--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 7 published: 1918-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Elder Richard R. Lyman," *Improvement Era* 21, no. 7 (May 1918): 627–629.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2107unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2107unse start_page: 627 end_page: 629 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2107unse publication_year: 1918 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Elder Richard R. Lyman Elder Richard R. Lyman To fill the vacancy, caused by the death of the late Elder Hyrum M. Smith, in the Council of Twelve Apostles, Elder Richard R. Lyman was chosen and unanimously sustained as a member of that quorum. His name was presented to the great congregation of Latter-day Saints on Saturday morning, April 6, 1918, and he was ordained to that high office and calling by President Joseph F. Smith, on Sunday, April 7, 1918. He is the son of the late President Francis M. Lyman and Clara Callister. On Sept. 9, 1896, he was married to Amy Brown, daughter of John Brown, the well-known Utah pioneer. They have two children. Elder Lyman removed with his parents from Fillmore to Tooele, Utah, in 1878, in which place he attended the common schools and later was educated in the Brigham Young College and the Brigham Young University, graduating from both institutions. In 1891 he entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated, June 27, in the class of 1895, with a degree of B. S. C. E. During his sophomore and senior years he was president of his classes. Returning to Utah, he taught in the Brigham Young University, at Provo, for one year. In the fall of 1906, he was made Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Utah, which position he still holds. Prior to his appointment to the University of Utah, Dr. Lyman did three years post graduate work at the University of Chicago, and Cornell University. In the latter institution he had conferred upon him unusual honors. At Cornell, he had the scholarship and the fellowship in the College of Civil Engineering. He was also elected by the faculty to membership in the Society of the Sigma XI, an honorary scientific fraternity. On June 18, 1903, he graduated with the degree of Master of Civil Engineering, and on June 22, 1905, with a degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Aside from his services as professor of Civil Engineering, Dr. Lyman has done considerable scientific work, having prepared a bulletin on "Earth Road Construction and Maintenance," which has been used as a guide by many of the road commissioners throughout the intermountain West. His bulletin on the "Measurement of Flowing Streams," and his scientific paper, "Flow of Water Over Weirs, with New Formulas and Diagrams," for which latter he was awarded the James J. Croes gold medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers, ELDER RICHARD R. LYMAN Born Fillmore, Utah, November 23, 1870; Ordained an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 7, 1918 RICHARD R. LYMAN 629 in May, 1916, one of the strongest and best known scientific societies in the world, are in great demand throughout the West by people who are measuring and distributing water. He has been largely instrumental in inducing officials and others in many of the towns and smaller cities of Utah to provide pure water, by the construction of water work systems, a work of inestimable value to the health of the communities. Dr. Lyman served as a member and vice chairman of the Utah State Road Commission for nine years, during which time nearly all of the important road work done by the state has been accomplished. He served in this capacity from the organization of the State' Road Commission until May 1, 1917. In Church matters he has been actively interested, particularly among the young people. In the Utah stake Mutual Improvement Associations, before the division of the Utah county into stakes, he served as counselor to Bryant S. Hinckley. Later, or four years, he was superintendent of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations of the old Salt Lake stake when it covered the whole of Salt Lake county. He resigned from this position in May, 1902, when he left for the East to do post-graduate work. During recent years, Dr. Lyman has been especially interested in the work of the Parents' Classes of the Sunday School, having acted as supervisor of this work in the Ensign stake. His selection as one of the Twelve will add both spiritual and intellectual strength to that important body of leaders in the Church, for he is a man of a strong spiritual nature which, reinforced by his splendid educational abilities, and his power as a teacher, will be felt for great good among the people in his new position. He is a man of unimpeachable integrity, a strict observer of the Word of Wisdom, a clear thinker, a teacher and a man of affairs of decided power and ability. David Moosman, writing to a friend in Salt Lake City, from "Somewhere in France," says: "There are over two hundred Latter-day Saint boys in this regiment." He belongs to Battery F, 148th F. A., American Expeditionary Forces; his letter is dated February 16, 1918. He says further: "For three weeks we have been holding meetings which have been very well attended. My impression is that the boys are ever striving to live their religion. It is very interesting. Many associates and strangers which we meet, and who are not accustomed to our ways of living and conduct, have become very much interested in us and in our faith and philosophy. The soldiers here are more or less in want for literature or reading. Back numbers of the Era are often read by our soldier associates. With our hearts ill the work, our faith in the cause of liberty and righteousness, and our prayers with our friends and loved ones at home, we battle on bound for victory."