Breaking Ground with a Vision: An Inspired Beginning
On the morning of February 7, the two men attended the Laie Elementary School’s morning flag-raising ceremony. Elder McKay was deeply impressed by the group of children united in the Pledge of Allegiance, and he strongly felt the need for and a divine purpose of a school of higher education located in this community. This impression never left him, and in the early 1950’s, as President of the Church, he helped establish the Church College of Hawaii, later named BYU-Hawaii, in Laie.
On February 12, 1955, President McKay returned to Laie to join local leaders for the groundbreaking ceremony. The day dawned windy and rainy, but when President McKay stood up to speak at the clearing of the cain fields, the sun broke through and seemed to smile upon the occasion. From his speech and dedicatory prayer come the prophetic words which have since guided the course of the University:
“The world needs men who cannot be bought or sold, men who will
scorn to violate truth, genuine gold…From this school will go forth men and
women whose influence will be
felt for good towards the establishment
of peace internationally.”
“We dedicate our actions…that this college, and the temple, and the
town of Laie may become a missionary factor, influencing not thousands,
not ten thousands, but millions of people who will come seeking to
know what this town and its significance are.”
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is February 7, 1921.
Location. 21° 38.598′ N, 157° 55.628′ W. Marker is in Laie, Hawaii, in Honolulu County. It is in Koolauloa. Marker is on the campus of Brigham Young University Hawaii. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 220 Kulanui St, Laie HI 96762, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mission School (approx. half a mile away); Opana Radar Site (approx. 6.2 miles away); a different marker also named Opana Radar Site (approx. 6.2 miles away); U.S. Medium Tank (approx. 13.2 miles away); Major General John M. Schofield (approx. 13.2 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2017, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 243 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 15, 2017, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.