Brattle Street Elegy: Move Back in a Heartbeat

When Leo said yesterday, “The Cambridge church is burning down,” my first words were, “Oh, no. I hope they can at least save the organ,” a modest but serviceable pipe organ—always a treasure in a Mormon chapel. The pictures make it clear that the organ was one of the first things to go. It was my privilege to play it for many sacrament meetings between the fall of ’68, when I arrived, and the spring of ’77, when we left. 

Leo and I met in this chapel in the fall of 1970 and were married a year later, so it will always have a special place in our hearts. Only two of our six children got to see where their parents met. All the people of our era who have been mentioned here—and more— are still so dear to us. After seven years of living in La Jolla, I thought I had finally stopped pining for Boston. Reading this blog and seeing the pictures of the Cambridge chapel burning have made me realize, “No, I’d still move back in a heartbeat if I could.” 

A few of my most vivid memories of events in this building: listening to Paul Dunn on many occasions during his tenure as mission president, George Romney (HUD Secretary at the time he spoke to our singles conference), Juanita Brooks, the first guest speaker for the annual Exponent //weekend celebration, Jack Anderson with his big, booming voice, who started his talk at our Boston-produced Education Week by pounding the pulpit and pronouncing, “There is a menace in the land, and his name is Richard Nixon!” The presiding authority turned pale and the audience gasped. This was about the time the “tapes” were released, but only he in that room had seen the transcript. I knew he was right, and soon events were rolling toward Nixon’s impeachment and eventual resignation. 

Bishop Lyon remains the most loved and influential bishop in our lives. I still remember Linda Hoffman’s first testimony and so many other sacred and moving experiences in the Cambridge chapel, as well as many of the ward members with whom we matured spiritually during our time in Boston. What a privilege it was to take institute classes from Steve Gilliland, Richard Bushman, and Truman Madsen. Many times I’ve wished I had a yearbook from our wards in Boston when I see names I know or should know called as General Authorities and general auxiliary officers, mission presidents, serving in Congress or other important government posts, quoted in the New York Times, writing books, and in other ways leading and excelling.

It’s not the building that I feel such nostalgia for—it’s all the people, and the things that happened in the building—and that remains unchanged. We look forward to another reunion, having missed the one in ’07, and send our love to all.