Saturday, July 19, 1997

Local Mormons observe 150th anniversary

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

Local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aren't making the trek to Salt Lake City in a covered wagon like some of their counterparts, but they are observing the church's 150th birthday nonetheless.

The sesquicentennial celebration marks the 1847 trip that Mormons made through three states to a new home in Utah.

That first group traveled 1,300 miles trying to escape persecution by those who disagreed with their practices. They arrived in Utah on July 24, 1847, under the leadership of Brigham Young.

To commemorate the trek, a modern-day wagon train has closely followed the trail of the original pioneers since April. PBS plans a documentary in August.

Locally, a dinner will be held at the church, 3325 North 12th, at 6:30 tonight.

On Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m. the extravaganza taking place in Salt Lake City will be broadcast on a big screen TV at the local church. The broadcast also can be seen via satellite on Galaxy 5, Channel 23, 4160 megahertz, said Forrest Bryson, a member of the church.

A highlight of tonight's dinner will be the retelling of the history of the local church, founded in 1929, and the remembrance of the faithful who made the 1847 move.

"We'll be remembering the pioneer heritage we've got," Bryson said. "We may have ancestors who walked across the plains."

Early members of the local church will be at the dinner and will be honored.

Giving the local history will be Maxine Quinn of Clyde, a member since 1961. The local congregation got its beginning on Feb. 26, 1929, when Mormons from Abilene and San Angelo met in the home of optometrist James N. Ghormley, who had an office on Butternut Street.

Ghormley served as superintendent of the Central States Mission which founded the Abilene church.

During World War II when Camp Barkeley was in full swing, a number of Mormons moved into the area, Quinn said, including her future husband, George Quinn.

"He came to the house with some other boys," she said. They later married and Maxine Quinn joined the church in 1961. Her husband died in 1974.

The church met in a two-story building at North Third and Merchant beginning Nov. 3, 1954.

The current church was built in the early 1960s. The church, which is divided into two wards, has a total of about 800 members.

Although Quinn wasn't raised in the Mormon tradition, she said it has suited her well since she joined 36 years ago.

"It's just such a loving, caring church," she said. "You just feel the spirit when you go in there."