Featured Memory
Henry Eyring – Inspiring Teacher
My wife, Joan, and I just finished reading “Mormon Scientist”. The book brought back many wonderful memories. We both attended Utah State University. Joan graduated in mathematics in 1965, and I graduated in physics in 1966. I enjoyed studying physical chemistry, and during this period I had the privilege of attending several lectures from Henry Eyring that were taught in Widstoe Hall.
During one his lectures Dr. Eyring sensed that many in his audience including myself were not following some of the technical points he was making in his presentation. He immediately stopped his discourse on chemical kinetics and made a provocative statement to the effect that his experience in teaching the chemistry faculty and students at USU had just provided another piece of evidence for his faith in the existence of God. He said that some of people in the lecture hall had clearly demonstrated that they were more intelligent than the other people in the room. He then stated that a gradation in intelligence could be observed in any collection of people who were now living on the earth or who had ever lived. Professor Eyring concluded his comment by stating that the God whom he believed in was the most intelligent person who exists in the entire universe.
I found no evidence that would refute Dr. Eyring’s testimony of the existence of a living and personal God during the six years I studied theoretical and applied physics at UCLA or during the forty-two years I worked on the collection, processing, and analysis of National Intelligence as a research scientist for the United States Navy.