Despite that fact, Anthony Bednar fully supported the
rest of his family participating actively in the Church, and he would often
step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various
service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive
way as other Church members did, but as someone who was not actually a baptized
member thereof. Young David would often
ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he
would do so when he felt it was right.
Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during
which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that
to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future
President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young
missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that
missionary was Elder Bednar.
Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a
bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational
communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior
from the prestigious Purdue University.
He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young
adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football, and that he threw a
pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the
only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive
impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. They
were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to
raise 3 sons together.
One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long
after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you
be free on (and he named a date in the near future)? I would like you to come
and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also
ordained him to the priesthood.
He spent his vocational career as an educator at several
secondary schools. For a four-year period (1980-1984), he was an assistant
professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration
at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant
professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where
he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then the Director
of the Management Decision-Making Lab.
During this time, he was recognized with numerous awards
as being an outstanding educator. He also had a few ecclesiastical
responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several
months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was
then the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the
newly-established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service
as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative.
In 1997, he was among the first men called to be an area
seventy. That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education
serve as president of Ricks College, during which time he led the transition of
that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, due to the apostolic vacancies
resulting from the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight
(which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced
that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A.
Bednar.
Interestingly enough, Elder Bednar joined only two other
current apostles (now-Presidents Nelson and Oaks) who were called to the
apostleship without having previously served as a general authority. At the
time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was
the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who
was called to the apostleship in 1984 at the age of 51.
Although he immediately commenced his service in the
apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several
weeks prior to the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure
as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. One of his
hallmarks is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and us as we listen to his remarks.
In view of his almost-15-year tenure in the apostleship, he has given 30 General Conference addresses, which are always well crafted and
insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us.
He is currently the fourth most senior member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the
First Presidency, makes him the seventh in apostolic seniority), and is still
among the younger apostles, being the fifth-youngest both among the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles and all 15 ordained apostles as well. While I have never
had the honor to meet him personally, from the moment his apostolic call was
first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his
apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to
you all today.
Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both
the six apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior
to him, I fully believe that, at some point in the future, Elder Bednar may
serve as Church President. That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and
the health and longevity of Presidents Nelson, Oaks, Eyring, and Ballard, and
Elders Holland and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a
prospect is merely my own personal opinion, and not anything I can attribute to
anyone else. As the Lord himself reminds us, he days of each apostle are known,
and their years shall not be numbered less.
I hope this post has served as a fitting tribute to this
remarkable servant of the Lord. That does it for this post. Any and all
comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as
long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines.
Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and
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that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
