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Photos
of the the new Spori Building
are found on our website at http://www.byui.edu/NewsCenter/media-kit/download_page/buildings/spori.html
REXBURG
– The new Jacob Spori Building
was dedicated on the Brigham Young University-Idaho campus Friday, August
22.
The
44,000 square foot classroom building replaces the original rock building
that opened in 1903 and served students for nearly a century.
President
Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the new building. Remarks were
also given by BYU-Idaho President David A. Bednar
and Elder Henry B. Eyring, commissioner of
education for the Church Educational System and former Ricks
College president.
President
Monson said paid tribute to Jacob Spori, who
became the first principal of what would eventually become known as
BYU-Idaho.
He
said Spori worked unselfishly to see that the
school remained open following its beginning in 1888. When the 1889-1890
school term ended, he felt personally responsible
that the stewardship of the academy had not been good enough to avoid a
deficit of $177.
Spori suggested to the board that one way to cut the
deficit would be for him to work on his farm and not draw his salary, but
still be available to teach and administer the school. In addition to
applying his salary toward the debt, Spori worked
on the railroad for a time, using some of his earnings to help pay the
salaries of other teachers.
“He
had set the example of selfless service which became a characteristic of
principals of the fledgling academy,” President Monson said.
He
added, “To you here today who are administrators and teachers, you
will stand before those who have struggled and saved and planned so that
they might be your students. Treat them with dignity and provide them your
very best. You not only teach a subject; you also mold human nature. You
light the lamp of learning, that your students will better understand their
earthly mission.”
Elder
Henry B. Eyring, who serves as Church
commissioner of education, said his office was located in the old Spori Building
when he served as president of Ricks
College. He heard stories about
Jacob Spori and others from his predecessor,
President John L. Clarke.
“I think I came to feel what
the tradition of Ricks College
was,” he said.
Elder
Eyring said the school is rich is tradition.
“The history of this place is we can get by without lavishness and we
do what God wants,” he said.
He
was particularly impressed by the skylight that runs through the center of
the building. “The symbolism of it opening to heaven is absolutely
perfect for this place,” Elder Eyring said.
BYU-Idaho
President David Bednar honored the descendants of
Jacob Spori, including three grandchildren who
were present for the dedication. They includes
Edna Stowell Taylor of Rexburg, Paul Raschi Stowell of Logan,
Utah, and Robert Kerr of Mapleton,
Utah.
President
Bednar said he was impressed by the parallels
between what happened in the early years of the 20th century at Ricks
Academy and what now is
happening in the early years of the 21st century at BYU-Idaho.
He
said construction of the original academy building was completed in the
fall of 1903—in time for the start of a new school year and the
beginning of classes. One hundred years later, the new structure is
likewise finished and will house students and classes during the fall of
2003.
“In
2003, we gather to reverence the legacy of Ricks
College and to look forward to
the future of BYU-Idaho,” President Bednar
said. “The new Spori
Building in 2003 represents the
beginning of BYU-Idaho. There is on our campus today a renewed spirit of
pioneering and sacrifice and experimenting and serving—indeed a
rethinking of education.
President
Bednar said, “Those of us who now serve at
BYU-Idaho acknowledge the hand of the Lord in the establishment, in the
development, and in the progress and advancement of this remarkable
institution. And we pledge our hearts and our hands and our minds and our
spirits in service to the students who do now and will yet walk upon those
same sacred pathways to obtain spiritual and secular truth. We will become
the best we can become so we can most effectively teach and serve those
students.”
The
building sits at the location of the original building and bears a striking
resemblance to its predecessor in size and shape, rock exterior, tall
windows and pitched roof. However, the new building is approximately 75
percent larger, due to a full basement and also because it is deeper (from
north to south).
The
earth-tone color of the building is slightly different than the original
gray rock and features a veneer of split-faced walnut travertine from the
Medicine Lodge area near Dubois, Idaho.
The
building was designed by FFKR Architects of Salt Lake City and was built by
Layton Construction Co. of Sandy, Utah.
The
interior design features efficient use of space for classrooms and offices,
as well as an art gallery on the main floor.
Some
rock and woodwork from the original building were preserved and are
incorporated into the design of the new building. A central focus of the
interior is the triangular wooden pediment from the front of the original
building has been mounted on the third floor. The pediment is at
approximately the same elevation and location as it was in the old
building. An outdoor terrace in the front of the building will be bordered
by a wall of rock from the original building.
The
original building was completed in 1903 and housed Bannock
Stake Academy
(now BYU-Idaho). In 1964 it was renamed the Jacob
Spori Building
in honor of the first principal at the academy.
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