President Kimball's journals, now available...

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IHAQ
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President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by IHAQ »

President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the great advocates and examples of keeping a personal journal.

For the first time, the late Church president’s own journals are now open and available for public viewing, according to a Church History Library blog post.

President Kimball’s journals will be a valuable addition to Church history records, said Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as the Church historian and recorder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/history/2 ... als-online
Digitized images of the journals are accessible in the Church History Catalog without any transcription or interpretation under call number MS 21541.

While the collection is open and accessible to the public, visitors must log in with a free Church account to view the digitized images due to copyrighted material contained in the collection, primarily newspaper clippings.
I'd imagine the journals leading ups to June 1978 might make interesting reading for those with a Church account...but it might be that the Church will hide anything really interesting by means of an administrative get out of jail free card...
President Kimball continued journaling after his call as President of the Church in 1973. As the demands of serving as Church President mounted, however, his journaling output slowed, and he ultimately stopped keeping his own journal in early 1977. During this time and onward, his personal secretary, D. Arthur Haycock, kept an office journal which is not part of this collection. President Kimball’s son Edward L. Kimball took notes from the office journal for the years 1977 to 1981 which he added to his father’s journal. Edward’s additions to his father’s journal include his own commentary, as well, sometimes in square brackets. Thus, beginning in 1977, entries in the Spencer W. Kimball journals consist of Edward’s notes rather than President Kimball’s personal journaling.
https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org ... e?lang=eng
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Res Ipsa
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by Res Ipsa »

While the collection is open and accessible to the public, visitors must log in with a free Church account to view the digitized images due to copyrighted material contained in the collection, primarily newspaper clippings.
This strikes me as BS.
he/him
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MG 2.0
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by MG 2.0 »

IHAQ wrote:
Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:34 am
President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the great advocates and examples of keeping a personal journal.

For the first time, the late Church president’s own journals are now open and available for public viewing, according to a Church History Library blog post.
OK. That’s cool.

Years ago I read the biography written by Edwin Kimball. It was a great read at the time.

This will be fun to look at.

There’s a LOT of material there.

Regards,
MG
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Everybody Wang Chung
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by Everybody Wang Chung »

I logged on to my church account and took a gander. The first 68 pages are just old photocopies of tithings slips and checks. The remainder of the 357 pages appear to be old (barely legible) photo copies of typed pages written by his secretary or biographer (Spencer W. Kimball is referred to in the third person).

So far, nothing much to see. I was expecting his actual journal that he wrote himself. Maybe I'm not looking at the correct journal?
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by IHAQ »

Everybody Wang Chung wrote:
Mon Feb 27, 2023 5:11 am
I logged on to my church account and took a gander. The first 68 pages are just old photocopies of tithings slips and checks. The remainder of the 357 pages appear to be old (barely legible) photo copies of typed pages written by his secretary or biographer (Spencer W. Kimball is referred to in the third person).

So far, nothing much to see. I was expecting his actual journal that he wrote himself. Maybe I'm not looking at the correct journal?
Isn't is searchable by date?

By rights his journal should detail the events and revelation that led to the ending of the ban on people of black African descent attending the temple and holding the Priesthood. Such a big revelatory event cannot have failed to have made it into his journal. So if all that isn’t in there, it’s being hidden…or it didn’t happen.
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Tom
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by Tom »

I looked through the entries for 1978. There's little in the way of details. Plus, the key entries were published in BYU Studies in 2008. The June 1 entry reads:
After meeting with my counselors for an hour this morning from eight until nine o’clock, we went over to the temple and met with all of the General Authorities in the monthly meeting we hold together.

Returned to the office for a few minutes and then went over to Temple Square for the dedication services of the new Visitors Center South, which was scheduled to commence at 3:00 p.m.

The services lasted for about an hour, after which we returned to the office where I worked at my desk until six o’clock.
The June 9 entry reads:
This morning at seven o’clock by prior arrangement met in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple with all of the General Authorities to consider with them the matter of giving the Priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church.

After our meeting returned to the office and released the following letter concerning giving the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church: (See copy of letter.)

Immediately following the release of this announcement the telephones started to ring and rang continuously the balance of the afternoon. People, members and nonmembers, called from around the world to learn if what they had heard on the radio and TV was true.

The First Presidency met with the Presiding Bishopric at 10:15 a.m. which was much later than usual due to our meeting in the Temple.

At 11:00 a.m. the First Presidency met with a Mr. Ron Smith of Newsmaking International.

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.

Had appointments with several of the General Authorities this afternoon on matters they needed to discuss with me. Also my counselors and I met with the Missionary Committee and then later with Brother Heber G. Wolsey and Wendell J. Ashton.

It was a very busy day today and did not get away from the office until six o’clock tonight.
Both entries have penciled vertical lines next to the entries with "REV" written to the right of the lines.

Quoting from a blog post from the Church History Library:
Preparing President Kimball’s journals for public release was a complex process, as his day-to-day work dealt with confidential subjects which appear in journal entries, like meetings with individuals in private settings—counseling sessions, for instance—and sacred topics. Additionally, the newspaper clippings that President Kimball added to his journal remain under copyright. Thus, in preparing the Spencer W. Kimball journals for public release, employees of the Church History Department reviewed all entries for content that is sacred, copyrighted, or could potentially violate someone’s right to privacy. Due to the huge quantity of journal pages, it has taken several years since the journals’ donation for them to be ready for access.
I noted a number of redactions in the 1978 entries. I was surprised that one particular entry in 1978 was not redacted. Certainly, it could be viewed as a violation of an individual's privacy.

I also looked through some entries in the early 1960s. Much more detailed than the 1978 entries, but most rather mundane: interviews, talks, marriages, meetings, stake reorganizations, meals, sightseeing, etc.
“But if you are told by your leader to do a thing, do it. None of your business whether it is right or wrong.” Heber C. Kimball, 8 Nov. 1857
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by IHAQ »

This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.
Why was Dr Franklin's skin colour noteworthy to President Kimball, but not President Gardner's?
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by MG 2.0 »

IHAQ wrote:
Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:09 pm
This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.
Why was Dr Franklin's skin colour noteworthy to President Kimball, but not President Gardner's?
Probably because one was black and the other white.

Remember, this was 1978.

Regards,
MG
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by Moksha »

IHAQ wrote:
Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:09 pm
This afternoon at 2:30, President David P. Gardner of the University of Utah brought Dr. Franklin, a black man, in to meet me and came into my office for a short visit.
Why was Dr Franklin's skin colour noteworthy to President Kimball, but not President Gardner's?
President Kimball was used to seeing white guys. A black guy entering Kimball's office was a huge novelty and worthy of retelling. Like a once in a century event or the moon being in the 7th house and Jupiter aligning with Mars.
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Re: President Kimball's journals, now available...

Post by Salvete »

Could we imagine the sheer banality of some of these?

July 8, 1964

Dear diary,

Helluva day. I just want to cuddle in my bed and watch Gilligan’s Island, but it’s summer so it’s going to be one I’ve already seen before.
From the end spring new beginnings.
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