Alan Thacker’s short Web Bio (Summer 2015)Brother Thacker was born in Vernal, Utah. He served two years in the Adelaide South Australia Mission; and then attended BYU where he met and married (in the Salt Lake Temple) the most beautiful girl on campus: Wendy. They are the parents of three children and the grandparents of nine. Brother Thacker enjoys backpacking, playing racquetball, and reading the best books of almost every variety. He received his BA degree from BYU in Teaching History and English and began his teaching career at Tuba City High School in Arizona where he quickly learned to love the children of Father Lehi of the Navajo and Hopi tribes. While there he also began teaching early morning seminary. Hired by the LDS Church Education System in the summer of 1986, he has been a full time Seminary and Institute teacher/administrator for over 29 years, teaching and supervising classes and programs in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and now in Utah. While in Arizona, Brother Thacker completed a Master of Arts Degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. Later, he helped establish a new Institute program and building in Farmington, NM where he served as the Director for seven years. In 2005, he joined the Institute faculty in Ogden, UT; and has continued teaching in the Ogden area.