A milestone
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In his Sunday morning address at the 176th Semiannual General Conference of the Church on Oct. 1, President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If I last a few months longer, I will have served to an older age than any previous president."
President Hinckley has reached that milestone. On Nov. 2, at 96 years and 133 days, he became the longest-lived President of the Church, a distinction previously held by President David O. McKay.
At age 96, President Hinckley maintains a schedule that would be wearing on many who are his juniors by a decade or two — even three. During the past 12 months, his travels have included:
- Sharon, Vt., where, on Dec. 23, 2005, he delivered an address via
satellite to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet
Joseph Smith.
- Santiago, Chile, where he addressed a member meeting on March 11 and
rededicated the Santiago Chile Temple on March 12, 2006.
- Iowa City, Iowa, where he spoke June 11 at a Sesquicentennial Handcart
Pioneer Commemoration Fireside carried over the Church satellite system.
- Sacramento, Calif., where he addressed a member meeting on Sept. 2 and
dedicated the Sacramento California Temple on Sept. 3.
- Helsinki, Finland, where he addressed a member meeting on Oct. 21 and dedicated the Helsinki Finland Temple on Oct. 22.
President Hinckley goes to the office every workday just after 7 a.m. and remains until the office closes at 5 p.m. He often does extra work at home in the evening.
His calendar of activities during the week that he became the longest-lived Church president revealed a busy schedule:
Monday, Oct. 30, he reviewed and prepared correspondence in his office and worked to prepare three talks for upcoming events.
Tuesday, Oct. 31, he attended a First Presidency meeting with his counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust. He then traveled to Provo, Utah, where he addressed a devotional assembly at BYU.
Wednesday, Nov. 1, he met with his counselors in the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric. He also attended a meeting of the Deseret Management Corporation. Later, he went to a studio in the Conference Center to videotape remarks for a General Handbook of Instructions training broadcast and other events. After returning from the studio, he personally considered a number of important matters pertaining to individual members of the Church.
Thursday, Nov. 2, he held a meeting with all the General Authorities who were in Salt Lake City.
Friday, Nov. 3, his calendar called for a First Presidency meeting and a meeting with the Presiding Bishopric.
Sprinkled in between all of these meetings are many other tasks that make for a very heavy workload.
"I just keep plugging along, doing the best I can," said President Hinckley, "and I will continue to do so as long as the Lord will allow. This is His work and I am honored to be a part of it."
E-mail to: gerry@desnews.com
