I just received the "Y Magazine" which really should be called the "Why Magazine". I used to toss them but now read the obits to see who in my class of '74 has toddled off to the CK.

This is the "Special Sesquicentennial Issue!" Decided to take a look. The song "Accentuate the Positive" comes to mind. Even a blurb on the "Pat and Jeff" show (as in Holland and his lovely wife Pat) with the article claiming they were so much fun they were given that nickname for their "intimate, personal, and often humorous style".

Was of minor interest on the first pages showing the beginnings in the 1800's. Then gives way to a plethora of achievements that would impress themselves no end. At the end is a cartoon of a guy wandering around thinking of all the wonderful accomplishments of BYU and on arriving at the statue of Brigham Young with a Y Baseball cap on his head--cute touch to humanize him somehow I suppose--and he says to the statue, "Still got it 150 years later!"

When I take a trip down memory lane of my time at BYU it makes me want to flesh out their story a little more. Well, a lot more actually. I got some details.

Ugggh. That magazine is basically the Ensign with BYU topics.

I generally glance at the obits too. I have yet to see a name I recognize.

I agree with the blurb on the Hollands. They, especially Jeff, were a lot happier as the BYU First Couple than is the case now. As an apostle, Holland seems profoundly unhappy. Not that I can blame him. Pretending all is well in Zion has to generate mountains of cognitive dissonance.

Sometimes you are "blessed" with exactly what you wanted and worked for.

Is it printed on paper that won't clog the toilet?

Maybe you mean the 19th century?

The 1870s is part of the 1800s which includes everything from 1800 to 1899.

Maybe you could contribute something else?

Celebrating 150 years of Mormon blight.

I was raised in an all Mormon community in a staunch Mormon family, but being at BYU was like going from the frying pan into the fire.

To interject a tidbit of fun I had once in my experiences with BYU.

As I have mentioned before I had a short stint with them which caused me to figure out that it was not the place for me. However, that did not stop them from contacting me for donations.

One day I remember particularly well as my phone rang and I made the mistake of answering it. Once again came the pitch, but my response was different.

I asked them if I had obtained a degree with them. Of which there was a pause followed with a I do not know. I then told the young lady on the other end of the line that of my degrees not one was with BYU. And that if I was going to donate any money to an educational institution it would be the primary University that educated me. Which I then said was the University of Utah. I wished her a good day and hung up.

I never heard back from them again.

Hahaha. Good reply to them.

I used to get those calls too. Back then BYU would show up on my old fashioned caller ID box (that was before telemarketers were allowed to lie about their identity and actual phone number).
I think one time I cut loose on them and said I had resigned from their church and would never give them money.

I once spoke rather bluntly with a caller for my grad school. I told her exactly why I would never contribute so much as a dime (long story -- they cheated me out of instate status.) I never got another phone call from them.

OTOH I always enjoyed chatting with the current students who were employed to solicit for my undergraduate alma mater. They didn't get any contributions either (sorry, I'm a teacher, you have to talk to the rich alumnae,) but they always got some life advice.

I'm guessing certain parts of that 150 year history were left unmentioned :)

Holy Jumpin' Jesus!!

I Graduamated from the Y 55 years ago . . . And look at all it did for me!!!

I have to confess to one benefit: I had a bishop, an SP, and some members of my stake HC helped me put off being drafted long enough for my date of birth to come up as # 365 in the first draft lottery. I had a final appeal scheduled for the Thursday after that Monday night draft, but skipped it, letting them know that if they denied the appeal, I'd report for duty as soon as they got down to my number.

I remember very little of my time there. Obviously, having to take a religion class every semester contributed nothing except to make them more money. According to some of my grandkids, having to pay $16 per credit was some kind of miracle.

And telling them that I was forced to pay $75/month for a two-bedroom house, while making $90/week (Yay Mr. Steak!!) and having to subject myself to gas station attendants filling my tank and checking my oil, and then paying less than a dollar per gallon, they either yell or cry.

This brings to mind how getting old allows selective memory to be so entertaining.

You're back! Thought maybe you'd been deported.

"Deported" is not that big a deal when compared to "departed." That's the one that bothers me.

So rumors of you belated demise were premature?

I'm all for 'belating' my demise for as long as Medicare will let me.

Yeah. I'm worried that Medicare is in need of an olive oil priesthood blessing.

So, the current LDS prophet was born when BYU was 50 years old.

Was the YBU Med School rumor a Nothingburger?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2025 12:12PM by GNPE.