45 years ago today - Apr 2, 1981-Thursday

[Leonard Arrington]

I have learned of an interesting development with respect to Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. When it was originally set up, the plan was to make it non-Church, non-Mormon, resembling Williamsburg. For that purpose the original advisory board included both non-Mormons and Mormons, and in order to insure historical integrity, it employed and consulted only with top-flight historians, archaeologists, and restorationists. This went on for a few years and then when vacancies in the advisory board appeared, an all-Mormon advisory board was created which included some general authorities. These included Elder Mark Petersen and Elder Delbert Stapley. Originally the corporation was to draw on private funds primarily-the donations of wealthy Mormons and grants from national philanthropic agencies, in addition to the pledged contributions of Dr. LeRoy Kimball. As time went on the Church became less concerned with the historical and artistic integrity and more interested in the proselyt[iz]ing
potential which it offered. It came to be, not a historical restoration, but a missionary tool for preaching the gospel to people who visit the site. This appears to have been primarily the objective of Elder Mark Petersen, who used his very considerable influence to downplay any aspect of the restoration which was not "positive" and helpful in the "missionary sale." For example, he prohibited them from putting up signs about the Masonic Hall and insisted that the sign simply say Cultural Hall. For that purpose also he did not wish any form of cooperation with the RLDS Church, which owned some of the properties and had its own tour guides. While the RLDS tour guides simply provided historical information, Elder Petersen insisted that our own tour guides be missionaries and that they did hard-sell proselyting in connection with the tour. This obviously created ill-will with the RLDS people. When Elder Stapley died, his place was taken by Elder [L.] Tom Parry. Elder Petersen remained
the senior member of the board.

Recently, with Dr. Kimball, who had been president both of the Nauvoo Mission and of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc., reaching 78, the Missionary Committee decided to release him as president of the mission. At the same time Elder Petersen decided that he should be released also as president of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. This decision, according to my informant, was made without consultation with President [Spencer W.] Kimball. Elder Petersen wrote a beautiful letter of release which he submitted to the First Presidency for signature. They signed it as a perfunctory thing, as they sign many letters presented to them, and there was no discussion with them about the matter. Dr. Kimball was very hurt when he received the letter-not because he was being released, but because of the manner in which it was done, simply notifying him by letter without any advance warning or consultation. He had put several hundred thousand dollars of his own money into the project, and for him to be
released in this manner deeply injured his feelings. He finally decided, after weeping for a couple of days about it, to go to President Kimball to see if indeed President Kimball approved of this manner of doing things. President Kimball wept with him when Dr. Kimball explained all of this to President Kimball. President Kimball said he was not aware of it and did not approve of it, that he was very disappointed that a letter would be placed for him to sign without preliminary conversation about it.

President Kimball then called a meeting of those involved. This included Elder Petersen, who had written the letter, Elder [L. Tom] Parry, Dr. Kimball, President Kimball, and his two counselors, President [N. Eldon] Tanner and President [Marion G.] Romney. Both of the latter, it turned out, had also signed the letter without knowing the circumstances.

President Kimball said it was not his preference to have Dr. Kimball released as president of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. He also said he did not approve of this manner of notification and chastened Elder Petersen, who apologized profusely. It became evident that Elder Petersen himself expected to be the president of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc., replacing Dr. Kimball. After the meeting Elder Petersen came up to Dr. Kimball and said, "Dr. Kimball, we love you and wouldn't do anything in the world to hurt you." (This reminds me of a similar action of Elder Petersen after the meeting at which he torpedoed The Story of the Latter-day Saints. He said, "Brother Arrington, we want you to know that we love you and wouldn't do anything to hurt you.") Apparently then[,] Dr. Kimball is back as president of Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. ...

Yesterday Grace and I attended the Women's History Symposium, jointly sponsored by the Women's Research Center at BYU and the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History. Both morning and afternoon papers were excellent... Here are the notes I made from these: Kate Kirkham



3. In early days, what women did [professionally was] perceived as positive because [it] came back to help the community. Different boundary today. [Back then][,] go out and get education and return [to Utah].

4. Change in tasks and in relationship [of women] to priesthood. [Women handling] grain storage v. [rules for] single and married ladies. Difference between initiating [tasks] and supervising [lifestyles]. Easier to coalesce around things you oppose than around something you want to do. Can't agree [today].

5. Relief Society as a change agent of Church. Taking on tasks, develop[ing], [then] turn[ing] [projects] over to Church. Often don't get credit or visibility....



In the evening we watched the address of Elder [Marion D.] Hanks at the fourteen BYU stakes, broadcast on KBYU. It was a truly outstanding talk.9

We noted the change in the sustaining of officers in which they sustained the new Seventy, Elder Abrea, and then simply asked us to sustain all other general authorities as previously constituted. That was a surprise. After Elder [Marion G.] Romney put that motion to the group, there was a delayed "No" shouted by one or two or three women in the rear, with something else being said like "No-because they are against ERA [Equal Rights Amendment]." Elder Romney either did not hear this or deliberately chose to ignore it. No attention was paid to it nor did the television switch to that part of the tabernacle nor was any mention made of it in the Conference news story in the Deseret News.

The News story did carry information about the fifty or sixty women who marched from the State Capitol to Temple Square and marched once around the grounds. They carried placards "Down with the Church That Opposes ERA." The TV news also had a shot of the airplane carrying a banner over the center of Salt Lake City with some inscription like "Mormons for ERA." There were no altercations in connection with the picketing. People seemed to be astonished or oblivious or with the attitude "Here we go again."

[Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]