Richard Hanks
TUE, OCT 7, 2025 | 7:30-9:00 pm MDT
WHERE:
Bell Hall
389 East 1st Ave.
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
Thanks to Lisa Cannon for sharing her home and historic Danish Lutheran church with us. Parking is found throughout the neighborhood. There is no parking lot for the church. Enter through the main front door of the church at the gate on 1st Ave and up to the top of the steps.
THE CONVERSATION:
Marion Duff Hanks was an unusual General Authority. Like all the top leadership, he had a strong belief in the Savior and the Church, but unlike most, he was also an independent thinker, more willing to speak his mind. A beloved leader for almost 40 years, he gave 50 general conference talks and became a favorite of those growing up in the church during the end of the 20th century. Elder Hanks was well known for his compassionate and loving acceptance of those on the edges of the church and was a beacon for those experiencing difficulty of one kind or another, including intellectual dissent. He rallied for the defenseless, forgotten, and marginalized. When you asked him the hard questions, his answers told you that he had asked them too. Because of his disposition to listen and care for the individual, he became a guiding light to many who didn’t fit exactly into the mold of some of the church’s doctrines and ideologies.
We will discuss how Duff’s life can inform our experience in the current church. Can being less of a follower of some aspects of church leadership and culture lead us to be a better friend of Christ?
ABOUT RICHARD:
Richard D. Hanks is a retired senior executive who has held leadership roles at Marriott, PepsiCo, and Price Waterhouse. A successful entrepreneur, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2010. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Northwestern University, and later served as an adjunct professor at Cornell University.
Together with his wife, Liz, Richard presided over the Alabama Birmingham Mission, an experience that deepened their shared commitment to faith and service. He has also served on the boards of both corporate and non-profit organizations and is a sought-after public speaker.
Richard and Liz live in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are the proud parents of three children and the grandparents of eleven.
I’m delighted those who can’t attend in person can join virtually. I’m sorry I can’t give you the same care and attention given to those in person. Please contact me if you have suggestions for improvement.
- Click on the Zoom link above for either last month’s recorded conversation (if the event date has passed) or the live conversation now. If you are participating in the live conversation keep reading.
- When you are connected you will either be waiting in a lobby and will let be in shortly or you will immediately be able to see other participants. Please make sure that you are muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. OR maybe the problem is on my end so please let me know if it is.
ZOOM ETIQUETTE:
- Please mute your microphone before entering and when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else.
- If you are going to multitask—not recommended—or wander around a lot, please turn off your video and make sure you are muted. No one wants to be distracted by you eating or using the loo.
