*** below is a copy of a letter sent
to the LDS Church History Department
following Eldred G. Smith's passing
***
When LDS High
School closed its doors in the wake
of the Great Depression eighty years
ago, its students made the following
pledge, which was recorded on the
last page of their final yearbook:
"For the
present, perhaps forever, our
High School has come to an end.
Our hearts burn, but as long as
we live, as long as our children
live, as long as memories live,
the L.D.S. will never die. It
shall live as the memory of a
thousand voices."
The campus was
later razed for the construction of
the Church Office Building, and I am
afraid that in the meantime, the
school’s very existence has been all
but forgotten.
As far as I know,
Eldred G. Smith had been the last
living member of the LDS High
student body, a distinguished group
that had counted among its members
Gordon B. Hinckley, G. Homer Durham,
Bruce R. McConkie, George Romney,
and many other notable figures.
Elder Smith’s passing last week
marks the end of an era and perhaps
increases our risk of breaking the
students’ vows should we
collectively forget that a grand
high school once stood on the Church
Office Building’s grounds.
I would like to
propose that a commemorative plaque
be placed somewhere on those grounds
to serve as a permanent reminder to
tourists and other passersby of the
block’s previous tenants. Historical
photographs taken from the same
vantage point could be included on
the plaque, which could help
visitors visualize the former
setting. The design and content of a
memorial could be coordinated with
the Utah Historical Society and
other relevant entities with an
interest in historical context, and
I am confident that highly engaging
information could be identified for
presentation to the public.
Preserving the legacy of their high
school in this manner would seem to
me a marvelous way to honour the
lives of Elder Smith and of his
fellow classmates.
My late
grandfather was one of those
classmates, and over the last
several years I had developed quite
an interest in the school as I
conducted research for a book about
his time at LDS High. In the wake of
Elder Smith's death, I thought I
might pass around this suggestion
for a plaque to see if there might
be any interest in supporting the
idea. I am unsure which department I
ought to to be contacting, so if
there are any suggestions for whom I
might contact, I would certainly
appreciate it. Please distribute as
appropriate or let me know if there
are any other details I might
provide to help bring this idea to
fruition.
