Temple Presidency

Merrill Dean Briggs, 64, of the Sterling Ward, Soldotna Alaska Stake, has been called by the First Presidency as the president of the new Anchorage Alaska Temple. The temple, now nearing completion, will be dedicated Jan. 9-10, 1999. Pres. Briggs' wife, Janet Jensen Briggs, will serve as temple matron.

Pres. Briggs has served as a patriarch, stake president, high councilor, bishop, district president's counselor, stake Sunday School president and Young Men president. He served a mission to New Zealand from 1954-57. A retired Church Educational System coordinator, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and a master's degree in religious education from BYU. He was born in Bountiful, Utah, to Clyde LeRoy and Esther Thompson Briggs.

Sister Briggs is a former Young Women president and adviser, institute instructor, ward and stake organist, and spiritual living and gospel doctrine teacher. She served a two-year stake mission. Sister Briggs attended Granite High School in Salt Lake City. She was born in Jersey City, N.J., to Kirby Stanley and Rhea Satterthwaite Jensen.

Pres. and Sister Briggs are in the process of making their home in Anchorage.

Counselors Called

Subsequent to the call of Pres. Briggs his counselors were announced.

Pres. Keith Anderson formerly of Juneau has been called as the first counselor. (I currently have very little information on Pres. Anderson. I am working to get more and will revise this as I do.) As first counselor he will be the temple recorder. He and his wife lived in Juneau for many years where he served as the District President.

After retiring they decided to serve a mission when they were called back to Juneau to serve a mission for the Church Educational System. That mission was recently completed when they were called to serve in the temple. They are in the process now of moving to Anchorage. They have a daughter Julie who lives in the Anchorage 13th ward.

Pres. R. Dan Farr of the Anchorage 13th ward has been called as the second counselor. As second counselor he will be responsible for the maintenance of the temple and all its facilities. He will serve with his wife Debra. Pres. and Sister Farr have lived in Anchorage since late 1972 when they moved from Seattle. They both went to high school in the Portland area.

Pres. Farr is a registered professional architect and has had his own firm in the Anchorage area since he arrived. He has served in many positions including as a counselor in the Alaska Stake presidency to both Pres. Charles Welling and to Pres. Robert K. Dellenbach. He served as the Bishop of the Anchorage 5th ward for five years and as president of the Anchorage, Alaska Stake for 9-1/2 years.

At the time of his call he was serving as a counselor in the Alaska Anchorage Mission. Sister Farr has also served in many callings including Relief Society President and for many years as a Laurel Advisor.

Pres. and Sis. Farr have four married children Karen Hopkin of Anchorage, Kristen Rose of Oregon, Eric Farr also of Oregon, and Brent Farr of Salt Lake City.

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Church News Announcement. The following announcement appeared in The Church News on Saturday, November 24th.