| Description |
Weber Stake Academy first opened its doors for instruction at the LDS Second Ward Meeting House on the corner of 26th Street and Grant Avenue on January 7, 1889. The academy's two teachers, Louis F. Moench and Edwin Cutler, welcomed nearly one hundred students on the first day, and, by the end of its first term, 195 students in all had registered for the school. This monograph depicts the role the LDS church and its leaders played in founding the school, the background of its first educators and administrators and the financial challenges they confronted in operating the school from 1889 through 1894. Letters of appreciation for Louis F. Moench and a bibliography of primary sources are also provided. |
| OCR Text |
Show 71 As a small boy I well remember Professor Louis F. Moench. I lived on our farm about five miles west of Ogden and attended the West Weber School. My father was chairman of the Board of Trustees of the school district and also kept the books and accounts of the school district. Professor Moench, a tall dignified man, quite bald and with a full beard, usually wearing a long black coat, was County School Superintendent. He visited the school at intervals and came to our home to audit the books. When he left, my father let me see where he had written in the school ledger--beautiful handwriting! Years after, when I was well along in my teens, my father came home from Ogden one night and told me the Stake Presidency was considering opening a church school in Ogden to be known as the Weber Academy with Professor Moench in charge. He asked if I would like to attend. I answered that I would like to go. I enrolled along with about 100 others from both city and county in the old second ward meeting house. During good weather I rode my pony in from the farm. I kept her in a small shed just west of the second ward meeting house. When the weather was very bad I stayed in Ogden. My seat mate was John Halls from Huntsville. Many other names I recall: The Peterson boys and Burrows boys from Huntsville; the Ferrin boys from Eden; the Taylor boys from Harrisville; Henry Peterson, Charlotte Bartlett and John Raw son from Kanesville; Walker West, Lester Scoville, John Herrick, Janie West, Agnes Herrick, Nettie Herrick, Annis Brown, Lizzie Blair, Nancy Murphy and many others from Ogden. The teachers under whom I took class work were Professor Moench, Richard Haag, and Oscar Vance. Professor Moench's beautiful handwriting was most interesting to me. I tried hard to imitate it. I enclose a sample from the old school ledger. I did not graduate from the Weber Academy. I attended one year, after which I entered the University of Utah from which institution I later graduated. I remember Professor Moench as an excellent teacher. He was a splendid, dignified, scholarly, Christian gentleman, whose influence was far reaching in the state of Utah. W. N. Petterson 2164 Jefferson Avenue Ogden, Utah |
