Funds pledged to help academy

PRESTON, Idaho — Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and his wife have pledged $250,000 to help save the Oneida Stake Academy.

"This is a big deal," said Doug West, a member of the volunteer group Friends of the Academy. "We're very happy about this."

West said Miller's wife, Gail, has family ties to Franklin County.

The building needs to be moved from its present location behind Preston High School to make way for a new cafeteria and library.

The Millers' pledge brings the total raised to $500,000, about $300,000 short of what is needed to move the building.

"If we can get it moved, I'm sure we can get it restored," said Dave Mitchell, who's been working on saving the building for close to 20 years. "Getting it out of the way is the big thing."

Fred Woods, a history professor at Brigham Young University and executive director of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, said the foundation is still waiting to hear back on several other big contributions.

The structure is one of the last remaining Mormon academies built in the late 19th century that is still standing. It produced two future presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Ezra Taft Benson and Harold B. Lee.