Background
Poelman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to a Latter-day Saint family.
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Ronald Eugene Poelman
Edit Profilebishop General Mormon missionary
Education
In 1955 he graduated from the law school at the University of Utah and in 1965 he graduated from Harvard Business School with an Master of Business Administration degree.
Career
He began his college studies at what is now California State University, Long Beach and later transferred to the University of Utah completing a degree in history. Poelman lived in San Francisco, California and was a vice president of Consolidated Freightways. Poelman also served in several other callings including in the Palo Alto Stake presidency.
During his time of service, Poelman has served as a counselor to Hugh West. Pinnock in the general presidency of the Sunday School from 1979 to 1981 and from 1985 to 1986.
From 1992 to 1994 he again served in the Sunday School General Presidency. In 1998, Poelman was released from active duties and granted general authority emeritus status.
Poelman was married to Claire, who was for a time a consultant with Stanford University. At the age of 83, Poelman died of "causes incident to aging" at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Controversy ensued when the version of his sermon that was published in the November 1984 Ensign magazine differed from the sermon Poelman had delivered orally.
In response, Poelman had revised the text of the sermon for publication in the Ensign and re-delivered the edited sermon on film. A "cough track" was included in the retaping to make it appear that the revised sermon was delivered in front of an audience. The church spliced the retaped sermon into the tapes of general conference prior to their distribution and archival.
One commentator has criticised the changes to the sermon as a dramatic shift in the meaning of Poelman"s address:
"The rewriting and refilming of Elder Ronald Poelman"s October 1984 Conference address, originally a rare and inspiring defense of free agency, so that it became yet another cry for obedience.
His text was not edited — his ideas were turned inside out."
Poelman spoke again in general conference after four-and-a-half years.
Membership
In April 1978, Poelman became a member of the church"s First Quorum of Seventy.
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Born
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Died
November 19, 2011 (aged 83) -
Religion
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints