From the Church

5 fun facts about Elder Dale G. Renlund

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Elder Dale G. Renlund was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the Saturday afternoon session of the October 2015 general conference.

Prior to his calling as an Apostle, he was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Here are five facts about this new apostle of God you should know:

Be sure to also learn more about the other new apostles, Elders Ronald A. Rasband and Gary E. Stevenson.

1. Elder Renlund is the 100th apostle called in the Church.

Elder Dale G. Renlund was sustained as the 100th member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was called with two other apostles, Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder Gary E. Stevenson, an event that hasn't occurred in the Church since 1906 when Elders George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay were called as apostles of the Lord.

2. Elder Renlund has many ties to Sweden.

Both Elder Renlund's parents, Mats Ake Renlund and Mariana Andersson, were Swedish and moved to the United States so they could marry in the temple. As a teenager, Elder Renlund lived in Sweden for three years while his father was a building missionary. He returned there again for his mission from 1972 to 1974.

3. Prior to his calling as an Apostle, Elder Renlund was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah.

Elder Renlund received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Utah before receiving further education and participating in research at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

He also worked as the Medical Director of the Cardiac Transplant Program with the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals (UTAH) and as the director of the Heart Failure Prevention and Treatment Program at the Intermountain Health Center in Salt Lake City.

4. Elder Renlund lived in Johannesburg, South Africa for five years.

From 2009 to 2014, Elder Renlund served first as a counselor and then as the president of the Church's Africa Southeast Area and lived in South Africa with his family during this time. 

5. Elder Renlund is a family man and Salt Lake City native, having been born there in November 1952.

He is married to Ruth Lybbert Renlund, who was a partner of the law firm. Dewsnup, King & Olsen. Together they have one daughter, Ashley R. Renlund.

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