By Jack Shirts
He doesn?t fly. He can?t see through walls. He?s certainly not faster than a speeding bullet. But to those who know him best this man is super.
?Everyone that knows him loves him,? Jean Ekins said of her husband.
Phil Ekins is an average 72-year-old man with an over-average capacity to love. Currently serving as the second counselor in the BYU 13th ward, Ekins uses simple means to make a difference in the lives of BYU students.
There are 263 BYU student wards, and Ekins is just one of nearly 800 bishopric members.
?They do what a bishopric is supposed to do,? said student Erik Westesen. ?They?re a good bunch of guys.?
A recent double-knee replacement hasn?t lessened Ekins? ability to perform the duties of his calling as he continues to make an impact for good. His strong character and willingness to serve, make him a prime example of what a mentor should be.
?The Ekins became like an extra set of grandparents,? Westesen said. ?They would feed us and look after us. The whole bishopric is just like family.?
Jean Ekins said her husband has had those great caring qualities for years.
He was homegrown?raised here in Provo. A 1955 BYU grad, Ekins showed his heroic aptitudes by serving in the U.S. Air Force as a jet fighter interceptor pilot during the Korean War. Then he joined the family insulation and window business, Triple E, which he ran until retiring at age 70.
But retirement isn?t boring for a man of this caliber. He finally has time to do the things he said he always wanted to do. ?Gardening and keeping up a full acre keeps me busy,? said Ekins. ?I?m also learning to play the guitar, and we do play a lot of golf.?
?He is very kind and warm,? his wife said. ?Through the years when we had a house full of kids, their friends loved to be in our home. Phil made them feel so welcome and comfortable.?
Ekins displays that same warmth as he serves the students residing in Whitney and Fugal Hall on campus.
Jean Ekins said it was this warmth and kindness that first attracted her to her husband. They met when she sat next to him in a class here at BYU. He refined those characteristics helping to raise six children, and employs them now with his 22 grandchildren.
So maybe people don?t confuse him with birds or planes, but in the eyes of the students and others he serves, that doesn?t make Ekins any less super.