrill enjoyed athletic sports, but fought unflinchingly against gambling, liquor, tobacco, and other destructive vices. He was bold in denouncing evil and impatient with cheaters, spendthrifts, and the shiftless and idle. He lived simply with no ostentation in home, food, or clothing. He persistently taught and practiced the basic principles of good health. It is said he never missed a day from the office because of illness. Frugal in his personal requirements and ever guarding Church funds, he gave generously of his means to loved ones, the Church, and to those in need. The latest evidence of this strong trait came as hundreds of his friends sat in the Benson Stake Tabernacle and received the sad news of his passing. There in the community of his birth, during the afternoon session of conference, as tribute was paid their beloved fellow- townsman and leader, evidence of his generosity was pointed to in the improved tabernacle in which we were meeting. IN him there was no personal vanity. He loved the simple practical phases of the gospel. In his good-natured way, he would counsel the saints to "leave the mysteries alone." He loved life and believed "it is every man's duty to live as long as he can." . Always optimistic and hopeful, he met every sorrow and disappointment uncomplainingly with buoyant recovery. He lived so that he had no fear of death. He was always prepared. His desire to die "in the harness" was granted after eighty-three years of fruitful activity and devotion. It is with gratitude that we pay tribute to a great soul. His example has been an inspiration to young and old. He loved life and lived it richly. His greatest joy came not from college degrees or thirty years' listing in Who's Who in America, but in serving his fellow men by bearing testimony and presenting objective evidence of the existence of our Heavenly Father, the reality of the divine mission of the Lord and the fact that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. Truly it can be said of him, he fought the good fight, he finished his course, he kept the faith. His reward is sure. God bless his memory! |
ELDER JOSEPH F. MERRILL
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