Remarkable Experiences in the Life of Elder Glen L. Rudd #8 - Elder Rudd’s Reminiscences about President Joseph Fielding Smith

 (Compiled by Dennis B. Horne)

            In May 1959, I went with President Joseph Fielding Smith and his wife Jessie to a stake conference in Kanab and across the border to Arizona to dedicate a small chapel.

            Following a long day of meetings, we began our drive home. After we had been driving for a while, the aged President Smith said he would like to drive. I was willing, but "Aunt" Jessie, as we called her, was absolutely positive that he should not drive. She had already told me earlier that if he asked, I was to tell him no.

            The two of them had quite a little debate; both were kind but very hard headed and insistent. When I could see that the debate was going nowhere, I made one of the great mistakes of my traveling experiences. I said, "Let's vote on it." Immediately, she voted that he should not drive, and he voted that he should. Which left me in the middle with the deciding vote.

            I turned to the back seat and looked at the very anxious look on his face. She, on the other hand, was giving me all kinds of signals. I finally gave the following vote: "I want the two of you to know that I have tried to live the gospel and sustain the Brethren. I have had a lot of experience in the Church; and I know the worst thing I can do is tum against the priesthood. I vote that President Smith, as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, drive if he wants to." After all, it was his car and he should be familiar with it.

Remarkable Experiences in the Life of Elder Glen L. Rudd #7 - Some Stories about Glen Rudd’s and Tom Monson’s Friendship

 (Compiled by Dennis B. Horne)

            [Editorial Note: Brother Rudd reminisces about earlier days in his life when he became friends with a man who would become the President of the Church.]

            Once a month, all the bishoprics in our stake met with the stake presidency in a lengthy meeting, after which almost everyone was most anxious to go straight home.

            But Bishop Thomas Monson of the Sixth-Seventh Ward, a young fellow of only 22 or 23 years of age, was never anxious to call it quits. Frequently, at his suggestion, we would go get our wives and end up in the local ice cream parlor to enjoy a sundae or banana split and visit about the interesting things we were doing.

            I always marveled at Tom's capacity to keep going. After those long stake meetings, I was usually ready for bed. However, those little visits together at the ice cream parlor were worthwhile and payed off greatly for each of us.

***

            The “Monson Building”

A Walk Through Time with Elder Bruce R. McConkie

(Compiled by Dennis B. Horne) 

            Note: This material constitutes my Christmas present to those who admire Elder McConkie and rejoice in his gospel teachings and testimony.

            At the October 1946 general conference, 31-year-old Bruce McConkie sat down at the Deseret News press table to take notes to be published the next day in the newspaper he worked at. He was soon tapped on the shoulder by Brother Joseph Anderson, clerk of the conference, who asked him to meet with President McKay. Brother McConkie instantly knew what was wanted. He met with Pres. McKay in the general authorities room in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, were he was interviewed and called to become a member of the First Council of Seventy.

            Then conference started and the Brethren began speaking. Brother McConkie had to concentrate on the messages to take notes because he was feeling so flustered by the call. He wrote: “During the meeting I could not look around. . . . Pres. George F. Richards was one of the speakers, and I took the notes necessary to report his sermon. It was on the divine law of love. It calmed my nerves somewhat to be forced to concentrate on the sermon and make notes for newspaper quotation.”

Remarkable Experiences in the Life of Elder Glen L. Rudd #6 - Some of Elder Glen L. Rudd’s Experiences with President Henry D. Moyle

(Compiled by Dennis B. Horne) 

            [Editorial Note: President Henry D. Moyle was an apostle and counselor in the First Presidency. He became acquainted with Brother Rudd through extensive church welfare work. President Moyle was a very wealthy, high-powered, opinionated, strong church leader. These wonderful men came to have great affection for each other as the below accounts indicate; President Moyle loved and trusted Brother Rudd. These items are largely self-explanatory:] 

            President Moyle was the second chairman of the General Welfare Committee. He conducted most of the committee meetings and was in that position for seven or eight years, until he was called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

            He continued as chairman of the General Welfare Committee even as an ordained apostle. President Moyle was a great man who had tremendous talent. He was one of the most successful lawyers in the state of Utah and had a lot to do with building three oil refineries. He was a very powerful political figure in the state of Utah. I fell in love with Brother Moyle and he was exceptionally kind to me. I was honored to be his friend and was able to get in to see him any time I needed to. As a member of the First Presidency he would call me into his office just to visit. He was particularly pleased with what I did at Welfare Square in remodeling and building new buildings.

It’s Good to Be Right and Have the Truth Come Out

             Back in April of 2018, when the critical and slanderous publicity machine was at its height, I wrote the below blog post. Today’s news items beautifully proclaim my views to be correct. Denson was nothing but a publicity and money-seeking con-woman. She made up a sensational lie to get money, but even her own lawyers quit on her when they realized she was a sham and a liar. And then some of her rabid anti-Mormon supporters also found she had duped them and turned on her.

            But the sad part about all of this is that the result of her con won’t receive near as much publicity as did her false charges and claims. So people who aren’t paying attention will still think things happened that didn’t. But at least the truth has come out for those paying attention. Denson used the Metoo movement and other anti-Mormons, who were glad to be used. But now they all look like the fools they are.

Using Publicity to Criticize the Church: Some Perspective for Viewing Recent Events

By Dennis B. Horne

“This is an insult, especially, to women who have gone

through something like that [sexual assault] and really have been hurt.”

—McKenna Denson’s ex-husband (Arizona Republic) 

            When accusations and denials of sexual assault are flying around in reporter’s stories, when sex and religion (especially Mormonism) are mentioned together, a media frenzy can result. The international “Me-too” movement has inadvertently created the perfect storm, offering an irresistible opening for various individuals with manipulative and unscrupulous motives, to take advantage of it and milk it for all it is worth. 

Remarkable Experiences in the Life of Elder Glen L. Rudd #5 - Some of Elder Glen L. Rudd’s Experiences with President Harold B. Lee (Part 2)

(Compiled by Dennis B. Horne)

  [Editorial Note: Part Two. Most of the below accounts are self-explanatory for Latter-day Saints. Elder Harold B. Lee was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and President of the Church who had a wonderful, righteous influence on Glen Rudd’s life. They had many adventures together while serving in the Church and Brother Rudd learned a great deal from him.]

            In April 1957 while visiting a stake conference in Santa Rosa, California, with Elder Harold B. Lee, the stake president announced the opening hymn and that a Brother Bybee would offer the opening prayer. As Brother Bybee passed us, Elder Lee nudged me and said, "That man baptized me." I said, "What did you say?" and he repeated, "That man baptized me." At that moment Brother Bybee began to pray and when he was through, I turned to Brother Lee and said, "You said he baptized you" and Brother Lee said, "Yes, why?" I asked, "Well, you can remember that?" and he answered, "Certainly, it was only fifty years ago. Anyone can remember something fifty years ago."

            I don't know the accomplishments or wealth accumulated by Brother Bybee, but I doubt if he ever did a single act as important and far reaching as performing that single baptism in a little pond on an Idaho farm for an eight year old boy who one day would become the Prophet of the Lord.

Remarkable Experiences in the Life of Elder Glen L. Rudd #4 - Some of Elder Glen L. Rudd’s Experiences with President Harold B. Lee (Part 1)

 (Compiled by Dennis B. Horne)

            [Editorial Note: Most of the below accounts are self-explanatory for Latter-day Saints. Elder Harold B. Lee was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and President of the Church who had a wonderful righteous influence on Glen Rudd’s life. They had many adventures together while serving in the Church and Brother Rudd learned a great deal from him. One of these reminiscences teaches us that sometimes church members don’t do as well as they ought, which is simply a part of our probationary mortal testing, with repentance always possible. Those wishing to gain some precious insight into Elder Harold B. Lee during this time period may want to copy and paste the following link into their browser, and watch him speak in the April 1952 general conference. This rare 11 minute recording has Elder Lee sharing some sacred details of how he obtained his special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.]

             While I was on the General Welfare Committee, I traveled with Elder Harold B. Lee to Idaho to reorganize a stake. We had no sooner taken off into the air when he told me I was going to have a new experience that I had never had before.

            When I asked him about it, he told me I was going to reorganize a stake. I said, "Brother Lee, I know how to help you do that, but you have the power and authority to do it. I'm a good usher and will help bring the brethren in and out so you can interview them."