69 647 Canyon Road Logan, Utah January 18, 1951 Dear Professor Kerr: Enclosed herewith you will find a few sentences in tribute to one of my great teachers. He did me a great service. I am pleased to have this opportunity to appraise the great work he did for me and for many of my very dear friends in the Academy. Sincerely yours, HENRY PETERSON PROFESSOR LOUIS F. MOENCH and the WEBER STAKE ACADEMY The Weber Stake Academy was organized and opened to student entrance on the first week of the year 1889. It was founded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and supported by tuition payments of the students supplemented by funds from the Church. Professor Louis F. Moench, recently home from a foreign mission, was its first principal and organizer. Assistants to Professor Moench were Richard Haag and Edwin Cutler. In the Utah Territory at that time there were only two high schools, one in Salt Lake City and one in Ogden. To furnish secondary education to its children and to train them in religion, the Church organized and helped to support Academies in several of the more populous centers of the Territory. In consequence of the frontier conditions of that day in the valley of our mountain region most of the students that enrolled in the Academies were mature beyond the years of present high school entrance, and they were of more experience in the activities of practical life. Professor Moench was at his best with that class of students. Under his inspirint leadership they developed confidence in themselves and advanced rapidly. As a twenty year old youth and of somewhat wide experience in practical farm work, but much retarded in education, I entered the Academy on its third day. My plan was to attend school during the winter months while outside work was interfered with, but before the snow was gone Professor Moench had changed my viewpoint and had led me to see that study was the best thing for a person of my age. My mind under his inspiration was made up to continue my studies as long as the way was clear before me. Thus to change and raise the aims of youth is a great function. Our teacher was