"The regard and admiration that flowed back from George Washington was amazing," Jardine said. "The feedback from all over was so positive. And this is a guy who makes decisions — you know what they say: Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. We could get none of it. After we were done with interviews, it was absolutely clear to everyone that this was the guy."

The 55-year-old Young and his family have visited Utah regularly for years, backpacking the Uintas or escaping to their cabin in Deer Valley. On the rare occasion he relaxes, Young favors skiing, backpacking, fly fishing, hiking.

"He loves to be outdoors and he loves to be with his kids," Suzan said.

His daughter, Kathryn, an Air Force Academy graduate who, like her father, served a mission in Japan, is an engineer stationed at Scott Air Force Base (Ill.). She caught the flying bug like her grandmother and soloed an airplane before she drove a car. Stewart, who also served a mission to Japan, graduated from Princeton and took a law degree from Stanford. Andrew is a senior at George Washington.

Young describes his style as pragmatic and businesslike.

His wife, he said, brings the charm. "It annoys me now," he said, smiling. "When I walk into any university event, people shake my hand and look over my shoulder. 'Where's your wife?' "

Young had never aspired to be a university president, although he had received feelers from schools for their presidency, but he says he was swept off his feet by the potential of Utah. And now, here he is — the kid from a small California lumber town.

"I wasn't interested until I heard from this school," he said.

"I have been at a lot of very good universities," Young said. "This university has so many different areas that are on par with the best universities in the U.S." He paused for a moment, then added, "It imposes a real sense of responsibility. I've got a real gem here; I don't want to screw it up."

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com