Nevertheless, Post-mortal Harold was almost as busy as the Angel Moroni. Russell records three visitations from Harold in From Heart to Heart. Harold’s visitation to President Hugh B. Brown was rather pedestrian (as far as heavenly visitations go); nevertheless, there are other items in this passage that may be of interest to the discerning reader. (Not to be outdone, Russell was privileged to receive two(!) visits from Heavenly Harold! But these will have to wait ‘til next week’s episode of My Weekly Russell).
From Russell’s autobiography, From Heart to Heart. Quality Press, Inc: Russell M. Nelson. 1979, pp. 187-189
”Russell M. Nelson” wrote: President Hugh B. Brown
President Brown was in the First Presidency from June 22, 1961, to January 18, 1970. My close relationship with him commenced in the Garden Park Ward, for he lived at 1002 Douglas Street, next door to the home long occupied by President Joseph Fielding Smith. As a young member of the bishopric of the Garden Park Ward, I was privileged to meet with President Brown repeatedly. Later as stake president in that same stake, I came under his inspired guidance and leadership frequently. How blessed we were when he would come to our stake conferences and speak to us.
He was always a great teacher. While I was stake president, I remember how embarrassed I was one day when he spoke at a funeral in one of the chapels of the Bonneville Stake. After President Brown had given his eloquent funeral sermon, the bishop conducting the funeral followed with a rather lengthy message. President Brown turned to me and said, “President Nelson, the bishop needs to be instructed that there should be no other speaker after the final speaker has concluded." I'll never forget that lesson!
During the latter years of President David O. McKay's administration, the weight of many responsibilities devolved heavily upon President Brown because of President McKay's illness and advanced age. I remember how embarrassed I was as I received a call from President Brown one day. After I answered the phone, he said, “This is Hugh Brown speaking.”
I replied, “How are you, Hugh?” thinking I was speaking with my medical colleague Dr. Hugh Brown, an anesthesiologist on the Staff at St. Mark's Hospital with whom I'd been having some business relating to the affairs of the Salt Lake County Medical Society at that time. After he explained that this was Hugh B. Brown of the First Presidency, I felt reduced to a size that could easily have slipped through one of the holes in the mouthpiece of the telephone! But he laughed and never gave my embarrassing faux pas another thought.
Perhaps the supreme compliment in our relationship with President Brown came in November of 1974, at the time of the dedication of the Washington Temple. President Brown had borne many of the responsibilities relating to the building of such a magnificent temple in our nation's capital. I suppose some of the decisions that had to be made did not go unchallenged. At any rate, when President Kim ball extended an invitation to President Brown to attend the dedication, he indicated that due to his advanced age and feeble condition, he felt he could go only if a doctor went along. Fortunately, I got that assignment, which also included an invitation for Dantzel to join us. My responsibility was to be available for whatever President Brown might need. I checked him each night and morning. His son Manley and daughter Mary (Mrs. Ed Firmage) accompanied him as well.
On the morning of the temple dedication, President Brown greeted me with the news that he had been visited during the night by President Harold B. Lee (President Lee had died the year before). He described it as a glorious visit, one that meant much to him, for President Lee had been aware of some of the difficulties encountered by President Brown in the decisions that led to the construction of the temple in Washington, D.C.
Later that morning, as we took President Brown to breakfast, Sister Harold B. (Freda Joan) Lee approached us. As we exchanged greetings, President Brown said to her, "I had a glorious visit with Harold last night. He is just fine. It was so good to visit with him.”
This was such a moving experience for us all. We felt the presence of President Lee's spirit in the temple through the witness of President Brown. At the dedicatory service, he spoke so eloquently! These events enhanced our great privilege of being in the temple for the dedication, conducted by President Spencer W. Kimball.
While we were there, I missed one of the sessions of the dedicatory service because of the sudden illness of one of the other Brethren, who had a raging fever. He was so ill! I had to take him to Georgetown Hospital for laboratory tests in order to establish the diagnosis and render appropriate therapy. I was able to return to the service later that afternoon and hear President Brown give his masterful address.
After the dedicatory services, a festive, formal dinner was held for the leaders of the Church in attendance. President Kimball gave such an eloquent address. He prophesied that the day would come when temples would be operative day and night with workers coming in shifts. Dantzel and I felt greatly privileged to be invited to take part in this historic event.
After the official ceremonies were over, we were privileged to join President Brown, his son Manley, his daughter Mary, and our good friends Ann and Truman Madsen for a cruise on the sailboat Šealestial, hosted by owners Jim and Renae Dyer. We flew to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, where we spent a few days cruising and visiting with one another freely. We had some profound and probing discussions with President Hugh B. Brown.
When his death came a few months later, we reflected again on the supreme privilege it had been to be so closely associated with this great and noble Saint.
- With President Hugh B. Brown, cruising in the Virgin Islands aboard the Sealestial. November 1974
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