1975
LDS Scene
July 1975


“LDS Scene,” Ensign, July 1975, 78–80

LDS Scene

California “Samaritans” Honored

To demonstrate that there are still people who care enough for their fellowman to “get involved,” the Church’s Los Angeles Public Communications Council recently presented 15 “Good Samaritan” awards to individuals and groups in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

“All we hear about in the news is problems,” John K. Carmack, Los Angeles Stake president, told those at the awards banquet. “There are many today who exemplify the biblical Good Samaritan and demonstrate by their actions that we are all brothers and sisters. These people represent the wave of the future, and we want to honor them.”

There were hundreds of nominations for the awards, which were open to any group or individual, regardless of race or creed. The council plans to present these awards annually.

Two of the winners are members of the Church: Dr. Harris N. Done of the Yorba Lina Ward, California Placentia Stake, who heads a group of dentists providing equipment and services to Latin American Indians, and Norma Hall, Glendale Third Ward, Glendale California Stake, who has organized programs for handicapped children.

Other winners for this year are: Jack and Liz Snyder of Garden Grove, who, at various times, have cared for 46 foster children who were awaiting adoption;

Charles Thurman, 13, of Lomita, who aided a motorcyclist whose clothing was burning after a crash;

Marcial “Rod” Rodriguez of Norwalk, who works with young people in areas where there has been gang activity and unrest;

Leah Festa of Los Angeles, who takes care of an invalid neighbor;

Jose Gomez and the Unity Club of Santa Monica, who collected and bought toys for children last Christmas;

Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, which provides kosher meals to elderly Jewish people;

Dan Lungren of Long Beach, who aided a robbery victim and caught one of the assailants;

Matt Gauss of Huntington Beach, who launched a plan to save the jobs of five fellow airline employees;

Dr. Gary J. La Tourette, a physician in Los Angeles, who aided a policeman wounded in a shootout;

Phyllis Campbell of Glendale, who organized programs for retarded children;

Radio station KFWB, television station KTLA, and Dan L. Thrapp, Los Angeles Times religion editor, for public service programs.

Hawaii Senate Congratulates Elder Komatsu

The Senate of the State of Hawaii has passed a resolution congratulating Elder Adney Yoshio Komatsu on his appointment as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, calling it a “singular honor.”

The resolution notes that Elder Komatsu is the first General Authority of Japanese ancestry and also lists his past Church service.

The Hawaii Senate sent copies of the resolution to President Spencer W. Kimball and to Glenn Y. M. Lung, president of the Honolulu Hawaii Stake.

Lamanite Performers to Tour South America

The “Lamanite Generation,” a performing group from Brigham Young University, is on a six-week tour of South America, presenting shows in 23 cities. One of those performances will be broadcast on national television in Brazil.

The group, composed mainly of students with Lamanite heritage, schedules one major tour each summer and several others during the school year. This is the first one to South America.

Their program includes traditional and contemporary dances and musical numbers, all influenced by the cultural background of the performers. Director of the group is Jane Thompson.

Two other BYU performing groups, “Sounds of Freedom” and “Young Ambassadors,” toured the United States earlier this spring.

Old BYU Campus Sold

Dr. Dallin H. Oaks, president of Brigham Young University, has announced that the old “lower campus” of the university has been sold to a development corporation, with the approval of the First Presidency.

The sale includes the Education, College, Training School, and Arts buildings, which stand on the block between University Avenue and First East Street and Fifth and Sixth North Streets. Also sold were the Women’s Gymnasium on the west side of University Avenue and the Industrial Arts Building on the south side of Fifth North.

The buildings will be remodeled into a specialty shopping and entertainment center. It will be called Academy Square.

“We are fully conscious of the memories, nostalgia, and sentiment that are associated with lower campus, and we intend to preserve, restore, secure, and communicate Academy Square’s cultural heritage,” the developers stated.

Originally, the buildings were the home of Brigham Young Academy, established in 1875. They were dedicated between 1892 and 1912. The shopping square is expected to be completed by the summer of 1977.

Choir to Perform in Canada

The Tabernacle Choir has announced a four-concert tour in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to take place in late August.

The choir will perform Thursday, August 21, at 8 P.M. in the Edmonton Coliseum; Friday, August 22, at 8 P.M. in the Edmonton Jubilee Auditorium; and Saturday, August 23, at both 2:30 and 8 P.M. in the Calgary Jubilee Auditorium. In addition, the choir’s weekly broadcast, “Music and the Spoken Word,” will originate from the Calgary Jubilee Auditorium on Sunday, August 24.

The tour will be the Tabernacle Choir’s fifth visit to Canada.

BYU High School Home Study Courses

A United States high school diploma is now available through the Brigham Young University home study program. This makes it possible for older persons or students living overseas to receive a high school education at home.

“We’ve always been anxious to provide opportunities for education to people with special needs,” said E. Mack Palmer, chairman of the BYU Department of Home Study, “and we hope this new high school diploma program will be a significant help to others.”

Some scholarships are available to home study students.

Interested persons may obtain information by writing to High School Diploma, BYU Home Study, 210 HRCB, Provo, Utah 84602.

Elder Anderson to Head Historical Department

The First Presidency has announced the appointment of Elder Joseph Anderson, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, as managing director of the Church Historical Department.

He succeeds Elder Alvin R. Dyer, also an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve.

Elder Anderson has been associate managing director of the department since March 1974. Prior to his call to be an Assistant to the Twelve, in 1970, he had been secretary to the First Presidency and secretary-treasurer of Deseret Book Company.

Summer Pageants

Church drama presentations this summer will include the traditional Hill Cumorah Pageant, Mormon Miracle Pageant, and Promised Valley musical.

A cast and crew of 600 will use 25 outdoor stages in the Cumorah pageant, being presented for the 39th year. It will run Friday, July 25 through Saturday, August 2, except Sunday and Monday, at 9 P.M. on the hill near Palmyra, New York.

The Mormon Miracle Pageant will be performed July 10, 11, 12, and 15–19 on temple hill in Manti, Utah, also at 9 P.M. Promised Valley, which tells the story of the pioneer trek to Utah, is presented at the Promised Valley Playhouse in Salt Lake City through July and August, except on Sundays and Mondays. All the presentations are free.

The BYU “Lamanite Generation” cast that will tour Latin America this summer.