Edward L. Kimball is gone, but his legacy lives on in Utah
Professor emeritus Edward L. Kimball next to his honorary golden trash can and attached plaque. The trash can resides on the third floor of the BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School. Photo courtesy of the family
Brigham Young University professor emeritus Edward L. Kimball is pictured wearing his father, Spencer W. Kimball's hat. It was one of Edward's favorite hats.
He was not flamboyant, nor did he seek fanfare. Edward L. Kimball was better known as candid and kind.
Edward Lawrence Kimball, according to his self-written obituary, is gone; having died Nov. 21, 2016.
Born into the home of Spencer W. and Camilla Kimball, on Sept. 23, 1930, he later married Evelyn Bee Madsen (1929-2012) in 1954. They were the parents of seven children, 28 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Edward was exposed to the joy of learning, to being inquisitive, and was taught diplomacy at an early age.
That diplomacy served him well throughout his life and particularly in his marriage. According to his children it seemingly saved an argument or two. His famous escape line to his wife Bee, and others, was “You may be right.”
Family said his sisters-in-law accused Edward of being far too generous to his wife and gave her everything she wanted.
Children include: Christian (and Linda) Kimball, Paula (and Teryl) Gardner, Mary (and David) Dollahite, Miles (and Gail) Kimball, Jordan Kimball (and Rebecca England), Joseph (and Becky) Kimball, and Sarah (and Kevin) Whisenant.
According to his family, he was not only a good father, but also a brilliant man.
His daughters, Mary and Sarah, said before he died, Edward instructed them that all seven of his children should talk at his funeral. “It doesn’t have to be true, but it ought to be kind,” he told them.
He told his children he just wanted to be remembered as a loving father.
Edward’s life was not completely typical. As a toddler he contracted polio and walked with a limp his entire life. His mother, Camilla, was by his side through those days massaging his legs and helping him through the pain. They formed a very tight bond. Mary said her grandmother was always safe and available for him.
Edward was always concerned about his limp, but he compensated by being able to do numerous chin-ups and had other athletic abilities.
He would also walk up and down stairs on his hands according to several nieces and nephews. He had developed a great amount of upper body strength in his youth and throughout his life. He would continually beat his brother in an arm wrestle, and did so as late as three weeks ago.
Edward described himself as “a good Mormon boy who had lots of questions and lots of opportunity.” He believed it was OK to evolve; and it was OK to be wrong. He subscribed to numerous publications including the Sunstone Magazine.
Edward told his children, “I don’t have to believe everything I read.” But he did read everything.
He was also a very good listener, Sarah said.
As a young man, he served an LDS mission to the Netherlands and was able to use his love of the Dutch culture with his children.
“On St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 5 we’d put out our shoes,” Mary said. “He would put candy and one Christmas gift in them.”
Sarah added, “We wouldn’t even go to sleep before we looked in our shoes. Then we would sing three Dutch songs our father taught us.”
Edward’s children grew up with a dictionary close by, a myriad of card and word games to play, and a father who loved to recite Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” and added all the flourish of a well-seasoned thespian as he would recite it. It was his favorite family home evening recitation; it was not always spiritual but always fun for the children.
Most of the children received their first piano lessons from their father and were also busy solving math questions and word problems at the dinner table. Mary said one of her great memories was her and her dad working together and completing a New York Times crossword puzzle.
Edward Kimball’s career was laden with accolades from his days of teaching at law schools, to serving on parole boards, to the numerous books and other writing he accomplished.
He received a bachelor’s degree in history and a law degree from the University of Utah. He later received two more law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Edward garnered many honors in his 86 years. He was an emeritus law professor at Brigham Young University and was the first professor to say yes to Dean Rex Lee to come and help build the new law school at BYU.
Prior to coming to BYU he was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and at the University of Montana Law School.
He was known as a tough professor, but a fair one, and his students loved him. His legacy at the BYU law school continues to be seen every day by students coming and going on the third floor.
The Kimballs gave a large donation to the law school and were informed a plaque would be placed in their honor on the wall by the Moot Court Room. Edward would have none of that. Instead he requested to have a large, gold trash can, with a small nameplate honorarium be put in the foyer of the school. The plague was to state: The Edward L. Kimball Memorial Trash Can.
He hoped the gesture would bring a smile to students and others who visited the school or read the plaque. His wit was not lost on his colleagues. According to the family one time he went so far as to put a ‘for sale’ sign on the dean’s car.
His obituary says he was a stuffed shirt. He didn’t like to eat a lot of meat, but he loved cookies and pie. Up until the end he was in his own home, surrounded by his personal library of books — his favorite place to be.
He knew his death would be like taking a pebble out of a stream, but he hoped many would remember him if only momentarily.
Friends and family will have that opportunity at a memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday at 925 East North Temple Drive, Provo at the LDS “Bell Tower Chapel.”
