[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 86 (Friday, June 24, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 23, 2005

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Chairman, this week marks the 95th birthday of 
Gordon Bitner Hinckley, the 15th President of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  Gordon B. Hinckley was born on June 23, 1910 to Bryant and Ada 
Hinckley in Salt Lake City, Utah. The day Hinckley was born, a can of 
Campbell's soup cost 10 cents, a man's shirt was less than $1 and beef 
sold for 30 cents a pound in Salt Lake City.
  Growing up in Salt Lake City, young Gordon spent summers on the 
family fruit farm in the rural Salt Lake Valley. He and his brother 
Sherman often slept out under the stars in the box of an old farm wagon 
where they lay on their backs, picking out familiar stars. They also 
weeded and irrigated the family garden, looked after livestock, and dug 
fence post holes. In 1923, when President Warren G. Harding visited 
SLC, Gordon and his siblings helped line the streets to wave flags as 
the President's motorcade came into town.
  In 1928, just a year before the onset of the Depression, Gordon 
Hinckley enrolled at the University of Utah thinking he might become an 
architect. But he loved English literature, particularly Shakespeare, 
and he decided to go into journalism instead.
  From 1933 to the summer of 1935, he served as a missionary for the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles. In 
addition to the hard work of proselytizing, he led efforts there to 
improve relations with the press, published articles, and wrote 
eloquent letters home.
  Upon returning to Utah, he accepted a job as executive secretary of 
the newly formed Church Radio, Publicity and Mission Literature 
Committee. In this capacity he led the public relations and media 
efforts of the Church, grasping and utilizing new electronic media to 
modernize the delivery of the Church of Jesus Christ's message.
  He married the late Majorie Pay on April 29, 1937 and together they 
had 5 children and 25 grandchildren.
  By the time he became President of the Church on March 13, 1995, he 
had labored nearly 60 years at Church headquarters--38 years of service 
as a General Authority and 15 of those in the First Presidency.
  During the last 10 years, President Hinckley has traveled extensively 
throughout the world meeting with dignitaries and members of the 
Church. Through these meetings, he has reinforced his statement that, 
``Good homes produce good people. Good homes become the foundation for 
the strength of any nation.'' In writing and speaking, he has 
encouraged church membership and others to strengthen their homes and 
families and cultivate virtues such as love, honesty, civility, mercy, 
industry, and gratitude.
  As the leader of the ninth largest religion in the United States, he 
has overseen significant international building efforts, worldwide 
expansion of church membership, and has been noted for his openness to 
the press. He has endeared himself to Church members and others he 
meets with attributes developed in his earlier years: hard work, an 
ease with language, a dry wit, and a genuine love for people.
  In addition to Church service, President Hinckley has been active in 
community affairs, receiving numerous honors, including the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.
  He wrote, ``My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy 
more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we 
`accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for 
the good.'' President Hinckley has embodied this positive attitude 
throughout his 95 years and shared it vigorously during his last 10.
  I hope that my colleagues will join me in wishing a very happy 95th 
birthday to this great man and leader.




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