Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
A Utah woman is answering the call to serve every time her phone rings with someone thinking they've called BYU.
Seventy-seven-year-old Marilyn Pierce's North Salt Lake phone number spells BYU-INFO. The real number is 422-info. Pierce says the number has had its perks, especially when her grandchildren were younger.
She said, "When they were here and the phone rang, they would say, 'Let me answer it!' because there was a real possibility that it was going to be a BYU call." Pierce added, "They knew the right number and could help whoever called, and then they'd run downstairs and put a pin in the map," she said.
Pierce says her 20 grandchildren are all grown now so she doesn't keep track on a map anymore, but in 19 years, she's gotten phone calls from all over. She says at one time she averaged eight BYU calls a day. These days it's more like two or three.
Pierce cheerfully redirects callers to the right number. She considers it volunteer service, something she's not new to. Pierce is the primary caregiver for her husband, Elton, who has suffered several strokes. She's also very involved in her Relief Society group, and she and her daughter run a foundation called Share Our Surplus, which gathers food grocery stores and bakeries would have to throw away and gives it instead to the needy.
Pierce has 20 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, with great-grandchild number 23 expected in February.
She says she's never once considered changing the number, because she doesn't consider it a burden but an opportunity to serve, and it's nice to have a number that friends will remember easily.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
