Robert Rice, Utah Man

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Sep 1, 2007 | by Deseret Morning News editorial

During his lifetime, Robert Rice did a lot of good deeds. But one of the most enduring may have been his ability to undermine the notion that people with money are, by nature, self-serving, aloof and unapproachable. Rice was none of that. He remained, to the end, as down-home and as filled with the common touch as his hometown of Farmington, Utah.

Rice died earlier this week shortly after turning 78. A former "Mr. Utah" body builder, he was best known for parlaying his interest in health and fitness into the well-known European Health Spas-- gyms that, for many years, were the touchstones of the entire fitness industry. There was just enough Victorian England in him, too, that he championed "sound minds" in those "sound bodies." He and his wife of 58 years, Joyce, took the quality of education and athletics at the University of Utah on as a personal commitment. Rice-Eccles Stadium is the most visible aspect of that concern, but there were also scholarships and service hours rendered on the school's National Advisory Board, Health Sciences Council and in other venues.

As one of the state's busiest businessmen, Rice found time to serve on Richard Nixon's Council of Physical Fitness, write a column for the Deseret News (complied into the book "Wake Up and Live"), serve his church in many callings and be available to his family and friends

Michael Young, University of Utah president, capsulized Rice's life and contributions well when he said, "Bob will always be remembered for his passion for people and his imagination and vision for the state and for our university."

Rice was, in effect, the embodiment of the "Utah Man."

His influence will be missed.

His example will be appreciated for decades to come.