Monson, Thomas S.

Monson was born in Salt Lake City , Utah . His parents are Spencer Monson (1901-1979) and Gladys Condy (1902-1973). The second of six children, he grew up in a friendly family - many of his mother's relatives lived on the same street on which Monson lived. Their large family, including mother's relatives, often traveled together. In this area of ​​the city there were also several residents of Mexican descent. In this environment, Monson developed his love for the Mexican people. Monson often spent the night with relatives on a farm in Granger (now part of West Valley City), and as a teenager, Monson took over the printing job run by Monson's father.

From 1940 to 1944, Monson attended West High School in Salt Lake City. In the fall of 1944, he entered the University of Utah. Around this time, he met his future wife, Francis, whose family came from a higher social class on the eastern side of the city. Her father, Franz Johnson, felt connected from the very beginning, as Monson's cousin baptized him in the LDS church in Sweden .

In 1945, at the age of 17, Monson was enrolled in the US Navy reserve and was about to participate in World War II on the Pacific Front . He was sent to San Diego , California , but he was not sent abroad until after the war. His service life lasted six months after the end of the war, and after completing the service, he returned to the University of Utah. Monson graduated with honors in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in business management. In his youth, Monson did not serve a full-time mission. On October 7, 1948, at the age of 21, he married Francis Beverly Johnson at the Salt Lake City Temple. The couple had three children: Thomas Lee, Anne Francis and Clark Spencer. Frances Johnson died on May 17, 2013. ^[4]

After college, Monson returned to the naval reserve with the goal of becoming an officer. Shortly after he received a letter confirming him to be an officer, his bishop urged him to serve as an adviser to the bishop. Due to the fact that bishopric meetings were held during the hours when Monson was supposed to be in the service, he could not remain in the naval forces. After talking with the Apostle Harold B. Lee (his former stake president), Monson refused the officer’s rank and filed for demobilization. The naval forces gave him demobilization in the last group, which they issued before the Korean War. Six months later, Lee ordained him bishop and, in blessing, he mentioned that Monson probably would not have received that call if he had remained in the Navy. Monson taught for some time at the University of Utah and then began a career in publishing. His first job was Deseret News, where he became an advertising administrator. He joined the advertising business of the Newspaper Agency Corporation when it was founded in 1952. Monson later transferred to the Deseret News Press, where he began working as head of sales and eventually became general manager. While he worked at Desert News Press, Monson helped publish the book, Miraculous and Marvelous, written by LeGrand Richards. He also worked with Gordon B. Hinckley, a spokesman for the church’s publishers, with whom he later served in the First Presidency.

On May 7, 1950, Monson became Bishop of the LDS at the age of 22. He previously served as a parish clerk, parish chief of the Mutual Development Association for Young Men and as an adviser to the bishopric. At that time, Monson's parish in Salt Lake City amounted to more than 1,000 people, including 85 widows, whom he visited regularly. He continued his visits to these widows after he was released after five years of service. He brought them presents during the Christmas holidays, including poultry, which he raised himself. Monson later spoke at the funeral of each of these women.

At the age of 27, Monson became an adviser to the stake president in Salt Lake City and mission president at the age of 31. As mission president, he presided over the Canadian LDS Church mission from 1959 to 1962, overseeing church missionaries who were not much younger than he. The Canadian mission consisted of Ontario and Quebec . Under the direction of Monson, missionary work began among the French-speaking population of Quebec.

Upon returning to Utah, after a mission in Canada , Monson continued his work at Deseret News until he was called as an apostle in 1963 at the age of 36 — he was the youngest apostle in the church since Joseph Fielding Smith became an apostle in 1910 at the age of 33. Before being called an apostle, Monson held several positions on church committees, including the Priesthood Home Teaching Committee.

As an apostle to the LDS Church, Monson has worked in many capacities around the world. Based on his business experience, he helped oversee many church-owned businesses, including CSL News and Bonneville International. In the 70s, he was chairman of the Sacred Scriptures Committee, which oversaw the publication of the King James Bible, accompanied by supporting materials from the LDS Church, and edited the LDS Church scriptures that contain references and indexes. He also oversaw the work of the Church Press Advisory Council, the Missionaries Executive Committee, and the Welfare Committee. As an apostle, he continued his education and received a master's degree in business management from Brigham Young University in 1974.

Monson also led church projects in Eastern Europe and participated in the work, thanks to which the church gained access to its members living in the socialist bloc. In 1982, he organized the first stake in East Germany and played an important role in obtaining permission to build a temple in Freiberg, East Germany, in 1985.

Monson has also been a member of the National Boy Scouts Executive Council of America since 1969. From 1 to 1977, he served on the Utah Higher Education Council and the Utah Regents Council.

Following the death of Kimball Church President in 1985, the newly elected Church President Ezra Taft Benson appointed Monson and Gordon B. Hinckley as their second and first counselors, respectively. At the age of 58, Monson became the youngest member of the First Presidency since Anton H. Lund, 57, served in 1901.

Monson and Hinckley also served as advisers to Howard W. Hunter, Benson's successor. When Hinckley succeeded Hunter in 1995, Monson became his first adviser. He served them until Hinckley's death on January 27, 2008. Second in seniority among the apostles (behind Hinckley), Monson also served as president of the Quorum of the twelve apostles. (Boyd K. Packer served as acting president.)

President Monson became the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS on February 3, 2008, after President Gordon B. Hinckley, who had died three days earlier. Monson elected Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as first and second advisers, respectively. When Monson was born, there were less than 650,000 church members and most were in the western United States. When he became president of the church, there were more than 13 million church members worldwide, and most lived outside the US and Canada. By October 2008, Monson announced the construction of 13 new temples.

He and his advisers in the First Presidency met with President George W. Bush during his visit to Salt Lake City. Later, he and the Apostle Dalin H. Oaks met with Senator Harry Reid and President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and presented the President with five volumes of personal family records.

When he was president of the church, Monson dedicated more than nine churches to the LDS church: a temple in Rexburg, Idaho , February 10, 2008; Curitiba Temple, Brazil , June 1, 2008; Temple in Panama City , Panama , August 10, 2008; Twin Falls Idaho Temple August 24, 2008; Temple in Mexico City , Mexico (re-initiation), November 16, 2008; Draper Utah Temple May 20, 2009; Oker Mountains Utah Temple August 21, 2009; Vancouver Temple, British Columbia , May 2, 2010; Gila Valley, Arizona Temple May 23, 2010; Cebu Temple, Philippines June 13, 2010; and the temple in Kiev, Ukraine , August 29, 2010.

As an adviser to the first presidency, Monson dedicated seven church churches; in 1986, he dedicated a temple in Buenos Aires , Argentina, and six in 2000: a temple in Louisville, Kentucky, a temple in Reno, Nevada , a temple in Tampico, Mexico, a temple in Villachermos, Mexico, a temple in Merida, Mexico, and a temple in Veracruz, Mexico. Monson also attended the initiation of many other church churches when he was a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles and the First Presidency.

Thomas Monson continues to participate in local and civil affairs. He is a former president of the Utah Printing Industry and a former representative of the America Printing Industry. In his youth, he was a scout, and among his posts were a bounty counselor, a member of the Canadian Committee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Scout movement, a chaplain for a meeting of Canadian scouts, a member of the general committee of scouts of the TsICHPD for ten years. He is a supporter of programs that provide food for those in need, and since 1969 he served as a spokesman for the National Committee for the Scout Movement. He introduced the Scout movement as a delegate to the World Conference in Tokyo, Nairobi, and Copenhagen.

He served as a member of the board of regents. In December 1981, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, appointed Monson to the Presidential Council on Private Activities. He was on this board until work ended in December 1982.

Thomas Monson died of natural causes on January 2, 2018 in Salt Lake City ^[5] .

Monson received various awards related to his voluntary work and contribution to the field of education. In 1966, Monson was recognized as an outstanding graduate of the University of Utah. His first honorary degree, the title of Honorary Doctor of Law, was awarded to him in April 1981 at Brigham Young University. For his service to the scouting movement and society, Monson received the Silver Beaver Award (1971) from the Boy Scouts movement in America, as well as the Silver Buffalo Award (1978), which is the highest award for US Boy Scouts. Monson also received the Bronze Wolf, the only award from the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The commemorative inscription that accompanied this award said: "In his activities around the world as a leader (LDS Church), President Monson has worked tirelessly to promote the organization of scouts in many countries." He worked closely with the World Organization of the Scout Movement to find ways to strengthen ties between the church and the National Scout Association.

• "President Thomas S. Monson." LDS Newsroom. LDS Church . www.lds.org
• Moore, Carrie A. (02/04/2008) “President Monson recalls influence of family on his life.” Deseret News .
• Holland, Jeffrey R. (08.1994) “President Thomas S. Monson: Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith” Liahona .
• William O. Lewis. III. Thomas S. Monson Grandpa Bill's GA Pages.
• Scott, Tayler (07/20/2009) “President Monson meets with President Obama.” Deseret News .
• “President Monson is honored for his contributions to Scouting.” Church News , 09-10-1993.