Follow The Prophet – The Words & Deeds of God's Living Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson

Place: Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
Purpose: Commencement address

This morning, President Monson gave the commencement speech to the 2314 graduates of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.  He told them that in order to lead an abundant life you must have the ABCs – attitude, belief, and courage.  The Salt Lake Tribune notes:

“You … can be explorers in spirit with a mandate to make this world better,” said Monson, whose speech conveyed wisdom from a range of famous people and thinkers, from evangelical Christian pastor Charles Swindoll to Eleanor Roosevelt to Vince Lombardi.

The graduation ceremony will be broadcast on television May 1, on KUED, from 4:30-6:00 p.m.

See more at the links below:
Mormon Times – Mormon President Thomas S. Monson: Path for graduates
LDS Church Newsroom – President Monson Addresses Weber State University Graduates
KSL.com – Pres. Monson addresses WSU graduates
Salt Lake Tribune – LDS President Thomas S. Monson tells Weber graduates to seek abundant life
Deseret News – Mormon President Thomas S. Monson lays out simple path to success for Weber State University graduates

On behalf of her late husband, President Monson kisses Thelma Fetzer's forehead. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Place: Thelma Fetzer’s house
Purpose: Celebrate friend’s 100th birthday

A week ago from last Thursday, on April 8th, President Monson visited one of his “golden” friends of over 60 years, Thelma Wooley Fetzer, to celebrate her 100th birthday, as reported in the Church News.

Sister Fetzer’s husband, Percy K. Fetzer (who passed away in 1982), was a stake president in Salt Lake City’s Temple View Stake long ago, and called President Monson to be one of his counselors.

“Since I was his counselor and friend, I’ll say for Percy, ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart.’ ” President Monson then placed a kiss on Sister Fetzer’s forehead.

See more in the Church News article:
‘Golden friend’ receives visit from President and Sister Monson

The LDS blog Segullah recently posted some anecdotes about President Monson.  One may or may not be true, as it is told several times removed from the source.  The other was told by Elder Lansing of the Seventy that spoke at a stake conference last weekend.

The first story is about a woman who is not a member of the Church, but who has a coworker who is, and who she speaks with often about the Church.  While the women is traveling on one occasion she meets a nice older gentleman, and they have a conversation:

…she finds out the gentleman is also a member of the church. She tells him about her co-worker [the member]. They talk and have a friendly conversation. As their meeting is coming to a close he asks her to tell her friend hello. Puzzled, she asks, “Will she know you?” He answers, “Yes, she probably will. Tell her Tommy Monson says hello.”

The second story is Elder Lansing’s account of President Monson’s visits to Elder Marion D. Hanks, who is in the hospital with Alzheimer’s disease.  The things that President Monson did for his friend is touching.

Read the stories and the additional anecdotes in the comments at Segullah:
I’m Trying to Be Like…

Whenever a religious figure is asked to speak at a secular or civil event, it is bound to generate questions.  Weber State’s newspaper The Signpost published an article about how President Monson was chosen to be the speaker at the 135th commencement at the university in Ogden, Utah, on April 23rd.

The article also discusses why a honorary degree is bestowed upon the speaker, in this case it will be a doctorate of humanities.  What many people might not be aware of is that President Monson has served the community well, outside of religious circles:

He has served as a member of the National Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America since 1969 and was awarded international scouting’s highest award, the Bronze Wolf, in 1993. In 1981, Monson was appointed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan to serve on the President’s Task Force for Private Sector Initiatives. He made a career in publishing and printing and worked as an executive in the Deseret News advertising division and also held a position as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents. Monson has served many years in the community as a board member of many large businesses. Currently he serves as a trustee for Brigham Young University and the Church Board of Education…

“No matter what religious persuasion, no matter what ideals somebody has, no matter what their goals are in life,” Walker said, “if you look across that list of honorary degree recipients you see world-class wonderful people who are just wonderful examples, that you can emulate in your own personal life.”

See the full article at The Signpost:
LDS Church president to encourage graduates