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By Kent Larsen
George R. Hill III, Former GA and Scientist, dead at 79
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Renowned chemical engineering professor and former
member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints George R. Hill III died Sunday of cancer. Elder Hill was a
long-time chemical and fuels engineering professor at the University of Utah
and member of the National Academy of Engineering. He also served in the
Area Presidencies of the Philippines/Micronesia area and Utah South area
while serving as a general authority. He was 79.
Elder Hill was a native of Ogden, the son of George Richard Hill Jr. and
Elizabeth O. McKay (sister to the late LDS Church President David O. McKay),
born November 24, 1921. He married Melba Parker in the Salt Lake Temple in
1941, and with her was the parent of seven children. After receiving a
bachelors degree in chemistry and physics from BYU in 1942, Hill did
graduate work at Cornell University, receiving a doctorate in chemistry
there in 1946. BYU later gave him an honorary doctorate of science.
Going to work at the University of Utah, Hill built a strong professional
reputation as an expert on coal. The university named him dean of the
College of Mines and Minerals Industry, where he served for six years,
beginning in 1966. In 1972 he was named director of the Office of Coal
Research in the US Department of Interior, leaving shortly to direct the
fossil fuel department of the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo
Alto, California.
Hill returned to the University of Utah in 1977, accepting an endowed chair
as Envirotech Professor of Chemical Engineering. Hill researched and wrote
extensively on energy issues, and was given a number of professional awards,
including the Henry H. Storch Award from the American Chemical Society. He
was also inducted in the National Academy of Engineering, one of the
National Academies of Sciences.
During his professional career, Hill maintained a high level of service to
the LDS Church. He served as bishop of three different wards, and was called
as a counselor in the Young Men general superintendency, serving from 1967
to 1972. Before he was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy when it
was organized in April 1987, Hill had served as a regional representative.
Hill's service included working with the Boy Scouts of America, serving on
the Great Salt Lake Council's executive board and receiving the Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope and Silver Buffalo awards for his service. He also
worked as a guide on Temple Square and gave weekly lectures on science and
religion.
Source:
Chemist and ex-LDS official George R. Hill III dies
Deseret News 24Apr01 N2
George R. Hill, Former U. of U. Dean, Dies
Salt Lake Tribune 25Apr01 P2
George Richard Hill III
Salt Lake Tribune 24Apr01 P2
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