President Hinckley pays tribute to modern-day 'good Samaritan'
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Lowell L. Bennion - a Church worker, educator, counselor and author who was widely recognized for his public service and voluntarism on behalf of youth, the elderly, the poor and the homeless - died Feb. 21, 1996, after a decade-long struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was 87.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, speaking at Brother Bennion's funeral Feb. 26 at the Salt Lake East Millcreek Stake Center, cited Luke's account of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35), and said, "I think that parable of the Master perhaps fits Lowell more than any other thing of which I can think."Brother Bennion directed the LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah from its inception in 1935 to 1962. In 1961, he established the Teton Valley Boys Ranch, and, for the next 24 years, supervised the summer work and recreation of more than 2,000 teenagers. From 1963-1972 he was an associate dean of students and sociology professor at the University of Utah. After his retirement, he served for 16 years as director of the Salt Lake Community Services Council. He was the primary figure in the establishment of the Utah Food Bank in the mid-1970s. His devotion to serving the needs of the poor, youth and the elderly inspired the establishment of the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center in 1986 at the University of Utah.
The Caring Institute in Washington, D.C., recognized Brother Bennion in 1989 as "one of the most caring people in America." He was cited for organizing programs to feed the hungry, constructing and remodeling homes for the handicapped and providing a recreational outlet for troubled youth through his boys ranch.
President Hinckley referred to his 50-year-long association with Brother Bennion and mentioned that the Hinckley and the Bennion families once had been neighbors.
"This large congregation today is a wonderful tribute to him. (About 800 people attended the funeral on a snowy day.) People here loved him for what he was - businessmen, university administrators, faculty, Church friends, neighbors - all of whom held him in great affection and appreciation. . . .
"The central figure of his life was the Redeemer of the world. That was the root of his strength, that was the theme of his life, and he lived as he believed."
President Hinckley said that Brother Bennion's objectives were lifting people, helping people, encouraging people, turning their lives around when they were headed in the wrong direction, giving encouragement in times of despair - comforting and blessing.
