OREM, Utah—Dozens of petitions seeking tributes for conservative commentator Charlie Kirk are circulating, ranging from simple to elaborate. And one man proposes a sort of living memorial—a degree program in civics and civil discourse—at Utah Valley University (UVU), where Kirk was slain Sept. 10.
Val Johnson—a UVU graduate and a grandson of the university’s founding president, Hyrum Johnson—told The Epoch Times that memorial statues and commemorative dates can be meaningful. But he thinks teaching people how to debate current issues like Kirk did would be far more impactful.
“I think Charlie would say that’s the essence of what he was trying to do,” Johnson said. “His life ended here, but it’s with a chance to rebirth civics and civil discussion here.”…