Oh, the Places You’ll Go

February 2023

What do the following places have in common: Declo, Idaho; Rexburg, Idaho; Orem, Utah; Provo, Utah; Soda Springs, Idaho; Rawlins, Wyoming; Gillette, Wyoming; Richland, Washington; Orlando, Florida; and Meridian, Idaho? While that question may never appear on the next Jeopardy, the answer is that each of those locations is a place that John and Susan Darrington have called home. For John and Susan, who were both raised on farms and attended the same high school in Declo, education has always remained a priority—no matter where they have been. John attended Ricks College prior to his mission, and then he obtained both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at BYU, working toward his professional goal of becoming a city manager. While John was pursuing his career, Susan obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education. She was the first one in her immediate family to go to college and the second to graduate. Despite the different zip codes the Darringtons have lived in, the Darringtons have always felt gratitude for the opportunities they and their seven children received from attending schools in the Church Educational System. “I am so grateful for the influence they have had on our children,” says Susan. “I needed that influence as well.” That gratitude has led the Darringtons to help support BYU-Idaho and its students financially, even including the campus in their estate plans. When asked about the reasons for their support, John is quick to answer: “We feel an obligation to pay back. I particularly think of people who are like me when I was younger. I had the desire but no means. Students and young families need help. We are paying back an investment that was made in us.”