Carl Ferdinand Eyring (August 30, 1889 – January 3, 1951) was an American acoustical physicist. He was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

(BYU) for 26 years and was also the vice president of the

Acoustical Society of America The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is an international scientific society founded in 1929 dedicated to generating, disseminating and promoting the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications. The Society is primarily a voluntary org ...

from 1950 until his death in 1951.

Biography

Eyring was born in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to Henry Eyring and Deseret Fawcett. Eyring was also a leader in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church). He served as the first

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the New England

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

from 1937 to 1939. During this time, Eyring exerted efforts to keep Latter-day Saint students at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, and other Boston-area institutions of higher learning active in the church. Eyring was the uncle of the noted chemist Henry Eyring, who was father of Henry B. Eyring, of the LDS Church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

. Carl Eyring was married to Fern Chipman, a daughter of

Stephen L. Chipman Stephen L. Chipman (1864–1945) was a member of the Utah State Legislature in 1903 and a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Utah County. He was also the first president of the Salt Lake Temple who was no ...

. She was the sister of Lorena Chipman, who was the wife of

Harvey Fletcher Harvey Fletcher (September 11, 1884 – July 23, 1981) was an American physicist. Known as the "father of stereophonic sound", he is credited with the invention of the 2-A audiometer and an early electronic hearing aid. He was an investigator i ...

. From 1924 until 1951, excepting his time as mission president, Eyring served as the dean of the college of Arts and Sciences at BYU. During some of this time he also served as a member of the General Board of the

Deseret Sunday School Union Sunday School (formerly the Deseret Sunday School Union) is an organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 11 and older, are encouraged to participate i ...

. In 1930, Eyring proposed an equation for reverberation time known as the

Eyring equation The Eyring equation (occasionally also known as Eyring–Polanyi equation) is an equation used in chemical kinetics to describe changes in the rate of a chemical reaction against temperature. It was developed almost simultaneously in 1935 by Henr ...

. Beginning in 1945, Eyring personally supervised the planning and construction of a new science building at BYU. When the cement was laid for the building, Eyring sprayed it with a special hose to help it cure better. It is said that this cement never cracked. In 1954 the building was renamed the Carl F. Eyring Science Center in his honor. Eyring died of a cerebral hemorrhage on January 3, 1951.

Loren C. Dunn Loren Charles Dunn (June 12, 1930 – May 16, 2001) was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1968 until his death. Dunn was born in Tooele, Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church to Aust ...

was among those who studied under Eyring.

References

External links

Carl F. Eyring lecture notes, UA 7
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Faculty biographical records, containing files on Carl F. Eyring, UA 909
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyring, Carl F. 1889 births 1951 deaths Brigham Young University faculty Mexican emigrants to the United States Mexican leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mission presidents (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in the United States 20th-century Mormon missionaries People from Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua Deaths from cancer in Utah Sunday School (LDS Church) people Latter Day Saints from Utah