Officials convene near Joseph Smith's birthplace
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Convening in a meetinghouse near the site of Joseph Smith's birth, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve joined officials from Vermont Public Television in previewing segments of the recently released PBS documentary that details the life of the frontier Prophet who was born in Vermont.
The event was hosted by Vermont Public Television at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in South Royalton, Vt.
The documentary titled: "American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith," was produced as part of a project funded by the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation whose mission is the "Preservation of America's Heritage and Culture."
As the featured speaker for the event on Oct. 15, Elder Ballard thanked Vermont Public Television for presenting the documentary that is religious in nature. He also related how ministers of various religions throughout the world ask him why young people in the Church are willing to serve missions. Their motivation, he said, comes from their abiding testimony of the restoration of the gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ.
A descendant of Hyrum Smith, older brother of Joseph, Elder Ballard took time to visit the nearby birthplace of his ancestor. Elder Ballard was accompanied by his wife, Barbara.
Elder J. Willard Marriott Jr., an Area Authority Seventy who represented the Marriott Foundation, also spoke, telling how his love for Vermont stemmed from early recollections of traveling the backroads of the state with his father, who served a mission in Vermont in 1919.
"The life of the Prophet needs to be told — it is an American story," Elder Marriott said.
Dan Harvey, vice president of business development and production for Vermont Public Television, hosted the evening and presented visiting authorities with a gift of Vermont maple syrup.
Producer Lee Groberg described his two-year effort to create a balanced, objective documentary.
He told how local actors became so involved in the feelings and lives of their characters that tears were shed on numerous occasions, particularly when filming scenes depicting the return of the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum to Nauvoo following their martyrdom at Carthage, Ill.
