Richard Draper

Richard D. Draper was born in California in 1942, but moved to American Fork Utah by the time his was one. After his father was released from military service upon the conclusion of World War II, the family moved to Pleasant Grove, Utah where Richard graduated from High School. After serving a year in the military, Richard accepted a full-time mission for the Church teaching the gospel to the people in Virginia and North Carolina. After his return, he continued service in the Army Reserve until 1966 at which time he received an “Article of Commendation” for outstanding service to his Company and his discharge papers.  

Six months after returning from his mission, he married his long-time sweat heart, Barbara Ellen Johnson, who had graduated from BYU at the time. Discovering he had a thirst for knowledge and a gift at teaching, he enrolled in college with the goal of becoming a Seminary teacher and pursued a degree in history and psychology. Barbara worked as a school teacher for two years then quite to have their first child. 

Three and a half years after starting his school work, in 1968, Richard graduated and was blessed to become a Seminary Supervisor in Scottsdale, Arizona where he taught three seminary classes and supervised twenty part time teachers. There, he also began his graduate studies in History at Arizona State University in Tempe. During that time, though he was studying American Western Movement, he discovered that his real interest was in Ancient Near Easter History and Biblical Studies. 

After one year as a Seminary Supervisor, Richard’s supervisors reassigned him to the Yuma Area Seminary program and also moved him into the Institute program teaching students at Imperial Valley and Arizona Western Colleges. The family remained there for four years. During those years, the family was blessed with two more children and Richard graduated with his Masters Degree. 

In 1973, Richard was transferred to San Diego, California to teach full time at the Instituted serving the students at San Diego State University. The family was also blessed with an additional child. During that time, Richard’s supervisors discovered his excellent writing ability and he was reassigned, in 1976, to the College Curriculum Committee based in Salt Lake City where he wrote student and teacher manuals for the Church Education System and taught classes for four years. During that time, the family was blessed with their fifth child. 

In 1980, Richard began his doctoral program at Brigham Young University in Ancient Studies and also joined the faculty as an instructor in Ancient Scripture. This necessitated moving the family from the Salt Lake area to Lindon, Utah. 

After four years at BYU, Richard returned to full time work as an Institute Instructor at Utah Valley Community College (which eventually became Utah Valley University). While there the family was bless with their sixth and last child. 

Upon graduation with his doctorate degree in 1988, Richard was hired as a full-time assistant professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture where he eventually became a full professor. There he served, in addition to other assignments, as Graduate Coordinator, Managing Director of the Religious Studies Center, and concluded his career as Associate Dean. His area of focus remained in New Testament Studies where he specialized in apocalyptic and prophetic literature. He has published, among others, a book on the prophecies of Jesus, the Book of Revelation, and a commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, and the Book of Revelation.  

He toured the Holy Land in 1878 and delighted in the area and the understanding it brought to scripture study. He served two different times as an instructor at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, one in 1991–92 and in 2007-08 where he taught the Ancient Near Eastern Course as well as Old and New Testaments. His association with the students there was a great joy for both him and his wife.  

In 2010, after serving twenty years in the Church Education System and twenty-two years at Brigham Young University, Richard retired. He and his wife were immediately called to serve a mission at Brigham Young University – Hawaii and at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Upon their return, the accepted an eighteen month call to the Employment Resource Center where Richard taught the employment seminar. After their release from there, Richard was called as Stake Patriarch in which position he continues to serve. He and his wife enjoy being grandparents of, at the last count, sixteen grandchildren.