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REXBURG, Idaho—Two Ricks College alumni and a former
Ricks College faculty member have been given Distinguished Emeritus Service
Awards by the Emeritus Club at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg.
Grant
and Sharol D. Wilson of Driggs and Inez Searle of West Valley City, Utah,
recently received the awards for their lifetimes of service.
The Wilsons both served as missionaries in the Northern
States Mission (he was going home right as she entered the field). They
were later married in 1950. Grant had worked in the Air Force before his
mission, serving as an aviation cadet in World War II and in administration
as a clerk typist after the war.
Grant attended Utah State University and later,
they both attended the University of Utah where he graduated in
history/political science and she in English. Knowing they were going to
teach and wanting some additional training, they then attended Ricks
College in 1956.
“It was really helpful to get
that training,” Sharol said. “We also took a class from Lowell Bennion,
which we found to be spiritually uplifting and strengthening.”
In 1958, Grant received his
master’s degree from the University of Utah and later earned his doctorate
of education and administration in 1969 from BYU. Sharol, who studied
English at the University of Utah, received a teacher’s certificate from
BYU in 1968 and received her master’s in education in 1976 from Utah State
University.
Grant taught history, typing,
and world geography at Teton High School, where he later served as the
principal. He was also the Tetonia Elementary School principal and the
Teton County School District Superintendent. Sharol taught English and math
at Teton High School. She also taught special education at Victor, Tetonia
and Driggs elementary schools for 17 years.
They served in the Africa
Nigeria Mission for 11 months and taught adult literacy in Zimbabwe for
nine months. They also served missions in the Germany Frankfurt Mission and
in the Swiss Temple.
Grant worked with Boy Scouts for 65 years
and was awarded the Silver Beaver for extended service and leadership.
Sharol is part of the American Legion Auxiliary for veterans. They continue
to serve in the church and in the community.
The Wilsons have 10 children,
47 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren with another on the way.
Searle, who received emeritus
alumni status from her time teaching at Ricks College, was one of the first
four women to serve in the naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas.
There, she repaired electrical instruments on airplane panels. She met Don
W. Searle, who was also in the Navy and in her church branch in 1943, and
they were married two months later. Their son, also named Don after his
father, is now the assistant managing editor of the Ensign.
After Inez’s husband was killed in an automobile
accident on their third wedding anniversary, she attended Corpus Christi
Junior College for two semesters and went to BYU for six years, where she
received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in
personnel and guidance work. She was part of Phi Kappa Phi in college and
graduated with honors in 1967.
She moved to South Texas, where
she was a high school counselor at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo independent high
school for eight years. She also taught early morning seminary in Texas and
coordinated 11 seminaries in the lower Rio Grande Valley.
She later worked at Ricks
College for 11 years as dean of women and taught for nine years in the
sociology department. There, she developed a junior college social work
program. She retired and moved to West Valley, Utah, in 1987. She has five grandchildren
and four great-grandsons.
She has performed service for
the American Cancer Society and for the March of Dimes. Most of her service
benefits children. # # #
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