ALICE BOYACK

Rev. Dr. Alice S. Boyack 1921 ~ 2010 Alice Boyack died peacefully on October 30, 2010. She was born July 22, 1921 in Philadelphia, PA. to Fred C. and A. Ruth Batten Selby and raised in Lansdowne. She received a B.A. from Wilson College, an M.A. from the Univ. of Chicago, studied at Chicago Theological Seminary and got a PhD from the Divinity School of the Univ. of Chicago. She married James D. Boyack of Montana. Jim and Alice taught at Philander Smith College, a Methodist college for African Americans in Little Rock, AR. In 1959 the Boyacks moved to Salt Lake City to teach at Westminster College. Jim was professor of philosophy and Alice taught history and religion. She was the director of Christian Education at Christ Methodist Church, and campus minister and advisor to pre-theological students. In 1973 she was ordained as a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister. She was moderator of the Utah Association of the UCC, and also served on the Church & Ministry Committee. She often preached at several Protestant churches in Utah. Alice received many awards, including Outstanding Woman of Utah in the field of Religion, and the N. Eldon Tanner Memorial Christian Service Award from the Westminster Institute of LDS Religion. She was honored at a Women of Achievement Banquet given by "Network" magazine. After retiring in 1987 she loved volunteering at her church and spending time with her grand-daughters. Alice was a source of inspiration for many. She was a person of strong faith but never pushed her beliefs on others. It was important to her to help people of different backgrounds come together to find common ground. She also enjoyed hosting a weekly book discussion group, and was a devoted fan of the Utah Jazz. Preceded in death by her husband Jim, Alice is survived by her daughters Elizabeth (Betsy) Willis of Eugene, Ore; and Jean Boyack of Salt Lake City; granddaughters JoAnne Brown and Amanda Minter, son-in-law James Brown, adopted granddaughter Lindsay Alsop, and great-grandchildren Delaney and Tasher Brown. Her love of HUCC will be carried on by her granddaughter Amanda, and her daughter Betsy promised to keep watching the Jazz. A memorial service will be at Holladay United Church of Christ, 2631 Murray-Holladay Rd., on Saturday, November 6 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center (www.splcenter.org) or Holladay United Church of Christ.