Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a St. George, Utah, native and apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was honored in Washington County this Pioneer Day as a recipient of the Manhood Award. Dale Ure, the man in charge of presenting the award, told The Spectrum in St. George, “We noticed kind of a decline in the definition of what manhood is. We have been giving that award out to men in the community who have exemplified what true manhood is” [1].
One idea behind the award is that young men today need examples of men who stand for and promote good values, as well as service to their communities. The award committee honors such good examples of manhood, and hopes that their example has a positive influence on teens in the community.
The award was first presented to former Pine View High School wrestling coach Vance Casperson after Ure and the awards committee noticed the positive influence Casperson was having on the teens he coached, emphasizing hard work and the importance of family. Ure also told The Spectrum that before the award was presented to adults, it was given by local leaders in Richfield to graduating high school seniors. Ure commented that giving the award raised the standards of the young people to be more oriented to community service and honesty [2].
Jeffrey Holland is a St. George native and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which church is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Mormon Church. Holland was also honored last year when Dixie State University named their new student center, the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons, which he dedicated in September 2012.
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Megan is a graduate of BYU-Idaho and recently married member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is a writer and avid reader, and loves music, hiking, and her family.
