By CINDY RIC
Elder Henry B. Eyring, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also serves as the commissioner for the Church Education System.
Elder Eyring has understood the importance of education, both temporal and spiritual, a majority of his life.
Elder Eyring was born to Henry and Mildred Bennion Eyring in 1933. His father was a renowned chemistry scientist who instilled in all three of his sons the importance of scientific learning. Elder Eyring's mother pursued a college education and following graduation worked as the head of the University of Utah's women's physical education department.
Elder Eyring graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor of science degree in physics. He was called to active duty in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. His time was spent in Albuquerque, N.M., where he was concurrently called as a district missionary in the Western States Mission.
Following the war, Elder Eyring pursued master's degree and doctorate in business administration from Harvard University.
While working on his doctorate, Elder Eyring met Kathleen Johnson and they were married in July 1972.
His first teaching position was as an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1962. Elder Eyring worked as a teacher at Stanford for about nine years. From 1963 to 1964 Elder Eyring worked as an Alfred P. Sloan Visiting Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Elder Eyring left Stanford in 1971 to serve as president of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Despite his duties as president, Elder Eyring took the opportunity to teach a religion class and a young adult Sunday School class.
After five years as Ricks College president, Elder Eyring was asked by Jeffrey R. Holland, then the commissioner of CES, to serve as the deputy commissioner. Elder Eyring began his service as commissioner in 1980. He served as commissioner until 1985, when he was called to be a General Authority.
Elder Eyring was sustained as a General Authority in April 1985. At that time, he was called as the First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church.
In September of 1992, Elder Eyring was asked to resume his position as commissioner for the CES. A month later, he was released from the Bishopric and sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
Elder Eyring's latest church calling came on April 1, 1995, when he was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.