It happened again. I was at Gallivan Center enjoying another program in the Excellence in the Community Concert Series. In between a rousing Ella Fitzgerald number and a softer Tommy Dorsey tune, I was approached by a petite woman with grey curls framing her smiling watery eyes who just had to tell me what a wonderful man Lowell Bennion was. She grabbed my hand with both of hers and went into some detail about how Lowell (always "Lowell," never "Dr. Bennion" or "Mr. Bennion") would deliver flowers and engage in warm conversation with her mother before she passed away more than 35 years ago.
During a recent trip to San Francisco, a University of Utah alumnus told me how Lowell enlisted wide-eyed undergraduates to help him deliver frozen turkeys to destinations all over town. Thanks to Lowell's compassion and caring, many shut in by weather, fatigue, or disability had a holiday feast.
And so it goes, tales like this spill from those who knew and revered Lowell Bennion. While I never had the good fortune to meet the man, I've come to know him through these "Lowell Stories." I have heard about his spontaneous calls to action and ability to regularly gather friends and colleagues to paint houses, move furniture, mentor and chat with people who found themselves in a difficult spot. More than one Lowell admirer has told me that his instinctive and persistent question when he met someone was, "How can I help?"
Lowell lived his life following simple, yet profound principles. He expounded on them in his short book, "The Things that Matter Most," which was published posthumously in 1998. He discussed the link between physical realities and personal values, and wrote that it is in pursuit of our personal values that we find the deepest satisfaction.
The word pursuit is apt. Part of what made him endearing was his steadfast journey to ask, pursue, discover, and help. A graduate of the U., Lowell attended graduate school in Europe and earned a doctorate from the University of Strasbourg. He served the U. as director of the LDS Institute of Religion, professor of sociology and associate dean of students. He also formed the Lambda Delta Sigma fraternity, unique for its emphasis on civic leadership and community service.
Lowell was appointed executive director of the Salt Lake City Community Services Council and he established Utah's first homeless shelter and its first food bank. He founded, owned and operated the Teton Valley Boys Ranch, where he mentored and guided boys in work and service. Even in retirement, Lowell worked with and inspired students at the place that bears his name, the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, which was founded and funded in 1987 by friends and many anonymous donors in honor of his life and work. Emma Lou Thayne, in her forward to Lowell's 1998 book, observed that Lowell "made the betterment of mankind his profession … love is his trademark, humanity is his trade."
To honor Lowell Bennion's lifelong contributions, continue his deep spirit of service to others and inspire more people to lend a hand where help is needed, the Bennion Center annually hosts the Legacy of Lowell Day of Service. The event is an opportunity for U. students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and the greater community to engage with Salt Lake City organizations in projects that make a difference. This year, it will be held today (Saturday) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Glendale Middle School, 1430 W. Andrew Ave.
Lowell Bennion was called a "model of service" and "Utah's Mother Teresa." He wrote, "If we thought of life as a gift, we might not demand nearly as much from it. And if we lived more graciously, giving of ourselves more freely to the well-being of others, many of our personal concerns would disappear, and life would become easier for all." After hearing so many Lowell Stories, it is clear to me that he made life a little easier for many. It is now up to us to carry on his magnificent legacy and ask, "How can I help?"
Dean McGovern is executive director of the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center at the University of Utah.
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