Priesthood Ordination (High Priest)

When we lived in Florida while I was in graduate school, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Tallahassee 5th Ward bishopric. The Tallahassee 5th Ward was a young single adult (YSA) ward. Most of the members in the ward were attending Florida State University. 

Because it was a YSA ward and not a student ward, I had to be ordained as a High Priest to serve in the bishopric. This was the first (and so far only) time in my life that my dad did not ordain me to a priesthood office. It was too far for Dad to travel from Wyoming to Florida for my priesthood ordination. 

I was ordained a High Priest by Donald M. Whitley on April 11, 1995 (two years before Allyn was born on the same day). Donald Whitley was serving as a counselor in the Tallahassee Florida Stake Presidency. In an interesting twist to my personal history, the stake presidency was reorganized about a month later. The other counselor (Jack Hall) was called as the new stake president, and Donald Whitley move away from Tallahassee. As a result, I never got to know President Whitley except for the evening that he ordained me as a High Priest. 

Up until that High Priest ordination, my priesthood line of authority came to me from my dad, through Grandpa Clint Jasperson. I always thought it was neat that I had three generations of Jasperson priesthood authority in my line. 

Now my priesthood line of authority comes from Donald Whitley. I can trace my authority in the priesthood back to the Savior through Peter, James, and John as follows:

Priesthood Line of Authority

• `Jon Lynn Jasperson was ordained a High Priest on 11 April 1995 by Donald M. Whitley.
• Donald M. Whitley was ordained a High Priest on 4 September 1983 by Richard Lynn Chapple.
• Richard Lynn Chapple was ordained a High Priest on 12 May 1974 by Jay N. Lybbert.
• Jay N. Lybbert was ordained a High Priest on 13 November 1960 by William J. Critchlow, Jr.
• William J. Critchlow, Jr. was ordained a High Priest on 16 December 1934 by George F. Richards. 
• George F. Richards was ordained an Apostle on 9 April 1906 by Joseph F. Smith.
• Joseph F. Smith was ordained an Apostle on 1 July 1866 by Brigham Young.
• Brigham Young was ordained an apostle on 14 February 1835 under the hands of the Three Witnesses.
• The Three Witnesses were called by revelation to choose the Twelve Apostles and on 14 February 1835 were “Blessed by the laying on of the hands of the Presidency” Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams to ordain the Twelve Apostles. (History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 187-188).
• Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdry received the Melchizedek Priesthood in 1829 under the hands of Peter, James, and John.
• Peter, James, and John were ordained Apostles by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:16).

While I did not get to know Donald Whitley very well during our time in Florida, I did get to know Richard Chapple and Jay Lybbert. 

The Chapple's daughter Larissa Knutsen (and her husband Gary) were in our ward. Annette and I still exchange Christmas cards with the Knutsens each year. Jay Lybbert and his wife were in the Tallahassee 4th Ward. We met them a couple of times. 

Jay Lybbert is a distant cousin of Annette's (descended through Christian Frederick Bernard Lybbert (1834) and Anthonette Marie Olson (1845)). Brother Lybbert was on the high council and spoke in our ward once about family history. During his talk, he shared a story about Anthoneete Marie Olson. Annette was so excited because Annette was named after Anthonette Marie Olson.