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Sam Penrod, Carole Mikita and Associated Press Reporting On his 96th birthday, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley breaks ground for a new building at Brigham Young University, which will be named after him.
The groundbreaking gave him and his family another reason to celebrate.
Using a shovel from his own tool shed, President Gordon B. Hinckley broke ground for the new BYU Alumni Center and Visitors Center, which will be named after him.
"Shoulder to the wheel ... Oh and away we go," President Hinckley said, turning over a shovel of dirt with three of his children -- Virginia Pearce, Clark Hinckley and Richard Hinckley -- by his side. Hundreds of alumni students and faculty members also gathered for the special occasion.
"You do my a great honor and a great kindness in what you do today," President Hinckley said.
With his family, university officials and donors looking on, President Hinckley announced the building will be built from private donations.
BYU, which is owned by the LDS Church, has a long tradition of naming buildings on its campus after church presidents. But for the first time, a church president was there in person to see the groundbreaking.
"This new building is singular, in the fact it has been built while the man whose name it bears is still alive. I suppose Brother Samuelson concluded I was only half dead, and we could go forward accordingly," President Hinckley said.
President Hinckley said the event was only marred by the fact that his wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, who died in 2004, could not share it with him.
"But she has a chair on this campus which carries her name," Hinckley said. "Maybe we could move this chair into my building, and we'd be together again."
And because the groundbreaking was on his 96th birthday, when it was all over, the crowd broke out in singing Happy Birthday.
Construction on the 80,000-square foot Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center at the church-owned school in Provo will be complete in fall 2007. The new building will become the front gate of the BYU campus, will be used to welcome visitors and will be home to the Alumni Association.
By the way, President Hinckley says he will donate the shovel he used to break ground today, to be part of the display in the new building.
BYU also held a special luncheon in his honor today, hosting as many members of the Hinckley family and friends as could be there for a celebration of 96-years of life.
Kathleen Hinckley Walker, Pres. Hinckley's daughter: "Well, Dad, happy birthday. And thank you for teaching us that quitting is never an option..."
President Hinckley's daughter, Virginia, read from an essay President Hinckley's father wrote about old age, titled "The Autumn of Life".
Virginia Hinckley Pearce, Pres. Hinckley's daughter: "'It must be met. And the way to meet it, is to grow old gracefully and cheerfully.' We are so happy to have a father that is growing old gracefully,and on most days, cheerfully."
His son, Richard, quoted a Robert Frost poem about trees, which President Hinckley loves, and how there is no time to be carefree. But for a short time today, he was carefree as the group celebrated.
BYU's President Cecil Samulson presented President Hinckley with a brick with his name on it, signifying the new building in his name.
Known for his warmth and humor, President Hinckley is in his 11th year as president of the 12.5 million-member Mormon church, which was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The 15th church president, Hinckley will serve until his death.
During his tenure, President Hinckley has shepherded a rapid period of growth for the church that has included increased worldwide membership, expanding church education and humanitarian relief efforts, and the construction of more than 70 temples in 21 countries.
President Hinckley has made frequent jokes about his age since entering his 90s, often remarking, "I'm the last leaf on the tree and the wind is blowing."
President Hinckley suffers from a mild form of diabetes and in late January had surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his intestine. Hospitalized for six days, he spent 10 days recovering and then resumed his duties, including a trip to Santiago, Chile, for the rededication of a church temple.
In recent months, however, there has been increased speculation about President Hinckley's health. On April 2, he announced that doctors said he was suffering "residual health problems" related to the surgery.
"I trust you will not regard this as an obituary," he told members during a live television broadcast of a semiannual church conference. "Rather I look forward to the opportunity of speaking to you again in October.
No additional health information has ever been provided; however, in a statement released Friday, church officials stressed that President Hinckley isn't slowing down.
"President Hinckley maintains a regular work schedule and recently traveled to Iowa City to participate in a commemorative fireside honoring Mormon handcart pioneers."
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On the Net: www.lds.org
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
