Howard W. Hunter

Howard W. Hunter, My father, the Prophet...By Richard A. Hunter

Friends often ask me two questions:  "What was it like to be the son of a prophet and grow up with such a remarkable man?" and"Do you really think your father was a prophet of God?"

Read the article in the Ensign this month.  Page 41.  It's fun to find out about our prophets lives.  

"I have come to believe that men and women are measured by what they value and by what they are willing to do about those values.  Great people seem to consistently do whatever is required to live by their values, even at great sacrifice.  My father was one of these great people.  I had the privilege of learning remarkable things from him about the true meaning of greatness.  The lessons did not come from what he told me but from what he did and who he was.  

President Hunter was in a band--who knew?

He played a clarinet, a saxophone, a violin and a trumpet.  He had a band when he was in high school in Boise, Idaho, USA.  He was a very talented musician who deeply loved music and making music.  His band played at mahor social events in Boise and even on a cruise ship that sailed to Asia.  After he moved to Southern California, in 1928, the band reorganized and became very popular.

In 1931 he married Clara Jeffs.  They wanted to have children.  He felt that for him the demands of the entertainment world were inconsistent with the meaningful family he wanted.  So one day he put all the instruments in their cases and carried them to the attic.  Save for rare family events, he never played them again!!!