Temple, Part Three

One of my assignments was the cornerstone box - gathering everything that needed to be placed inside.

Here's what went into the Billings Temple box:

1. Recent edition of the standard works, black leather

2. Book by President Hinckley (letter said "book written by current prophet")

3. Hymnbook (brand new with the price tag on it)

4. Relevant copies of the Church News, Ensign, New Era, Friend

5. Copies of local newspapers

6. Church history of the temple district

7. Construction photographs

8. Photographs of the local temple committee, temple presidency, etc.

9. Program from the groundbreaking

10. Copy of the dedicatory prayer and dedicatory program

The day before the dedication I took all the items for the cornerstone box to the temple.  A member of the Salt Lake Temple committee met me in the office and went through each of the items to make sure they were appropriate.  The only thing he asked to be removed was a page in the local free paper that advertised a casino.  Once that was cut out, he stepped back and said, "It's all yours." 

I was stunned.

Until that moment I had no idea I would get to pack the cornerstone box!

This box is made of some sort of acid-free material.  It was about the size of a briefcase.

These photos make me laugh.  The box is sealed with gray duct tape!

Brother Cory Karl was the temple project director and had supervised

every detail of construction from the very beginning.

The fiber box was placed in a metal container.

The metal container was sealed - it looked like silicone.

They carried the box outside to the cornerstone.

The whole section was surrounded by a canopy because of the November weather.

The box was put inside and then they put the stone in place.

There are shims to hold the stone.

This is how it looked on November 19, 1999

November 20th - the mortar (silver box) and trowels look a little strange

on a lace tablecloth but I didn't choose it or arrange it. 

Extra mortar in the bucket was to finish the job correctly

after everyone had taken a turn.

 

I feel badly about the following photos.  This was 1999 so they were shot with 35mm film and no flash (by request) so there was no way to tell if they were okay until after they were printed.

But they are all I have to show even a part of that thrilling morning.

President Hinckley came out of the first dedicatory service to hold the cornerstone ceremony. 

(People with tickets to the first dedicatory session remained inside watching on monitors) 

The man in black behind him is his security detail. Sister Hinckley walked up the ramp with her daughter Virginia.  Behind them is President Monson.

In this picture you can see Sister Monson by her husband.

L to R - Sister Monson, President Monson, Sister Pearce and Sister Hinckley

L to R - President Monson, Elder Wirthlin, Elder Kikuchi

Once everyone had come outside there was no opportunity to take more photos.  The cornerstone choir sang, then President Hinckley invited little children to join him in placing 'mud' (his word) around the cornerstone. He was very informal and charming. 
After the cornerstone was sealed they went back inside to continue the dedication session.  Then construction workers returned to the cornerstone to finish applying the mortar and make sure it was properly sealed.