The Walnut Tree
The story of the pulpit of the Conference Center
by Don H. Staheli, President Hinckley's personal secretary


 

I always look so forward to conference weekend.  The General Authorities talks and words are always so inspirational and uplifting.  As we attended our Mission President's Seminar a week ago we were blessed to have Elder Ben B. Banks from the Seven Presidents of the Seventy be our presiding authority.  As he began by giving us some opening remarks he related this story that I thought would be as interesting to you as it was to me.

Elder Banks business before he was called as a General Authority was that of the lumber business.  His lumber business would prepare hardwood to be sold to cabinet or furniture makers.  Since he left the business his sons have taken it over and continued on with it.

Several months ago President Hinckley approached him and told him of a walnut tree that he had planted 37 years ago by their home in the country.  If any of you have read his biography you will remember  vividly him talking about his home he built and remodeled many times.  He told Elder Banks that this beloved tree had died several months earlier and that he was wondering if it would be possible for him to come look at it and see if there might be any good wood in it that something might be made out of it.  Elder Banks asked if he could bring his sons out to look at it also.

Shortly after, on a Saturday, Elder Banks called President Hinckley and told him that he didn't have any assignments out of town that weekend and asked if it would be all right if he and his sons came to look at the tree.  President Hinckley said that it would be the perfect weekend because it was one of the rare times that he also would be in town.  Elder Banks then asked him if they needed to dress in their Sunday clothes, that they were wearing work clothes at the time.  President Hinckley replied that he also was in his work clothes and to come on by.

As Elder Banks and his sons drove to President Hinckley's home, which now is owned and lived in by his daughter's family, with him having guilt another home on the property for weekends when they are in town, his sons told their father that they had some ideas for that wood if it was good enough wood to be used.  Their ideas were to use the wood for the pulpit of the new conference center, or if there was not enough wood to do that to make some furniture that could be passed down in the family.  When they arrived they looked at the tree and felt that it might be possible that it would contain some good wood.  Several things made this questionable, first that it had died several months earlier and usually the wood needed to be soaked so that the wood would not dry out and split, second that it had been planted close to the home and as President Hinckley added onto the house over the years the tree ended up being inches away from the house and in order to remove it they would have to bring in a large crane so that when they cut it down it would not topple over into the house.  They told President Hinckley that they thought they could remove it if he didn't mind the crane.  He gave them his okay and Elder Banks mentioned to him that his sons had come up with some ideas for the wood if it was good.  He proceeded to tell him and President Hinckley really liked the idea of the wood being used for the pulpit and asked him to contact Elder Burton who presided over the building project and see if this was possible.

Elder Banks contacted Elder Burton and as he told him Elder Burton told him that it would be impossible because all the wood they were using was cherry wood and it just wouldn't blend.  Elder Banks was concerned how President Hinckley would feel about this and told Elder Burton that since he would be meeting with President Hinckley later that afternoon that he might want to tell him that it wouldn't be possible.   Later that afternoon Elder Banks saw Elder Burton and asked him how President Hinckley had reacted.  He said that it was a done deal, that they would find a way to use the wood if it was useable.  As it turned out the contractor had always wanted to try and do a job where they mixed cherry wood and walnut together.  Elder Banks sons contacted a company in Logan to cut the wood.  They informed him that it was the prophets tree and that it needed special care.

The owner decided that he could get some free advertising from this venture and called the media to let them know that he would be milling the prophet's tree.  The sons started receiving calls from the media wanting to know when the tree would arrive.  They were heart sick because this was a private matter and knew that the prophet would not want this to be public.  So they called up the owner and explained to him that they didn't want any media coverage, but the owner told them that it was his mill and he could do what he wanted.  Well, that wasn't the case because the tree wasn't there and he never received it.  Rather they found another mill down south and told the owner the circumstances.  He was pleased to do it.  He related that he had not been the best member during his life and maybe if he could do this is would help him in some way and offered to do it without pay.

Because the tree had grown so close to the house it had to grow up very straight and tall to reach the sunlight above the house before it branched out.  As a result the tree contained 150 board feet of perfect lumber without any know holes.  They were able to split the wood thin enough that it completely faced the entire pulpit without using any other walnut.  Elder Banks' sons had purchased another walnut tree just in case the tree would not have enough wood.  The tree was not used after all.  Also there was just a few little round pieces that were left.  The sons proceeded to have made small jewel boxes made for every child and grandchild.  The box was lasered with a picture of the tree and each of their names engraved.  Each box was made with wooden hinges from the tree also.

Then their was just enough wood left that the sons had 15 walnut pen cases made and 15 granite bases for the pens that were part of the granite from the conference hall.  They have or will be presented to the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles before this conference.  So as you watch conference, look closely  at the pulpit and know the significance of the wood.