Desmond Launfal Anderson

LOGAN, UTAH. Desmond Launfal Anderson, former mayor of Logan, died January 19, 2010. He was 86 years old.
Desmond was the fourth of five children born to Nils and Emily Hendricks Anderson on May 23, 1923 in Logan, Utah. He was descended from Mormon pioneers who crossed the plains in the earliest days of the Mormon migration West, and from Mormon immigrants who came to America to find “Zion” in Utah. His ancestors helped settle Cache Valley and central Utah. Des felt a strong kinship to those pioneers and loved the rugged land they settled. In 1947, in their memory and honor, he joined the Centennial Nauvoo-to-Salt Lake trek, reenacting that historic journey.
Des attended public schools in Logan, graduating from Logan High School in 1941. He entered Utah State Agricultural College that year and was later appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; though he received wartime commission as a second lieutenant through the army’s Infantry Officer Candidate School. He served in Korea with Allied occupation forces in 1946, with the assignment to create one of the first racially integrated battalions in the American military.
Returning to college in Logan after his military service, Desmond was elected studentbody president at Utah State. There he met and married Loila Rae Funk, of Benson Ward, August 10, 1948 in the Logan LDS Temple.
Des earned a doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and remained there as director of the university’s downtown Los Angeles campus and later was associate dean of the School of Public Administration. He developed a national reputation in his field through his writings and consulting work while at USC. He maintained a life-long interest and commitment to improving public service and entered the arena as an educator, administrator, and ultimately, elected public official. He believed deeply in the idea that service to others was service to God (including, and perhaps especially, public service.)
A true American patriot and democratic idealist, Desmond was frustrated with U.S. policy toward Vietnam. He sought to make a concrete and personal contribution to that country’s attempts to build democratic institutions. In 1968 he accepted a position with the U.S. Department of State Agency for International Development to assist the government of Vietnam to develop that country’s National Defense College. Later, he would serve as director of its National Institute of Administration. He served a three-year tour of duty there, working closely with the South Vietnamese government, which honored him with numerous citations for his service to the country.
Des moved his family to Logan during his tour in Vietnam, returning himself for good in 1971. In 1973 he successfully ran for mayor of Logan, serving from 1974 to 1978. During his administration he initiated a number of reforms in the city’s personnel and accounting policies, introducing many of the administrative concepts he had promoted for many years at USC and in the national academic community.
Mayor Anderson believed that Logan could be a showplace community for the nation. He sought to create parks, walkways, and greenbelts, and instituted long-range planning for the city’s growth. He created festivals, art fairs, and petting zoos, and reestablished the tradition of the July 24- Pioneer Day “fish derby” at Logan’s Central Park. He loved Lombardy Poplars (called “sentinels of Mormondom” by novelist and historian Wallace Stegner) and planted them in rows throughout the city. Des also loved flowers, planting triangular and oval elevated gardens that continue to the present day, and, after leaving office, leading volunteers in planting hundreds of beautiful iris on the south-facing slope of Flag Hill. Des was proud of the city’s pioneer heritage and felt a strong sense of stewardship for the city’s beauty and traditions. Yet, he was a life-long liberal who embraced the term even as it fell out of favor and the philosophy of tolerance for diversity even when political discourse became rancorous.
Mayor Anderson also worked diligently for greater cooperation with the other, smaller communities in Cache County, and with the county commissioners. Harmony among valley governments reached a zenith during his administration. His vision for Logan and Cache Valley at times exceeded his popular, political support, however. Some said he was ahead of his time. One of his plans, a far-sighted design to create a Logan River Parkway with bike trails, walkways, and picnic areas from the mouth of the canyon to the river’s Logan City egress, became mired in controversy. Some landowners objected, even though his plan provided for their lifetime tenancy and he had arranged that most of the financing would have come from federal grants. Years later Des took solace in the fact that at least part of his plan, the Canyon Entrance Park, came into fruition. He often would drive by the park and enjoy watching families share happy times there.
Working with the Utah legislature, Mayor Anderson authored legislation that allowed Utah cities to opt for the mayor/council form of government under which Logan now operates.
Following his term as mayor, Des worked as a realtor and developer, and donated much of his time to numerous civic and charitable organizations. He was secretary/treasurer of the Logan Island Irrigation Company for many years, and an ardent supporter of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers.
Desmond’s love of Logan and its people never flagged, even as he failed to win reelection after partisans objected to his seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor. Des often said of Cache Valley, “this is the loveliest place and these are the finest people in the world.”
Des was an active and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, serving in many capacities during his lifetime. His missionary work while in Vietnam led to numerous baptisms of Vietnamese and Chinese. While living in California he served in a bishopric and as Area Director of Institutes and Seminaries. He served in stake and ward positions from Sunday School President to High Councilor.
His life was marked by his love of God, country and family, and by his unceasing belief in service to others and the perfectibility of the human soul. He was devoted to his sweetheart, Loila, his five children, 29 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. He loved truth, and taught his family and friends to seek it above all else. His life was the subject of a 1995 biography entitled, Twentieth Century Pioneer.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, Douglas (and Katherine Wirthlin Cannon), Logan and Salt Lake City; Mondell (and June Harris), Davis, California; two daughters, Rae Louise (and Steve Theurer), Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Janis (and Steve Russell), Grantsville; a daughter-in-law, Julie (Merrill) Anderson, Brigham City; and sister Lorraine Porter (and Gordon), Tucson, Arizona. He was preceded in death by his son, Lyle, and by his brothers, Wendell and Keith, and his sister Marjorie Henderson.
A viewing will be held Sunday, January 24 from 6-8 p.m. at Allen-Hall Mortuary 34 East Center Street in Logan and on Monday, January 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the church. Funeral services will begin at 12 noon on Monday, January 25 at Logan 13th Ward chapel at 195 South 100 East in Logan.
Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation to the Perpetual Education Fund. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net .