Chapter 16: Midlife Crises

At the end of the forties, the four former classmates are approaching their forties themselves. Their careers develop rather successfully, but mid-life family duties begin to trump their other pursuits.

They each live full lives, but not without controversy. It is a simpler time if one goes by the contemporary public image portrayed by I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver. But those television facades are merely a wishful illusion of the times; American lives in the post-war era are just as complex and conflicted as lives ever had been in the past or would be in the future. 1950s politics are as dirty as ever, and the specter of war takes only a few short years to once again rear its hateful head. For the four friends – trying to juggle their jobs with parenthood, marriage, and church service – life certainly delivers some challenges along the way.

By typical Mormon standards, Homer and Hamp – with three children a piece – have relatively small families, but their children keep them busy nonetheless. Gordon and Marjorie end up with five children, right on the heels of the baby boom. Rulon is in his own league: With the help of multiple wives, the Jeffs household generates its own, supersonic baby boom – resulting in anywhere from fifty to one hundred children, depending on the source of the report.

Rulon’s ex-wife Zola eventually remarries and raises Rulon’s two oldest sons, Rodger and Stephen, in the LDS Church under a different surname. The boys come to stay with Rulon on the compound during school breaks but never adopt his views on polygamy.

With each passing school year, they have a harder time keeping track of their half-siblings from an increasingly complex web of step mothers. They feel a bit intimidated and bullied by their half-brother Warren, who views them as a legitimate threat to Rulon’s attention and quite possibly his birthright. Warren had been born in San Francisco during one of Rulon’s business forays there, but has spent much of his childhood confined to an isolated compound where he remains under the comprehensive influence of fellow Fundamentalists, with very limited exposure to the outside world. As he matures, Warren adheres to the Fundamentalist principles as zealously as his father and quickly rises through the ranks as a result.

During his father’s lengthy absences for church assignments and business dealings, Warren is comforted and encouraged by his Aunt Leo; swayed by her brother’s epiphany, Leona had followed Rulon into polygamy but ends up marrying into a sect that splits from the FLDS. She eventually gets caught up with the Allreds, who compete with other polygamous factions that run their religious orders like mafia organizations.

The Federal Government imprisons the most notorious members of the renegade sects, but even when locked up, rival leaders issue execution orders from prison that are carried out by zealous adherents. The murder plots run as deep as any Capone-style gangster film in which hits are ordered on non-conforming competitors for their turf; because the zealot’s prize is salvation rather than liquor or money, however, all earthly rules of engagement are thrown out the door, leaving in the wake a string of ghastly crime scenes that would make Gadianton himself proud. For decades to follow, some of the polygamists caught in the crossfire find themselves forced to hide not just from the government but from other fundamentalist groups as well.

As much as the various government authorities want to ignore the issue, the press does not allow polygamy to be simply swept off into the desert; another crackdown is ordered after some particularly notorious criminal cases hit the papers. In his role as a spokesman, Gordon releases official Church statements about Rulon’s actions and those of his rival counterparts; he recalls that the publicity accompanying previous government-sponsored roundups had backfired in the past, and he does not wish for the Church to be tied up in that sort of mess again. There is no clear solution, however, so Gordon tries to take a passive approach and steer the Church as far from this underworld as possible, enlisting public relations firms to paint the LDS Church in its own color and cast a distinguishing distance from the elements responsible for the heinous crimes in the papers.

~~~~~~~~

Hamp, meanwhile, ends up traveling the world with the U.S. Air Force on the front lines of the Cold War. From Greenland to the Pacific Islands, he works on military installations designed to protect the United States and its allies from the Soviet threat; it is a tedious conflict that nearly erupts into violence during the Berlin Airlift and other famous points of East-West contention. He eventually finds himself back in Germany, assigned the formidable task of mending relations between former enemies. In that capacity, Hamp takes up a friendship with Hugo Jaeger, a tortured soul who had served as Hitler’s personal photographer.

Jaeger’s photographs have gone missing, and he refuses to disclose their whereabouts. Though in his eyes he is not guilty of any war crimes, he had watched other countrymen hang, and he is afraid that his photographs might implicate him in the undeniable atrocities. He certainly has good reason to fear: He knows that the International Military Tribunal had wanted every major crime be paid for at Nuremberg; because they were dead men walking anyway, those who had been incarcerated and executed in some cases paid for acts they hadn’t necessarily committed themselves, allowing those who had escaped – some with the consent or even the endorsement of the Allies – to join a new, underground battle against the Soviets.

Knowing that some perpetrators had fallen through the cracks of the IMT, the Israeli Mossad has taken justice into their own hands against those who have managed to evade the Allied courts. Accounts of assassinations and other acts of retribution circulate in the press, and Jaeger keeps silent largely out of fear for his own fate.

After many hours of interviews and an extended period of written correspondence, however, Hamp finally convinces Jaeger of the historical value of his photographs. He is promised clemency that will keep him immune from third-party implications, but Herr Jaeger is still understandably nervous as he leads Hamp out along a set of railroad tracks, deep inside the woods adjacent to Munich.

Carrying shovels with them, they follow a map he had made years before. The treasure map includes specific instructions: Count five poles beyond the switch; turn right and walk perpendicular to the tracks 25 paces; look for a tree with a cross etched into the bark; X marks the spot!

They start to dig and soon strike glass. At the distinct sound of the impact, they revert to digging by hand; twelve large glass jars emerge from the hole. Each contains priceless color photographs – 2,000 in all – comprising a rare, full-color record of the rise and fall of the Third Reich, shot from the Führer’s vantage point.

As he separates and flattens the photographs back in his apartment, Jaeger’s mind is filled with the unbelievable scenes he had witnessed a decade before. He recalls his own suppressed, conflicted ambitions; having been an early proponent of Agfacolor – Germany’s answer to Technicolor and Kodachrome – Jaeger was one of only a few visionary photographers who had insisted on shooting in color at the time. He had also been a pioneer of three-dimensional stereoscopy and had envisioned his 3D images as the best way to properly document and capture the grandeur of Germany’s ascent to world domination. As the Reich expanded, he had dreamed of being admired and respected at the highest levels – working alongside Speer, Riefenstahl, and Goebbels to promote the new Germany – with his own front-page photographs symbolizing the fatherland’s unsurpassable progress.

He definitely couldn’t have imagined that his photographs would instead document its downfall and depict humanity’s wickedest warning signs. The contrast is too much for him to deal with, and he decides to distance himself from the rights to his work. Jaeger trusts Hamp to negotiate the publication of selected images, and eventually the entire collection is released to Life Magazine. Hamp continues the relationship until Jaeger’s death; in the end, a part of history that might have disappeared forever is preserved and eventually becomes available to future generations through Getty Images.

Hamp’s peacemaking efforts throughout the 1950s and 1960s – conducted ironically under the direction of the occupational U.S. Air Force – continue while the international espionage network steps up its game on both sides of the border. In a new, bloodless battlefront, Space Race propaganda flows in both directions as Radio Free Europe broadcasts its message of Western-style democracy while Khrushchev tells the imperialists, “We will bury you!”

Hamp holds out hope for a united Germany in the future, so he is particularly disturbed when the Berlin Wall drives a wedge through families, friends, and freedom itself. Though Berliners are offended at being called the “testicles of the West,” Kruschchev makes good on his threat to make the West scream by squeezing Berlin. From the day the borders are sealed, the Wall is gradually fortified and becomes increasingly lethal to those making ever more creative crossing attempts.

Nonetheless, even when the Cuban Missile Crisis puts global militaries on high alert, Hamp never gives up on the notion that the Wall is just temporary. While JFK famously declares, “Ich bin ein Berliner!” Hamp continues to build his relations in both the military and civilian realms. After years of effort and extensive interviews with the top brass on both sides, Hamp’s efforts are officially recognized: Berlin Mayor and future German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, rewards Hamp with a specially cast replica of Berlin’s Freedom Bell – a token of West Germany’s appreciation for his efforts.

Hamp proudly mails a copy of the newspaper clipping to Herbie – knowing full well that it might be intercepted by the East German censors. By the time it arrives in Herbie’s mailbox behind the Iron Curtain, sure enough, the envelope had been opened and some of its contents removed; the newspaper article, however, arrives in its entirety. Herbie feels immense pride and hope for the future upon reading it, both for himself and for the rest of the walled-in members of the LDS congregations throughout East Germany.

Along with his other classmates, Hamp is disturbed by the news of JFK, MLK, RFK and other prominent assassinations that hit the headlines in quick succession. He passes up these articles for his collection, though, choosing instead to clip articles with more of a positive spin – particularly those related to mankind’s giant leap to the moon. As the 1960s close out on this positive note for American patriots, the lines between civilian and military accomplishments are non-existent; with his test flights, aeronautical background, and Air Force career eperiencee, Hamp feels that he has actively a played a part in landing man on the moon.

With his military career nearing an end, Hamp begins to apply his poster-making skills to lay out and print promotional posters for the tourism industry in the South Pacific and in Germany. He is eventually hired to make presentations to prospective American tourists on behalf of Lufthansa Airlines and Germany’s National Tourism Office. This role takes him to back to Germany many times, allowing him the chance to visit his son – my father – who had in the meantime found himself stationed in Germany on a work assignment. These visits, in turn, grant me some of my only personal memories of my grandfather. Even Hamp’s sister Margaret is finally paid her dues when she gets the chance to see the world with her own eyes, tagging along on one of Hamp’s European tours.

Hamp continues to keep a daily journal and a travel log of his many trips, just as he had done all those years before as a missionary. Between his travels, he spends his time organizing his papers again and again, including several large file boxes labeled Concerning God. Though he acknowledges that he is not, perhaps, destined for success as an author, he still dabbles in writing on occasion and even tries his hand at poetry.

One day he finds a book in the mail: The Continuity of the Catholic Church, by The Most Reverend Duane G. Hunt, Doctor of Divinity. He shakes his head as he flips through the extensively documented pages refuting Mormon claims against the Catholics. Here, finally, is Msgr. Hunt’s response to his letters and his book from so many years ago. Msgr. Hunt had initially begun his documentation by addressing Hamp’s attacks, but finally felt compelled to publish his work after reading anti-Catholic statements in Bruce R. McConkie’s regrettably titled first edition of Mormon Doctrine, an exhaustive and commendable compilation of information but by no means sanctioned by the LDS Church leadership. While acknowledging that the contradictory statements he uncovered were made by a “self-appointed spokesman for the Church,” Msgr. Hunt felt the need to set the record straight. Many of the recommended corrections were, in fact, made in later editions of Elder McConkie’s book, but Hamp initially feels the need to respond with his own explanations.

Years before, he would have immediately sat down at the typewriter to draft a rebuttal and refute each apparent doctrinal contradiction in detail. But at this point in his life, he decides to leave it alone. Life no longer appears to be divided neatly along doctrinal lines anyhow. Even if he were to somehow extract a reluctant acquiescence from Msgr. Hunt in this ping-pong process, the game had lost its meaning. The elusive truce or reconciliation he had initially sought with Msgr. Hunt has in the meantime sunk lower on his priority list. “Let it be,” he sighs, echoing the chorus of a new song dominating the airwaves. He drops the book into the appropriate file box and keeps tracing his travels on the large maps that hang on the wall of his home office.

Taking a step back one day, he is quite pleased with the result of his charting: On his corkboards and in his archives lies the evidence of a rewarding, illustrious, and well-documented career that has taken him around the world in one of the most restless and intriguing periods of the planet’s history. It certainly gives him a sense of accomplishment.

~~~~~~~~

Hamp crosses paths with his former classmates one last time, in 1978, in a banquet room of the Hotel Utah to celebrate the 50th reunion of the Class of 1928. By this time, their lives have diverged significantly; Homer and Gordon are still good friends, but Hamp has not kept up with them regularly.

Homer has enjoyed a successful career, having climbed ever higher in academic administration until he became president of Arizona State University. Upon retirement from this demanding position, he joked that he needed something to do to keep him out of trouble; Gordon promptly recommended Homer’s appointment as a general authority. Now, with just a year under his belt as a Church official, Homer constantly draws on Gordon’s 40-year tenure for advice.

At the reunion Hamp approaches Homer and Gordon, who are sitting together at a crowded dinner table. “Still have that picture?” Hamp asks, shaking their hands.

“From graduation night? Yes, sir!” Homer says, pointing toward the wall, “It’s still underexposed but it’s right up there on the memory board.”

With the novelty of having two of their classmates pictured on the Ensign Magazine’s semiannual General Authority chart, a crowd of other well-wishers has gathered around the table, so Hamp excuses himself and peruses the large bulletin board where class members have posted pictures and other memorabilia. He stares at Homer’s old photograph and thinks of all that has elapsed in the meantime. The four smiling classmates in the photo – staring past Betty’s camera at the couples on the dance floor – seem awfully naïve to the 67-year old grandfather.

“A lot can change in fifty years,” Rulon says to Hamp, who turns around with a startled expression.

“Why yes, it certainly can,” Hamp agrees. Looking for some common ground, he says, “To think that you and Homer would both marry apostle’s daughters!”

“And that you and Gordon would both marry Marjories,” Rulon adds with a smile.

Rulon had vowed not to get this close to Temple Square again, but the opportunity to celebrate his beloved school had trumped his earlier promise to himself. After an uncomfortable silence with Hamp, he briefly walks around the outside of the room but decides not to stay for dinner. Only a few weeks have passed since Leo’s husband, also named Rulon, was murdered by a rival, and there had been some confusion around mistaken identies in the press. He sees his other former friends from a distance and considers making a scene around Gordon in particular, but he feels vexatious glances shooting his way at every step. He decides to just let it rest, ducking out the back door before the program starts without saying goodbye to anyone.

Hamp keeps wandering through the crowd, struggling to recognize familiar faces and looking for a seat among friends. He finally sits down right at the front of the room between the event’s emcee, Bob Toronto, and the old class clown, Carlos Dodge.

Bob soon stands to announce the night’s program, beginning with several L.D.S. High alumni who are honored. While many of the classmates have made names for themselves over the years, one classmate in particular has really made the headlines – quite literally: Wendell Ashton, Homer’s former supervisor on the L.D.S. High Gold and Blue Newspaper Staff, had ultimately served as the publisher of Deseret News and is now honored with a distinguished alumnus award for his contribution to journalism.

“While many L.D.S. High alumni like Wendell have made significant contributions in their respective fields,” Bob continues, “there are not many high schools that can boast a governor, CEO, presidential cabinet member, and presidential candidate among their graduates. We have all of these with us this evening, wrapped up in a single alumnus.

“Some of you may have known him as a star point guard or a thespian while he was your fellow student. Most of you were only sophomores when he left us for the British Isles, but I’m sure you all remember him as your L.D.S. High student body president that year. Please welcome our keynote speaker, George Romney!”

George takes the stand to a roaring applause. He certainly has a rags-to-riches success story to tell, and he gets right to it:

“How does someone from a polygamous colony in Mexico end up as the governor of a largely anti-Mormon state?” George asks the audience, “Well, let me tell you a story!”

The audience sits right back to hear the tale.

“I was just a young boy when the Mexican Revolution erupted. Both the Mexican and United States governments had left us alone for many years, but after a quarter century of peace and relative prosperity, we suddenly found our Mexican neighbors turned against us.

“We fled Mexico along with the Church’s current First Lady, Camilla Kimball, the Skousen scholars, and the notable scientists of the Eyring clan. Leaving behind most of our possessions and the home she had made, the exodus was especially hard on my mother; but during our search for a new home, she often drew on the legendary travels of her own grandfather, Parley P. Pratt, to lift our spirits.

“After finally settling in the Salt Lake Valley, we still had nothing – nothing but a willingness to work hard, that is. And every fruit of that labor, rather than being immediately consumed, was set aside for one purpose: education. I knew that the graduates of L.D.S. College were both successful and honorable, and I vowed to become one of them someday. I resolved to attend the L.D.S. and – while it took every penny we had – I enrolled at the first opportunity.

“Every opportunity that came my way later in life, I owe to that decision to attend our fine school.” George points to his wife, Lenore, seated behind him, and the audience breaks out into applause at this cue. “Not only did I meet my mate among our fine coeds,” George continues, “but I also managed to learn a thing or two in class.”

Hamp and his friends all have a good laugh together with the rest of the audience.

“The business and finance courses at the L.D.S. were top-notch; in fact, the program’s reputation was so well known that upon my arrival in England, Dr. John Widtsoe and Dr. James Talmage – having heard of my qualifications – immediately requested that I keep the books for the mission finances. In this capacity, I must say, I learned some very valuable lessons for my future – thanks again to the L.D.S.

“Although I had already graduated, my mission experience provided me with a continuing education, adding to my L.D.S. coursework with lessons in additional subjects that have served me well, such as public speaking, debate, sales, and in my case even international finances.

“In fact, my good friend Howard Stoddard was at the same time a missionary in Germany, and we often exchanged observations of the ambient economic conditions. In his letters, he told me of the rampant German inflation rate – it was a time when people became millionaires overnight just to find out they had to be billionaires the next day if they wanted to buy a loaf of bread. Imagine the absurdity of having to leave work immediately on payday with your wheelbarrow full of money – sprinting to the stores because your pile of money would be worthless by nightfall! Some of his native German companions actually had to take leaves of absence to get jobs when their mission savings evaporated into worthlessness.

“We faced similar threats in England, and these European examples have always stuck with me as a reminder of the market system’s vulnerability, particularly when it crashed completely at the end of my mission. As difficult as it was to persevere at the time, this experience greatly furthered my understanding of fiscal markets and economic risks.

Sensing that his audience might quickly tire of a financial discourse, he turns again to his wife. “But while I was somewhat worried about the financial state of the British Mission, at the time my greatest worry was back home, where Lenore was serving as Wallie Toronto’s Vice-President. You all know about his famous Italian charisma and machismo, don’t you?”

Laughter again breaks out among the audience members, each of whom is well familiar with Wallie’s antics. “Just like his brother!” Carlos shouts from the audience, receiving in return a jab in the shoulder from Bob.

“Well, after returning home, I was pleased to find that Wallie’s moves hadn’t worked on her,” George says, “but I took her away to the Mission Field of Michigan just to be sure.”

The laughter continues; George certainly knows well how to play to an audience. He changes his tone to touch upon the final fate of their school

“We all faced tough times during the Great Depression. I was as saddened as the rest of you when I heard that the L.D.S. would be closing its doors. As a nation, we were facing a dismal scene at the time, and we were lucky to be saved by the New Deal, which, in turn, allowed us to help save the world from tyranny.”

This deliberate, patriotic punch strikes a chord with the audience.

“Keep in mind that while most people believe that Roosevelt himself crafted the New Deal, it was actually our very own Logan native Marriner Stoddard Eccles, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, who was its architect. Even though our high school came to an end during the Depression, the recovery brought about by the New Deal at least allowed the business school to continue and evolve into the notable institution that L.D.S. Business College has become today – all thanks to our native son!

“Marriner – who, incidentally, also received his financial training in the British Mission office – used to tell me something that has stuck with me over the years: Don’t ever let anyone tell you that there are limits to where a Mormon can go in this world! They told me a Mormon was unelectable east of the Mississippi. I didn’t believe a word of it!”

Again there is applause from the audience.

His time is running short, so he only briefly covers anecdotes about his appointment as the CEO of American Motors Company and how he met the Hoovers, the Roosevelts, the Eisenhowers, the Nixons, and many other Washington notables.

“I’d like to close with a warning to everybody, an eminent threat that will hinder our progress if we do not suppress it.”

Some audience members expect to hear him mention the hiss and byword of communism. But this is not another of the anti-communist tirades typical of the day, and many are surprised by his topic: “…Bigotry, racism and religious persecution.”

Knowing that George’s views on discrimination have contrasted and, at times, clashed with the governing body of the Church, Gordon and Homer shift a bit uncomfortably in their seats.

“After my dear friend Howard returned from his mission and likewise settled in Michigan,” George explains, “I worked closely with him as he set his knowledge to work – drawing on his lessons and observations in Europe to build a bank that became a financial empire.

“Howard did very well for himself, and he and his bank supported me financially in my gubernatorial and presidential campaigns. The contributions were increasingly scrutinized, however, and we soon found ourselves on the defensive against attacks from all directions.

“Michigan, you have to understand, is home to the world headquarters of several staunchly anti-Mormon protestant churches as well as Zondervan Publishing Company, publisher of much of the anti-Mormon literature being distributed today. We Mormons are a small and distinct bunch there, but even though there are hardly any Michigan Mormons, my constituents actually began to fear a Mormon takeover; after I won the governorship, the local priests and pastors set their congregations against us, warning them that the Mormons now had the government, the banks, and the auto corporations in Michigan. Accusations of favoritism, nepotism, money laundering, insider trading, and all sorts of infractions persisted. The Church was drawn into the debate again and again, and Church members felt ostracized in the fallout.

“There were no tar-and-featherings, no boycotts, and certainly no cattle cars – but I saw in this frenzy some similarities akin to the anti-Semitic paranoia that pervaded even our country a half century ago when we left our high school to discover the world. We all know how that bigotry led to greater crimes against humanity overseas. These elements need to be stopped and routed at their source to prevent freedom from being undermined.”

A few audience members start to clap, but he quickly brings the topic home. “The best way to start that process is by looking inwards,” he says. “Just this month we have heard from the pulpit a historical reversal that allows us a chance at restitution for some bigotry of our own.”

A staunch supporter of the civil rights movement, George was thrilled at President Kimball’s recent lifting of racial restrictions for ordinations, which had finally brought his religion in line with his politics. He realizes it is a sensitive topic at the moment – not all Mormons welcomed the news – but he presses it a bit further.

“Let us use this opportunity to forgive the bigotry that has been directed against the LDS for so many years; rather than perpetuating it, let us mend relations with our fellow man, and promote the principles on which our nation was founded – they are the same principles upon which our beloved high school was founded. This is our duty and our sacred obligation. If we fail in this task, the alternative is surely a bleak path.

“Ten years ago as governor of Michigan, I witnessed a scene I hope I never see again. Facing one of the most deadly and destructive riots our nation has ever experienced, we had to declare martial law and occupy Detroit with federal troops. The aftermath was absolutely devastating. Even in my time in Vietnam I never saw anything like it. At its source had been racial tensions that erupted into violence. It simply did not have to be, and we collectively have the power to prevent a repetition of those events.”

George pauses for a moment as he recounts the events. The government’s reaction to the 12th Street Riot was allegedly slowed by the hesitation of George’s Irish Catholic political opponent to ask a Mormon for help. Ever since that day, George had reworked one scenario after another in his head – trying to find alternatives that could have prevented the dozens of fatalities. Whether or not religion had played a role in the delayed response, the enmity between the politicians had certainly not helped the situation, and George had pledged at that point to put an end to the animosity.

“Despite these troubling scenes, however,” George continues, “I do have a great deal of hope for the future. If a Mormon kid from a polygamous colony in Mexico can beat the odds and get elected to high office, then so can a Black, an Asian, a Jew, or an Arab – all are equal under God.”

Sensing the measure of discomfort that overcomes the crowd at these remarks, he moves on to urge his alma mater to stay true to their dreams, to their values, and to freedom itself.

He also makes a point to stress the importance of family, relating the near-loss of his son, Mitt, that had given them a second chance to galvanize their relationship. Having been pronounced dead at the scene of a fatal car accident in which he was the driver a few years before as a French missionary, Mitt has since undergone a soul-searching transformation that has deeply affected George as well. The struggle that Mitt and his family underwent during the recovery had solidified Mitt’s will to follow in his father’s footsteps – with an eye toward making his own mark on the world. George’s thoughts begin to wander back to that difficult time.

“Family first!” he says curtly but enthusiastically, not allowing himself to get choked up. By this time he realizes that his audience has grown a bit restless. With the main course about to be served, George decides it is time to bring his remarks to a close. Despite the fact that there isn’t likely a single opposing party member within earshot, he quickly appends – as he does in every other public speaking engagement – his obligatory plug for the Republican Party. Affirmative nods convince him that he is among friends.

“God bless America,” he says in closing, ever the politician.

This particularly patriotic audience is reinvigorated with these final words; he sits down to a thunderous applause. His satisfied smile at the effect of his words reveals that this inclination is in his blood – it is a sound that his son will likewise learn to appreciate and crave.

With the program complete, the students gather their things and part ways, most of them never to see each other again in mortality. In the conversations outside the building that night, many bemoan the demolition of their old campus to make way for the new Church Office Building next door. As the tower rose during its ten years under construction, nearly every one of the classmates had passed the construction site while shaking their heads at the loss. As he listens to the grumbled murmurings around him, Gordon keeps quiet, having himself voted for the demolition – despite the opposition of Hugh Nibley and other preservationists – and now finding himself with an office thirty floors above the old commons. Hamp and Homer had mixed feelings about the upgrade, but Rulon had taken the vote as one more symbolic piece of evidence that Gordon and his cohorts at the helm of this modern media marvel had completely departed from their historical roots in the Restoration.

After a long night of reminiscing, Gordon leaves the venue and stops by his office to pick up some papers. He looks across at the magnificent temple beaming in the floodlights – the one point of constancy in the skyline of a changing world. From his office window, Gordon wonders what President Grant would have thought at the sight of an excavated construction pit – a hole in the ground where the beloved campus had once stood. Would he be proud of the towering edifice that has now taken its place? Despite the loss of his former campus, when he considers that he is standing at the nerve center of a global Church of four million members, he rests assured that President Grant would have welcomed it as a sign of progress; it is certainly a far cry from the world he knew as a child.

~~~~~~~~

Feeling bound a bit closer to his past after the class reunion, and perhaps looking to immortalize the memories of his youth in some manner, Homer begins over the next few years to intersperse his official duties for the Church with historical research on Heber J. Grant and other notable LDS figures. Homer eventually turns his exhaustive notes into a comprehensive biography. Adding to the research and publications already compiled on the subject by Gordon’s father, Bryant, Homer feels honored to document the life of one of his long-standing heroes.

He also digs through the archives of his late father-in-law and discovers several unfinished manuscripts that he edits and posthumously publishes on Elder Widtsoe’s behalf. In addition to mentoring Hugh Brown, Elder Widtsoe had also mentored Hugh Nibley and other notable scholars of the LDS intellectual crowd; the related notes now at Homer’s disposal are sorted and catalogued. He absolutely loves the research process, and Church officials take note of his passion, ultimately appointing him as the Church Historian.

It is quite an honor for Homer to receive an all-access pass to the Church’s historical archives through his role as the official historian. As he turns the key and opens one sealed door after another, he stands in awe of the documents and artifacts – like the hidden treasures of the Vatican – that define a movement embraced by millions.

Over the years, Homer and Gordon continue their close friendship and collaborate on several projects; their relationship is eventually canonized in the LDS Hymnbook as #135 My Redeemer Lives, with Homer contributing the music and Gordon the lyrics.

Gordon, however, is not so thankful to Homer for introducing him to a fellow named Mark Hoffman. During his tenure as Church Historian, Homer encounters a flood of documents being pawned by a wily collector. Mr. Hoffman claims that he had come across a collection of envelopes being preserved by stamp collectors for their stamps. He had apparently discovered their contents – which just so happened to be very relevant to early Church history – entirely by accident. Homer is intrigued, and soon approaches Gordon about any interest the Church might have in acquiring the collection.

By the time the documents are uncovered as forgeries, letter bombs and murder victims – among them the son of the missionary apparel mogul, Mr. Mac himself – are in the daily headlines. Homer is absolutely devastated; skeptics publish deeply hurtful articles about his part in the scandal. He relishes his role as a historian, but deep inside, he acknowledges some of the reported claims that he is an untrained amateur in that department. He had dabbled in writing and research, but he wonders whether his training in political science and academic administration can qualify him as a legitimate historian. The matter shatters his confidence; surely a trained historian would have recognized the signs of fraud, he presumes. Having been initially inclined to open the Church archives further, Homer now feels exposed and vulnerable. Disappointed and embarrassed by the turn of events, he put the archives under a tighter lock-down.

The allegations around Gordon – who is recognized within his fold as a prophet, seer, and revelator – are much more serious. Having been cheated and deceived, he wants to move on from the matter. The press hounds him incessantly, however, and droves leave the Church over the fallout. Gordon by his own admission could have kicked himself for being duped, but he is more disappointed by the public perception and by the fact that some members of the Church expect omniscience from him.

“Adulation is poison,” he mutters to himself once again, knowing that he had been placed on an unwarranted pedestal that no mortal ought to be set upon.

Rulon capitalizes on the events as well and takes every opportunity to use them against the Church. “Surely the true prophet of the Lord would have recognized this lie,” Rulon gloats in a lengthy sermon to his flock the Sunday after Hoffman’s very public trial. “Do not be deceived, my brothers and sisters,” he continues, “They have gone astray; the truth is here with us.”

Rulon, of course, has troubles of his own that follow him at every turn. In addition to the obvious religious controversies in which he is embroiled, Rulon’s business dealings are confounded as well. Members of the Salt Lake community frequently shun his enterprises once they find out a polygamist is at the helm; he is dismissed from several boards of directors as a result of his religious inclinations. One of his firms, HydraPak, receives much success through Air Force and NASA contracts that are blind to his marital status; unfortunately, though, that firm also ends up turning out the faulty O-Ring that is ultimately found to be at the root of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. He is dropped from the incorporation papers, but Rulon’s name nonetheless continues to surface in the victims’ lawsuits for the criminal case.

Despite these troubles, Zola’s family gradually accepts him back into their lives – eventually trusting him enough to do the accounting for some of Brother Brown’s businesses. Now an apostle, Brother Brown has finally freed himself from debt. After reportedly doing battle with the devil himself during a depressive episode, he had managed to secure a fortune in Canadian oil that finally erased his debt and allowed him to serve full-time as a general authority and apostle without drawing from the Church coffers.

After fighting an uphill battle against the Salt Lake business community, Rulon withdraws himself completely to Colorado City, where he directs the affairs of the FLDS Church. His followers are occasionally in the news, but they generally try to maintain a low profile to avoid attracting tax authorities and social workers seeking to uncover welfare fraud in the community.

~~~~~~~~

Hamp ends up settling in Colorado Springs, where he continues to keep an office at the Air Force Academy long after his retirement. Hamp’s personal controversies are, perhaps, less public in nature than those of his classmates, but by no means any less intense. Having been sworn to secrecy about some of his classified assignments over the years, he had grown used to living a somewhat private life during his solitary, global travels; he finds it a challenge to rebuild a trusting and openly honest relationship with Marjorie now that they have more time together in their empty nest.

As he compiles his life history and his extensive records of overseas travels, he begins to regret the absence of hundreds of missing pictures and postcards that he had sent to Dot – whom he had for so many years considered his soul mate. In their first written correspondence since his Dear John letter and that dreaded telegram four decades before, he decides to ask for his German postcards back. Dot sadly obliges his request; she had, in fact, treasured those relics, but reluctantly returns the full lot for Hamp to archive.

Hamp reads the notes he had written on the back side of each postcard. He spreads glue over his own words, which are buried as he affixes the cards to his album pages. Though he feels no residual regret over their breakup so many years before, he can’t help but wonder what might have been. These thoughts pass with a momentary sigh, and with the album now complete, Hamp is gradually absorbed back into his other pet projects.

As the months pass, an obituary notice catches him completely off guard. Sitting at the breakfast table with the newspaper one morning, he simply cannot believe he is reading of Dot’s premature death.

“Anything new in the news?” Marjorie asks him.

Hamp wipes his eyes with his sleeve. His thoughts are convoluted and he is surprised how hard the news has struck him.

“What on earth are you reading?”

Stunned and petrified, he can’t bear to put down the paper.

Marjorie, sensing that something is wrong, pushes the paper down from in front of his face. Seeing the tears in his eyes, she is curious what news might have affected her otherwise dispassionate husband so deeply. As she reads the notice for herself, she is equally shocked – not so much by the news itself, but by Hamp’s unexpected reaction to it.

Hamp earns himself a scathing glare from his wife, followed by some terse, defensive words that lead to a lengthy stay in the proverbial doghouse.

Not only has the news affected him deeply, but as he recovers from the shock he also begins to feel his own mortality closing in on him. His persistent heart troubles and other physical ailments suddenly feel much more threatening.

Even though he had largely been out of touch with Dot over the years, it pains him to cross her name out in his extensive address book. Hamp had always prided himself on maintaining cordial relations with all of his associates, whatever their relationship; his legendary book of contacts is always up to date and keeps him in touch with otherwise long-lost acquaintances. His periodic mail usually takes the form of impersonal Christmas cards and promotion notices, but in light of the Dot’s passing he endeavors to step up his communications efforts, re-establishing personal contact with many of his former friends.

Some of these contacts, though, turn into further points of contention themselves, earning him even more canine time. As she intercepts and scrutinizes occasional letters from Hawaii, for example, Marjorie reads much more into Hamp’s female “friends” there. The loneliness she felt as a new mother during Hamp’s overseas stints resurface; coupled with the abandonment she felt from her own father as a little girl, her distrust is compounded, and Hamp finds himself trying to avoid being thrown into the same boat.

But while Hamp has trouble dealing with Marjorie’s jealousies, he remains fiercely proud of her. As little understanding as he has for modern art, for instance, he proudly assembles her sometimes peculiar artwork against various backdrops and photographs her together with the individual pieces. Marjorie wears her best dress for each photo shoot, striking glamorous poses as if she were on the cover of Vogue Magazine.

Hamp is particularly fond of a sculpture that Marjorie enters into a local art show; inspired by the blessing of Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley’s book, Roots, it is a bronze statue depicting the roots of a tree. The sculpted roots become hands, and the hands hold a baby, presenting it to the gods. She entitles her work – fittingly – Roots. The television adaptation happens to be in production as a miniseries at the time, and Alex Haley is in the news on a regular basis. Hamp prompts Marjorie to write a letter to the author, letting him know that he has inspired her artwork.

Upon reading her letter, Mr. Haley is touched by her sincere tribute. Embroiled in some controversy over his writing, he sees Marjorie’s letter as a diversion from his other troubles. When he sees the accompanying photograph of the statue, he is impressed by the symbolic imagery and buys all remaining casts to distribute to his friends. In gratitude, he sends her back a copy of his bestselling book, inscribed on the front cover:

It is a gift that both Hamp and Marjorie treasure for the rest of their lives. The book and its accompanying miniseries, with a circle of life and death at its center, sweep across the world, prompting an unprecedented number of people to trace their own roots, close their own circles, and discover their unique heritage.

~~~~~~~~

As Hamp and Marjorie continue their twilight years together, one day Hamp receives a letter from Gordon, requesting a meeting in Salt Lake with President Spencer W. Kimball. Hamp is stunned to read that he is being asked to accept a calling as the Colorado Springs Stake Patriarch, which entails being set apart by the prophet himself. He paces around nervously and wonders if there might be some mistake. Although he doubts his ability to speak for the Lord and feels unworthy and unqualified in every way, he makes his way to Salt Lake City for the interview.

As he walks along the halls of the Church Office Building, mentally and spiritually preparing himself for the meeting, he happens to pass President Kimball’s entourage coming the other direction.

“Why Hamp,” Gordon says, surprised to see him so early for his meeting, “we’ll be with you shortly.”

With that, President Kimball – a notably short fellow – reaches up high and grabs Hamp by the head. He pulls his head down until Hamp is almost bowing. President Kimball then proceeds to give him an almost Papal kiss on the forehead.

“We love you, Brother Price,” he says softly.

In his journal, Hamp calls it “one of the sweetest experiences of my life.”

Upon his return home – between the steady pulse of patriarchal blessings and transcriptions – he continues to spend much of his time outlining his life’s travels, organizing his thousands of slides, and filing away his paperwork. He keeps a pair of scissors on hand as he reads the paper each morning, cutting out articles that relate to Germany or to any of his other interests.

~~~~~~~~

Dot had been among the first of the Class of 1928 to pass away, but every once in a while another obituary runs in the papers, and Hamp and his remaining classmates find that their ranks have decreased by one. As he painstakingly pastes the relevant articles into his extensive collection of newspaper clippings one chilly, autumn morning in 1982, Hamp has no idea that he is next in line.

~~~~~~~~

Chapters:

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