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REXBURG–The
Brigham Young University–Idaho Emeritus Board will welcome a new
president next month.
Phyllis
Bond of Rexburg will take office officially Nov. 10 at the board’s
next meeting, while former president Kay Wilkins of Rexburg was presented
with a plaque showing appreciation for his time as president at their
semi-annual breakfast held Oct. 18.
She
is taking none of the credit for getting the position, saying that she did
not run for the office, but instead “ran from it.”
Bond
has been involved with the university since she was a student at Ricks
College in 1941-42, while her
late husband, Richard “Dick” Davis, was the contractor for 17
of the buildings on campus. They have been involved with the school as it
has evolved from just two buildings (the former Gym and Spori
buildings) when they were students to the current four-year university.
“It’s
been quite a change of atmosphere here,” she says. She hopes the
atmosphere and friendly feelings will remain the same.
Bond’s
home, which is less than a block from the campus, has seen more traffic
since the student body has multiplied in recent years, and she is somewhat
frustrated with the number of students who drive short distances to school.
“When
I went to school I lived on the other side of the railroad tracks, and we
never even considered buying a car,” she said. “Plus we were
not permitted to wear slacks and the winters were just as cold and the wind
blew just as hard.”
Now
Bond watches the cars line up from the U.S. Highway 20 off-ramp north of
Rexburg all the way to the university.
She
can remember days when the number of students at Ricks
College was not even enough to
stretch a line that long across town.
“The
student body was about the size of the faculty now,” she said.
Bond
did not graduate from Ricks, instead following her new husband to Moscow
where he finished school at the University
of Idaho after serving as the
student body president at Ricks College.
He was deferred two years to complete his engineering degree, then went to the Philippines
to help rebuild Manila. It was
during those years that the numbers of men on campus diminished due to
World War II.
Through
the years, Bond and her husband have associated with some of the presidents
of the school as they came to Davis
asking him to build homes for them.
Bond
remembers Henry B. Eyring coming to her home and
being impressed with his height, and the distinguished way he looked he
appeared when he arrived at their doorstep in a typical black suit.
When
President Bruce C. Hafen came to her home some
time later, she had a contrasting experience. Hafen,
with his wife and sister, looked so much like well-dressed students that it
caught Bond off-guard and rendered her speechless.
Over
the years, the growth of the school has impacted the entire city of Rexburg,
she said, and some are having difficulty dealing with the growth.
Bond
tries not to focus on the negative, however, as she admires the character
of the students and faculty and the diversified entertainment on campus.
“They
bring so much to the community,” she said. “I have to focus on
those instead of the negatives. You can’t be selfish and say ‘Don’t
change it’ because this is a good thing.”
While
Bond hasn’t been as closely associated with current president David
A. Bednar, she did take a trip to Mexico
with Bednar, and has watched what he has done with the school with respect.
“I
admire him for what he’s accomplished,” she said.
After
Davis died in 1993, Phyllis
married Dale Bond, and the couple now reside in
the same house Phyllis has lived in her entire married life.
Despite
her somewhat reluctant election, Bond already has plans for the future. She
hopes to expand the circle of emeriti beyond the Rexburg area.
“I
think we’re going to reach out a little wider,” she says.
The
Emeritus Board invites members to join after they have passed the 50-year
mark after their attendance, not necessarily graduation, at Ricks
College. The club meets for a
breakfast or lunch twice a year, historically aligned with homecoming and
spring graduation, although that may change with the evolution of
homecoming week in to the new Spirit Week at BYU–Idaho.
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