Meet President Dwayne N. Andersen

(Submitted by Sister Andersen - March 19, 2002)

        Pres. Andersen returned from his mission in Japan to Laie, Hawaii, where he became a counselor at Church College of Hawaii, now known as BYU Hawaii. He formed the first international students' office there and became its first director. He became an ordinance worker in the Hawaii Temple, and Peggy conducted tours of the grounds. He served as a Bishop on the campus and later as a high councilman and stake clerk. After seven years in Hawaii, he accepted the position at BYU of Director of Foreign Students in 1972. While filling these assignments, he toured seven islands in the South Pacific and 13 countries in South America, representing each college, informing prospective students and parents and former students of the benefits of university training. He remained in the Student Life area of BYU, including the academic, career, and university standards offices, until his retirement. At both schools, he also taught Book of Mormon classes.

        While at BYU, he served as a Branch President (now termed bishops) on campus and as a Branch President at the Missionary Training Center for prospective Japanese missionaries. He was also called to a stake high council and as a stake patriarch.

        In 1980 he was called as the first president for the Tokyo Temple, with his wife as matron. While there, he wrote and distributed articles for the saints to help them better understand the position of temples in the kingdom. Before returning home, he and his wife toured Korea, with the help of former Seventy, Bro. Han, to assist the Korean saints prepare for a temple in their land.

        Upon retirement from his profession, and at the request of the Temple Department, he and Peggy organized the first temple training program for older couples in the church. They trained and sent out 650 temple missionaries in the 28 months they served.

        Dwayne had always wondered about South Africa. In 1988 he and his wife received a call to serve in the Johannesburg, South Africa Temple, where they both helped in the training of workers. After being home for a year, they were asked by the C.E.S. Department to return to South Africa and become supervisors in the institute and seminary work. This was a fascinating experience for them to work among the blacks and witness their devotion to the gospel, in addition to feeling the strength of the European saints there.

        In between missions and other assignments, President Andersen has served as a sealer in the Provo Temple, as a stake missionary, a Gospel Doctrine teacher, a stake high councilman, and Family History leader. In all, he has served seven missions for the church.

        In 1998 he was honored with a special recognition by the Emeritus Association of BYU. His most recent joy was to attend the Fukuoka Temple dedication, being near our prophet, and seeing so many faithful saints in Japan, and being privileged to speak in the first session.

        Of interest to some: Both sons, Allen, and Douglas, have served missions in Japan, returning to the same mission home in which they lived as children. Valerie has served a mission in Spokane, Washington, with her husband, the mission president. Trudy has lived in California and taught early morning seminary for a number of years . At the age of 81, President Andersen still serves as a sealer in the Provo Temple, and as a Family History leader. He now has 26 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Since coming to BYU in 1972, the Andersens have resided at the same home in Provo, Utah.

LDS Church News
Week ending June 16, 1962

Dwayne H. Andersen, a Folsom, Calif. educator, was appointed by the First Presidency last week as the new president of the Northern Far East Mission with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

He will succeed Pres. Paul C. Andrus of Kaneohe, Hawaii, who has served since November 1955. The Northern Far East Mission includes Japan and Okinawa. A separate mission was recently created in South Korea, formerly a part of the Northern Far East unit.

President Andersen is a native of Brigham City, Utah. He fulfilled a mission to Hawaii from 1941-1944. During World War II, he served in the Army participating in the Okinawan campaign. Following the war, he fulfilled a second mission, this time to Japan. He was a counselor in the mission presidency for over a year.

Since then President Andersen has been a bishop, bishop's counselor, ward clerk, Scoutmaster and has had various other executive and teaching assignments.

He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees at BYU and has done graduate work at San Francisco State University and at the University of California.

For a number of years, he taught school in Provo, Utah, and in California. He is now a counselor in the schools at Folsom.

President Andersen married Peggy Huish, Douglas, Ariz., in the Mesa Temple, Sept. 15, 1948. They have four children. Mrs. Andersen has been active in executive and teaching positions in the YWMIA, Primary, Relief Society and Sunday School. She also is a PTA worker.

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