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September 24 30, 2013

@UniverseMetro, @UniverseCampus Brigham Young University Provo, Utah

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Victory just out of reach again

Photo by Sarah Hill

Skyler Ridley stretches for an errant pass during Saturdays game at LaVell Edwards Stadium against Utah. The Utes won 20-13. More coverage on Page 9.

92-year-old BYU fan still loyal, strong and true

By ALISSA HOLM
Many students live and breathe for BYU football, but their school spirit doesnt come close to that of a 92-yearold born-and-bred Cougar fan who has been to almost every football game for the last 42 years. Avonell Rappleye has lived a life of dedication to BYU. Loyal, strong and true, wearing white and blue, Rappleye can still be found at every BYU home football game in her seat on the east side of the LaVell Edwards Stadium. Nothing will ever keep me from going to a game, Rappleye said. As long as someone will take me there, Im there, until the day I die. Born in 1921, Rappleye was raised to be a Cougar. Her earliest memory of BYU was seeing her oldest sister go off to BYU to become a school teacher. When Rappleye turned 18, she followed in her sisters footsteps. After high school, I was offered a four-year, full scholarship to the University of Utah, Rappleye said. But I didnt want to go the University of Utah. I had always wanted to go to BYU, as long as I could remember. My dad had a hard time with that because he thought it would be good if he didnt have to pay for my education. But he got through that because I wanted to go there so badly. Rappleye attended BYU football games as an undergraduate in 1939, where she was a member of BYUs band, said her son, Charles Rappleye. As a student, she learned the school hymn, Charles Rappleye said. Its not a song many people know now, but the band will still play it sometimes and shell sing along. After earning her undergraduate degree in elementary education, Rappleye left Provo to teach school.

Missionary work going viral

Tabor was serving in the Hyde Park Ward in London when missionB y A LY S S A C H A R D aries began using Facebook as a proselyting tool in April. At the time, six In a world full of cat memes, You- sisters and eight elders were serving Tube sensations, social media move- in the area and were only allowed to ments and all kinds of viral videos, use social media at the Hyde Park missionary work is now going viral, Chapel visitors center. making its mark on the social media Tabor explained that she and her world. companion usually used Facebook as The Church must adapt to a a rst contact with potential investichanging world, Elder L. Tom gators and then would try to set up a Perry said in July during a special live appointment. conference in which The Church of We added people and chatted Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with them on Facebook, Tabor said. announced that misWe are starting to siona ries wou ld see more investigause social media to tors coming from share the gospel. Facebook. We have Now, L DS misbetter retention of sionaries are doing i nve s t i g at or s we just that, as misfind online versus sions are slowly projust nding them on viding elders and the street. We can sisters with iPads always contact them Destany Tabor and smartphones, on Facebook. Returned missionary al lowing them to Tabor said she and Riverside, Calif. access Church apps her companion saw and resources to aid success using social their work in the media. eld. We d e f i n it ely Missionaries can now conduct les- had more progressing investigators sons with investigators via Facetime because of this, said Tabor. People and Skype and also have Facebook are more comfortable with social access where they can commu- media. nicate with both members and In addition, missionary area investigators. books, which provide details about Destany Tabor, a returned mis- lessons taught to the investigators, sionary from Riverside, Calif., served were previously kept in binder form in the London England Mission and but are now available online. These returned home about a month ago. documents, along with missionary Both the London and London South calendars, are available for mismissions were among the first to sion leaders to view, allowing them embrace the social media surge. to more easily coordinate teaching We were just at the beginning, appointments between members and Tabor said. We were trying to gure missionaries. it out, and we could start seeing this take off. See MISSIONARY on Page 3

Photo by Ari Davis

Avonell Rappleye has been a BYU Cougar fan since 1921.

However, she admits she couldnt stay away long before coming back to BYU to take the classes she needed to become a doctor. While on campus, she met her husband, Foster Rappleye. Like many Cougars past and present, they met at a party, hiked the Y for their rst date and were married in the Salt Lake Temple a few months later, Rappleye said. Along with her husband, Rappleye taught her seven children to love BYU as much as she did. We pretty much had no other option, said Kathy Sue Barrett, Rappleyes daughter. Even when I said I wanted to go to BYUIdaho, she was like, No, no you dont! When her children were young, Rappleye listened to the football games on the radio. She started attending every game regularly in 1970, only stopping for one season in 1991 to serve a mission in Connecticut with her husband. And until a few years ago, she would attend all of the basketball games as well, Barrett said. Once her children were old enough to attend school, she worked as BYUs assistant director of evening classes holding that position for 15 years. At one point, she had ve children attending BYU at the same time, Barrett explained. We loved to have Mommy on campus, Barrett said. We would go in and see her all the time. I even had her look up my (now) husbands class schedule. It worked! Each of her seven children attended BYU and graduated with either an associates or a bachelors degree. While she worked on campus, Rappleye also earned a masters degree in counseling. Her family said she continued to attend the football games with her husband until he passed away in 2004; and she now attends each home game with her son, Charles. Ive always been an avid fan. I always have and I always will, Rappleye said. Rappleye lives in Orem and has seven children, 53 grandchildren and 108 great-grandchildren.

We are starting to

see more investigators coming from Facebook.