Thirteen new members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy were sustained Saturday afternoon, April 4, increasing the number in that quorum to 33.
The new General Authorities are:Elder Athos M. Amorim, 65, of Resende, Brazil, a retired colonel in the Brazilian Army, is a former president of the Sao Paulo Temple and of the Brazil Forteleza Mission. He also served as district and branch president. He graduated from Escola Preparatoria De Cadets De Sao Paulo and did graduate work at Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras. He and his wife, Maria Alice Ferrao De Amorim, are parents of two children.
Elder E. Ray Bateman, 60, of St. Louis, Mo., is now serving as president of the California Carlsbad Mission. He is a retired sales manager for Bristol-Myers-Squibb Co., and is a former multi-region welfare agent, stake mission president, high councilor, bishop and counselor, and branch president's counselor. He attended the University of Utah and BYU. He and his wife, Mira Dorene Odette Bateman, are parents of five children.
Elder Val R. Christensen, 62, of Logan, Utah, is now serving as president of the Arizona Phoenix Mission. He is a retired vice president for student services at Utah State University. He has served as regional representative, and is a former stake president and counselor, high councilor, bishop and counselor. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State University, and a doctorate from Michigan State University. He and his wife, Ruth Ann Wood Christensen, are parents of five children.
Elder Ronald T. Halverson, 61, of Ogden, Utah, has been serving as an Area Authority Seventy in the Utah North Area and a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy. He is a self-employed businessman, president of Halverson Mechanical Inc., and past president of Marlowe Plumbing and Heating, H&H Mechanical Inc., and RHYCO Inc. He is a former president of the Norway Oslo Mission, regional representative, stake president and counselor. He graduated from Weber State College and attended the University of Utah. He and his wife, Linda Kay Jensen Halverson, are parents of five children.
Elder Earl M. Monson, 65, of Sandy, Utah, is the retired director of the Church's Temples and Special Projects Division, and former Church international operations and maintenance manager, and a consulting structural engineer. He has served as stake president, stake mission president, high councilor, bishop and Sunday School president. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and master's degree from Iowa State University. He and his wife, Donna Mae Hill Monson, are parents of five children.
Elder Merrill C. Oaks, 62, of Provo, Utah, is now serving as president of the Washington Seattle Mission. He is a retired ophthalmologist and former president of the Utah Ophthalmological Society and volunteer in the National Eye Care Project. He has served as stake president, stake president's counselor, high councilor, bishop and Young Men president. He received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, a doctorate from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and attended Washington University of St. Louis. He and his wife, Josephine Ann Christensen Oaks, are parents of nine children.
Elder H. Bryan Richards, 63, of Salt Lake City, is a self-employed businessman and former benefits administrator for E-Systems and data processing manager for Litton. He is a former president of the England Manchester Mission, regional representative, stake president and counselor, high councilor and bishop's counselor. He received a bachelor's degree from BYU. He and his wife, Lynn-Anne Taylor Richards, are the parents of eight children.
Elder Ned B. Roueche, 63, of Kaysville, Utah, is retired field engineer manager for IBM and a former president of the Venezuela Barcelona Mission, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, bishop, temple ordinance worker, elders quorum president and Young Men president. He attended Weber State College and the University of Utah. He is married to JoAnn Sheffield Roueche and they have five children.
Elder D. Lee Tobler, 64, of Marshallville, Ohio, has been serving as an Area Authority Seventy in the North America Northeast Area and as a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy. He is a soon-to-retire executive vice president and chief financial officer for BF Goodrich Co., and a former stake president and counselor, high councilor, bishop, and teacher. He received a bachelor's degree from BYU and a master's degree from Northwestern University. He and his wife, Darlene Thueson Tobler, are parents of six children.
Elder Gordon T. Watts, 63, of Roanoke, Texas, currently serving as president of the Philippines Quezon City, is a retired regional sales manager for Ford Motor Co./Glass Division. He received an associate degree from Weber College, bachelor's degree from Utah State University; and master's degree from BYU. He is a former regional representative, stake president and counselor, high councilor, bishop. He and his wife, Connie Welling Watts, are parents of four children.
Elder Stephen A. West, 63, of Logan, Utah, is currently serving as president of the Texas San Antonio Mission. He is a former senior vice president and general counsel for Marriott International Inc. in Washington, D.C. He is a temple sealer and former member of the Church's international advisory group, high councilor, bishop and counselor, ward mission leader, branch president's counselor and Temple Square guide. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the University of Utah. He and his wife, Martha Alice Sears West, are the parents of three children.
Elder Robert J. Whetten, 54, El Paso, Texas, is now serving as president of the Paraguay Asuncion Mission. A retired president of Norwest Bank in El Paso, he is a former vice president of Citibank and financial consultant to various companies in the United States. He is a former mission president's counselor, stake mission president, high councilor, bishop and bishop's counselor. He and his wife, Raquel Lopez Whetten, have eight children.
Elder Ray H. Wood, 66, of Salt Lake City is currently serving as president of the Salt Lake Eagle Gate Stake. A retired director of the Church Tax Division, he is a former practicing attorney, retired tax partner for KPMG Peat Marwick and former member of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Tax Recodification Commission. He received bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Utah; and is a former high councilor, bishop and bishop's counselor. He and his wife, Ann Aylett Wood, have six children.
