Improvement Era, 1954 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion

A Successful Book of Remembrance Project By Ray L. Jones

PRINCIPAL, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SEMINARIES

LAST SPRING the regional board of education, the Church department of education, and the Church genealogical society approved my request to introduce a Book of Remembrance project in the Church history course of study in the Southern California seminaries for 1953-54. The project has met with phenomenal success.

At the conclusion of the project special awards were presented in sacrament meetings throughout the region. Under the direction of the stake genealogical chairman, awards were given to students, and the Books of Remembrance were displayed at the wards.

After receiving approval on the project last spring, Southern California seminary staffs took on the job of distributing fifteen hundred Books of Remembrance covers and thirty thousand genealogical forms. The individual books were assembled by students of the Downey Ward and Grant Ward seminaries of South Los Angeles Stake. As each student registered last fall for the 7 a.m. daily seminary class, he was supplied with a book as part of the registration fee.

A "Teacher's Guide" was prepared and in October seminary teachers met with representatives of stake genealogical organizations and James M. Kirkham of the Church Genealogical Society for special instructions concerning the project.

During a three-week period beginning October 26, fifty-four of the fifty-nine seminary classes in the region studied the project and students were encouraged to complete the following work: portrait pedigree chart, pedigree charts, four family group sheets, personal record, own life story.

Additional activities included the life story of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, individual patriarchal blessings, story of life in pictures.

Students who completed the required items qualify for a special seminary genealogical award which includes a page for the Book of Remembrance featuring a colored picture of the Los Angeles Temple. The page is signed by the stake president, stake genealogical chairman, and the seminary instructor of the qualifying student.

Approximately one thousand completed books have been submitted since December 7, and each has been checked by genealogical workers.

The response to this project from parents, students, teachers, and genealogical workers has been exceptionally fine. The project has given genealogical work, and therefore temple work, a great boost. One stake genealogical chairman says, "It is the finest thing that ever happened to genealogical work in Southern California. It has done more to stimulate interest in this work than anything ever tried in the past."

Donald Wismer, instructor at the Baldwin Park Seminary, Pasadena Stake, inspects Book of Remembrance submitted by one of his students.

This is my testimony concerning the project:

During the months of December and January, I have met with stake and ward genealogical workers from twelve stakes here in Southern California to check over the more than one thousand books which were submitted in this project. In most cases each student's book was checked by a member of his own ward or stake genealogical committee.

Genealogical workers have been thrilled with the general quality of work done by these students. Every stake chairman has received a list of all students in his stake submitting books and in most stakes some follow-up work is planned with these students.

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