1: He regularly gave away his personal clothing when he saw people in need.
Lynne Cannegieter, President Monson’s secretary, estimates that he gave away as many as ten suits per year over forty years, along with other clothing and personal items.
2: The year Monson was born, Charles Lindbergh made the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis.
It was the same year talking pictures hit local theaters.
3: After becoming a bishop at twenty-two years old, he hung the same painting of Christ in every Church office he had.
4: He was a life-long pigeon enthusiast.
5: He was once assigned to memorize the entire Church handbook.
During a discussion with Elder Spencer W. Kimball, they talked about the need for a copy of the Church’s General Handbook of Instructions to reach Church members in East Germany.
When Elder Monson explained that the communist country forbid such books to enter the country, Elder Kimball responded, “Why don’t you…memorize it; and then we’ll put you across the border!”
While he didn’t memorize the book verbatim, he thoroughly familiarized himself with the contents and structure and traveled to the German Democratic Republic.
While typing it up in a local Church office, he was about thirty pages in when he stood up to stretch — and found a copy of the Handbook, in German, on a shelf.
“We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet”
Thomas S. Monson
1927-2018
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Guest Author
Kurt Francom
