25 years ago
"Nearly 75,000 members of the Church participated in the dedication of the Provo Temple Feb. 9," reported the Feb. 12, 1972, Church News.
President Joseph Fielding Smith presided over two dedicatory sessions, one at 2 p.m., the other at 7 p.m. He was accompanied by his counselors, President Harold B. Lee and President N. Eldon Tanner. Most General Authorities were in attendance.
Members of the Church who had been issued tickets by their bishops attended the ceremony in the temple or viewed the proceedings by closed-circuit television in nine buildings on the BYU campus.
The article reported that in his opening remarks, President Smith recalled that Feb. 9 was the birthdate of his grandfather, Hyrum Smith.
He said: "Today is the 172nd anniversary of the birth of my grandfather, the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and I am pleased that we are celebrating that occasion by presenting to the Lord another holy temple, wherein those keys and powers, held jointly by him and the Prophet Joseph Smith, may be used for the salvation and exaltation of many of our Father's children."
President Smith asked President Lee to give the dedicatory prayer in each session.
There were 35 stakes in the district of the Church's newest temple, the 17th dedicated and the 15th in operation.
Quote from the past
"To the youth of Zion we say: The Lord bless you and keep you, which most assuredly will be so, as you learn His laws and live in harmony with them." - President Joseph Fielding Smith in the April 1972 general conference
