The Cannon Activities Center, along with the Lorenzo Snow Administration building, were dedicated on July 17, 1981. Elder Marvin J. Ashton, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave the remarks and dedicatory prayer.
Irene Lesuma, the administrative assistant to the vice president of Academics, said of the CAC, “All I remember is that I came here as a student in ’73 and it was an empty field. They played rugby there.”
Wendy Anae, the assistant athletic director, shared a personal experience that occurred in September. “I found an old classroom journal from my senior year of high school. I read through it and I found a journal entry where I talk about returning from a BYUH basketball game.”
The journal entry is dated Feb. 24, 1981 and reads, “It’s been pretty long since I have written in this journal. Well I have a lot to talk about today because this past weekend was really special. On Saturday, I went to the BYU basketball game with my dad. It was held in the new activity center at BYU. BYU played the Hilo Vulcans. It was a really good game. During half time, the prophet of the LDS Church walked in, everyone was so surprised. He said a few words (oh yeah, this was Spencer W. Kimball) Then BYU’s president, Pres. Cameron presented him with a basketball with all the signatures of the players on it and a letterman’s jacket. They made him a honorary member of the BYU Basketball Squad.”
Mark James, an associate professor and associate dean in The College of Human Development, also shared some of his memories. He said, “I have many good memories of the Old Gym and the Auditorium before the CAC was built. The old gym was small, but you were on top of the action! I also remember as a student watching all-night movie marathons in that gym, like the ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy.”
James said devotionals were in the auditorium, and “back then there were huge window bays on the sides, and chairs were set up in the two hallways to accommodate a student body that had already outgrown the seating capacity. As for the CAC, everybody in the state was impressed with the facility when it first opened up. It took our Athletics programs to a whole new level, as they say.” said James.
Anae added, “Back then, the community was really involved in attending games. In the old gym, it was a sell-out, no seats. A lot of the community came out to watch. Everyone thought it was really cool because we now had all state-of-the-art. The CAC was known for its bouncy floor. It is the best facility on the island for basketball, and it still is in some ways.”
As for the future of the CAC, Anae said she hopes they keep it a basketball arena. “This place used to be bumping!” She exclaimed, “The community would be here. It was just packed. We had people from all over the island playing here. It was kind of the hot spot. Lots of things went on here. When volleyball was at its prime, this place was packed.”
James added, “Magic moments for me include watching the BYUH Women’s Volleyball team beat UH in the ’90s--massive upset! Free ice cream after the men’s basketball team scored over 100 points, listening to President Hinckley speak at the Pioneers of the Pacific Conference in 1997, talking and sitting next to Vance Cannon, grandson of George Q. Cannon, at the very top row during a BYUH 50th Anniversary assembly in 2005.
“Being inspired by the annual David O. McKay lectures each year, Culture Nights, and listening to Prof. Preston Larson play the organ during commencement exercises. By the time Professor Larson reached the fourth verse of “Pomp and Circumstance” as the faculty and students were marching in, all the stops were out, and he was using all four keyboards and all foot pedals! And the many lunch hours I used to spend jogging around and around the upper concourse. I’m responsible for the signs up there that tell you how many laps are equal to certain distances.” James said.
In addition to sports games, the CAC is home to the band, choir, and Athletic departments’ facilities and classrooms. Within its repertoire, the CAC has hosted numerous events, including devotionals, dances, conferences, performances and more.
In her journal, Anae wrote, “On Sunday the 22nd, we had stake conference. It was held at the new activity center at BYU. BYU Stake joined our stake cause they wanted to hear President Kimball talk. This conference was really spiritual. The youth had an early meeting at 8:00 a.m.. Elder Hinckley and his wife spoke to us. It was really nice. The three main points of his talk were 1) Be Smart 2) Be True and 3) Be Clean. Pres. Kimball’s talk was on temple work and that we should make more use of our temple. I really caught the spirit at those meetings and I also learned a lot. I wish I could have shook his hand, but I didn’t get a chance to.”
Writer: Leslie Owusu