Lecture Topic by Dann W Hone, and BIO For Benei Shalom, March 30, 2006

“Possible Origin, History and Destiny of the Brass Plates from an Ancient Language”

This lecture will unravel a possible origin and history of the Brass Plates mentioned in the Book of Mormon record utilizing recent finds of one of the earliest of Old West Semitic alphabets found in the Biblical Negev. For seven years Dann and Shirley and their four sons lived in Jerusalem helping to open and establish the BYU Jerusalem Center. They recently [as of 2006] returned from one month of travel in the Holy Land with their two daughters.

The many years of travel and university experiences have provided Brother Hone with the opportunity to participate in a variety of teaching and administrative roles throughout the world both for his church, university, and civic organizations. In past church assignments he served as a full time missionary in the LDS Korean Mission for 30 months (learning fluent Korean, both written and spoken), as an LDS bishop, district councilman, and as a president, counselor, secretary/clerk, and instructor (all age groups) in nearly all auxiliaries and priesthood quorums.

He has served on service committee chairmanships with the church-wide Department of Curriculum for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (including work on the LDS Translator’s Edition of the Bible and DVD Resource development). He has authored three BYU Independent Study courses and one 340-page text on the Near East. His studies include 13 modern and ancient languages and scripts.

He currently [as of 2006] serves a part time service mission for the Church Curriculum Department and as the Sunday School Gospel Doctrine teacher in the Orem Utah Cherry Hill Fifth Ward. Brother Hone is a skilled teacher and lecturer with over thirty years of experience as an administrator and instructor with Brigham Young University. He has given lectures throughout the US and the Eastern Mediterranean in areas of ancient scriptures and languages, LDS church history and Near Eastern studies at firesides, BYU Education Weeks, Know Your Religion Series, Youth Conferences, Family Camps, and many other events.

Over the past 20 years his particular research interests have focused on Old West Semitic cultures and languages.

In 1974 he began his career with the BYU Travel Study, a department in the largest university continuing education program in the world at that time. During the first few years of his employment he assisted the department in gaining the reputation as “the premier” university travel abroad program among all universities and colleges in the United States. He had specific responsibilities as the chief marketing and promotions administrator, travel and program administrator, academic coordinator, and also had various positions in budgeting multi-million dollar travel and cruise programs.

His experience led him to be one of the original developers and builders of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies where he served in capacities as the program developer, budget officer, administrative assistant, instructor of Biblical and Near Eastern Study courses, field studies director, academic coordinator, and “institutional memory” for all the Center’s operations.

As part of his university assignments he resided in the Near East for over nine years where he became acquainted with internationally known scholars, political and civic leaders, and religious leaders of many faiths. He is the only administrator for the BYU Jerusalem Center to have worked in nearly all positions in both the United States and Israel.

He has made numerous trips to Europe (where he has spent about three years) and the Eastern Mediterranean, directing tours and study programs for the university to these areas. This labor has enabled him to assist nearly 50,000 students and tourists in visiting the Eastern Mediterranean countries and the Near East. During these years of service, he has completed a BA degree at BYU, majoring in international relations/political science, and an MA degree in biblical history (with emphasis in historical geography, ancient Semitic languages, and archaeology of the Levant) from the Jerusalem University College with faculty from the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, and many European and USA universities.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Crandall Historical Printing Museum (touted internationally as “the most authentic Guttenberg printing museum in the world”), and a member of the Board of Directors for the Old Negev Research Institute.

He also has served as a member and officer in numerous international academic and professional organizations. Mr. Hone has previously worked in the BSA and international scouting organizations for more than twenty years. While living in Jerusalem he was a member and editor of Rotary International #249, Jerusalem, and an advisor to the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation (international organization responsible for the preservation, translation, and publishing of the Judean Desert Scrolls).

After more than thirty years Brother Hone received his administrative emeritus status with Brigham Young University June 1, 2005, having served in an administrative capacity with the Jerusalem Center longer than any other individual. Brother Hone was appointed an officer on the Board of Directors with Environmental Technologies, Inc. in January 2005, and also to the Board of Directors for Arkios International, Inc. in October 2005.

He plans to continue to work in capacities that will bless and enrich the lives of Heavenly Father’s children.