Connections

The other day I went to the Center.

As I approached I saw that they had changed the signs in the halls outside. Previously the sign had included a picture of me, taken as a publicity still before the Center opened during the summer of 1993. Since they have remodeled the Center in the intervening 12 years and I was standing behind a counter that no longer exists, it didn't surprise me that they replaced that specific picture.

I haven't worked in the Center for a decade. That picture was a final bit of visual evidence that I helped to get the Center set up.

Now it's gone. A connection with my past has been cut.

Today we hear of the passing of a research giant, Dr. Hugh Nibley. He single-handedly created the golden-age of comparative studies in the Church. He was a bold pioneer in the academic world, outspoken and hard on folks who don't think much about their religion.

Even though I never attended one of his lectures physically, I've listened to tapes and watched videos. I've read his work for decades, fascinated by the trail of his thinking. My appreciation of his dry wit and careful thought have deep roots. I first read "An Approach to the Book of Mormon" almost 30 years after it had been a priesthood manual. I grieved then that we don't have instructional manuals like that any more. I still do.

Though the possibility of physical contact with Dr. Nibley is no longer possible, I feel that my link to his thought and influence continues. I look forward with relish to review his lectures from 1954 on the office of Bishops and Apostles. I purchased the newly published book a few weeks ago and put it in my reading rotation. I also anticipate reading his master-work on "One Eternal Round."

Nibley helped me become a better person, more aware of my surroundings. He has broadened my perspective. I'm thankful for the work he did and the thoughts he shared.