President Monson biography

Here are some of my thoughts after finishing the reading of the new biography of President Monson (TO THE RESCUE:THE BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS S. MONSON, Heidi S. Swinton, Deseret Book, 2010). I gained tremendous new respect for President Monson through reading this book. People really come first with him. And he seems to make no differentiation between people, the high and the low, the rich and poor, the popular and the unknown.

In one respect, he reminds me of President Richard Lindsay. He really cares. And he has an exception memory about people that he has previously met. I used to say that President Lindsay had a memory about people that was computer-like. His mind and heart seemed to store the most recent status report he had received about each individual of his acquaintance; when he received a new report it would replace the older report. I would meet him in the hall of the Stakehouse, and he would say, “How is JoAnn?” often naming what the last thing he knew about her; then, “How is Alison?”; then on down through the family in order. He seemed to me to be genuinely interested in each individual, and would not be satisfied until he had an update in each one. A humorous thing happened as I was serving under him as Stake Executive Secretary. One night at Presidency meeting, he announced that he had not visited with the people in the stake family (persons with stake callings) for a number of months and wanted me to schedule 5 minute appointments with each one of them. Just at that moment, the telephone in the President’s office rang and he went into that room to answer it. The First Counselor, Louis Poore, (he was the one who kept this Presidency organized and on-track) turned to me and said, “Try to get him to allow more time to these interviews. He will get hopelessly behind if you only schedule 5 minutes interviews. Why, in 5 minutes he will not even have gotten down to asking how the dog is.”

President Monson seems to have this kind of memory and concern for people and yet combines this with strong leadership and organizational skills. But he seems to be leading the Church both by example and by his teaching and preaching to give a greater emphasis to ministering as opposed to administering. But even in our work with people in and out of the Church, there seems to me to be somewhat different emphasis. For example, we have heard Elder Packer advocate for study of the gospel as the means to change behavior in people. “I have long believed that the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than talking about behavior will improve behavior.” (“Washed Clean” Conference address April 1997). President Monson’s emphasis regarding the means to invoke changes in others seems to focus more upon love, service, and gentle invitation.

His background and experience may have helped him focus on the little person and their simple needs, and help me to give him greater respect. Some details–President Monson was raised on the west side of Salt Lake City that is now freeway and industrial buildings, in the vicinity of 5th South and 5th or 6th West. In those days, there were lots of train whistles, transients, and little old homes with widows and foreign-born persons. His own family may have been a cut above some of his neighbors (his father had a steady job) but they had no history of Church leaders (i.e., Bishops, Stake Presidents, general authorities, etc). His parents were married in the temple, but his father didn’t go back for a second time until elderly. His extended family had a little cabin at Vivian Park and the family appeared to spend summers there, Sundays included. There was an incident where a shotgun fired accidentally that narrowly missed his brother Robert, while the two of them we duck hunting in the Great Salt Lake marshes on a Sunday morning, that caused him some reflection. This happened a few weeks prior to his call as a Bishop’s Counselor and seemed to help point both him and his brother toward a greater commitment to obedience.