While traveling around the world on an assignment to visit the foreign missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, Elder David O. McKay, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Hugh J. Cannon visited Hawaii in February 1921. On the morning of February 7, they attended the Laie Elementary School morning flag-raising ceremony, where Elder McKay was deeply impressed by the children united in the Pledge of Allegiance and strongly felt the need for and divine purpose of a school of higher education in the community. That impression remained with him, and in the early 1950s, as President of the Church, he helped establish the Church College of Hawaii, later named BYU-Hawaii, in Laie. On February 12, 1955, he returned to Laie to join local leaders for the groundbreaking ceremony. The day began windy and rainy, but as he stood to speak at the clearing of the cane fields, the sun broke through. In his speech and dedicatory prayer, he declared that the world needed men who could not be bought or sold and who would scorn violating truth, and he said that from this school would go forth men and women whose influence would be felt for good toward the establishment of peace internationally. He also dedicated the actions so that the college, the temple, and the town of Laie might become a missionary factor influencing millions who would come seeking to know the town and its significance.