Maybe you don't think you are important, and when your spouse reminds you that it's your turn to load the dishwasher, maybe you feel it even more strongly, but that may not be true at all!
Many times I would spend time in the kitchen of my father-in-law's house and listen to him tell the stories of his experiences as a young missionary, but never did I image them to be important to the history of Brigham Young University or to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
My father-in-law was one of the first LDS missionaries to serve in the Palestine/Syria mission following the partition of Israel. His companion was Carlos Asay, Harold had wonderful stories to tell and I loved hearing them when we would visit for family reunions, but I didn't realize the value of his service until after he had passed away.
Sorting through the estate, the Spirit helped me to know that Harold's missionary memorabilia was important and needed to be preserved. We then arranged to have these items donated to the Harold B. Lee Library. We contacted John M. Murphy the Curator of 20th and 21st Century Western and Mormon Americana manuscripts for the L. Tom Perry Special Collections.
Brother Murphy advised us on how to prepare the items we would be donating in behalf of Harold's family and did a wonderful job of letting us know how important it was to the University and the Church to make these items available for future generations. One of the benefits we received in donating his papers to BYU was in having an opportunity to tour the marvelous Archive collections. Wow, the BYU Library houses the history of human thought and experiences! We touched history (with gloved hands of course) and felt how BYU loves and cares for the histories of mankind.
During our 2011 gathering, Brother Murphy came to our reunion dinner and invited all to take advantage of the services provided by the archive. They are particularly interested in histories, photos and journals of Latter-day Saints who have served as missionaries or who have records of their war experiences. When you watch a documentary about church history or about the faith of the Saints, you are watching what was recorded and preserved by ordinary people, just like you.
Any items you donate to the BYU Archives can be viewed by your posterity, and they can make an appointment to view your donation at any time. No house fire or flooding will ever destroy it and all your posterity will have equal access to it.
We want to continue to encourage you to consider donating any memorabilia you have from your days at BYU or from your life's pursuits. Many of you will be like my father-in-law, blessed with amazing stories and experiences that need to be shared with more than just family.
If you have questions or would like to arrange to make a donation, please contact:
John M. Murphy
(801) 422-6370/ FAX: (801) 422-0461
or you can contact him by
E-MAIL: john_m_murphy@byu.edu
Mailing address:
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Brigham Young University
1130 Harold B. Lee Library
Provo, Utah 84602-6877
