LDS Scene

Dr. James M. Drake, a member of the Church born in Logan, Utah, now living and teaching in London, England, recently completed his fifth series of organ recitals in Europe. At the invitation of local church organists he played in such famous places as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and St. Jakobi Church in Hamburg, Germany. On this concert tour he also was invited to play in the 1,000-year-old cathedral at Erfurt, East Germany.

Although he had been invited to East Germany by cathedral authorities, he was at first refused permission to enter that country because of his American citizenship. However, he was finally permitted to enter; while in Erfurt, he stayed in the home of the cathedral organist.

He also attended a fast and testimony meeting of a nearby branch of the Church at which all 70 members bore their testimonies.

When he gave his Erfurt recital, and as a tribute to the local Saints, he opened with “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” “Rarely have I felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly,” he reports. “There were tears shed by the Saints as they listened to this stirring hymn. At the conclusion of the recital it was difficult for me to leave the Saints, but I did have the opportunity of discussing Church doctrine with cathedral authorities, one of whom remarked, ‘I have the greatest respect for these Mormons.’”

Elder Theodore M. Burton, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Mormon Pavilion to be constructed in Spokane, Washington, for Expo 74. The pavilion, which will be constructed on piers over the Spokane River, will be fronted by a nine-foot statue of the Angel Moroni. Access to the structure will be by a ramp. With “Ancient America Speaks” as its theme, the pavilion is designed to resemble the gold plates from which the Prophet Joseph translated the Book of Mormon.

Dr. Mary B. Hess, a member of the education department and director of the Ricks Reading Center at Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho, has been elected secretary of the Western College Reading Association, a national organization of colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Warrant Officer James Grant Shuman is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism “above and beyond the call of duty.” Brother Shuman, son of Brother and Sister Grant Shuman of Ridgeland, South Carolina, was serving in the Indo-China War as the commander of a utility helicopter on an emergency medical evacuation and resupply mission to aid a besieged command post. Although the area was known to be heavy with enemy troops armed with anti-aircraft weapons, Brother Shuman flew a successful mission against intense enemy action. Currently living in Tacoma, Washington, while stationed at Fort Lewis, Brother Shuman and his wife, the former Donna K. Pittman, are active in ward and stake work.

Sandy Yvette Nahnokerchee, a Comanche Sac-Fox Indian from Lawton, Oklahoma, has been elected Miss Indian BYU. A sophomore majoring in youth leadership, Sister Nahnokerchee was chosen during the annual Indian Week festivities at Brigham Young University. Her attendants are Claralynn West, a White Mountain Apache from Forest Dale, Arizona, and Mildred Cody, a Navajo from Flagstaff, Arizona.

Evidence of the growth and strength of the Church in Bolivia is the ordination of the first Aymara-speaking Indian natives as elders. The three new elders are Leon Caro, Justo Cuentas, and Benedicto Vega. The Bolivia Mission now has 20 full-time missionaries teaching the gospel in the Aymara language that until this century did not have a written form. Currently, plans are underway to translate the missionary discussions into Aymara. The Aymara-speaking people of Bolivia, approximately one million of the nation’s five million people, are traditionally family-oriented and are receptive to gospel teachings.

A new “work while you learn” program that gives students the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job training in fields related to their major interests is being developed at Brigham Young University’s College of Engineering Science and Technology. Under the program, students spend every other semester working full-time for private engineering firms or government agencies. Now students can graduate not only with a good foundation of technical knowledge but also with an understanding of industrial practices and techniques. In addition, they have the opportunity to earn funds for their education, and can move smoothly into a professional situation upon graduation.

Dr. Lael J. Woodbury has been named to succeed Dr. Lorin F. Wheelwright as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at BYU. Dr. Wheelwright stepped down from the deanship when he was appointed head of overall planning preparation for the university’s 1975–76 centennial celebration. Dr. Woodbury has been serving as associate dean and is president of the BYU Second Stake. He is married and has four children.

A print by German-born Wulf E. Barsch, now living in Provo, Utah, has been selected for the Alternate Special Edition Purchase Award and a prize of $1,500 in the World Print Competition. Brother Barsch’s entry was selected from among 700 from all over the world and adjudged by an international jury. A specialist in printmaking and painting, Brother Barsch has exhibited his work both in Europe and the United States. A convert to the Church in 1966, he came to the United States then returned to Germany to study. While there he was called on a mission to California. He now lives in Provo, Utah.

“We deplore the efforts of those who attempt to broaden the sale and use of spirituous beverages, particularly among young people,” declared the First Presidency in a statement to members of the Church in the state of Washington. That state’s voters voted in November whether or not to permit 19-year-olds to purchase and consume liquor. In their statement to Church officers in Washington, the First Presidency said, “We are fully aware of the many problems that result in legally making liquor available to young men and women who generally are more prone to form new habits, good and bad, than older adults. To lower the age for liquor consumption will only add to the mounting problems of health, crime, accidents, and broken homes which already beset our society.” More than 72,800 members of the Church reside in the state of Washington in 19 stakes and two missions.