“If the history of the LDS Church were a quilt, then J. Golden
Kimball would be one of the most colorful swatches” in it… so begins Scott M.
Hurst’s book Open Fire: J. Golden Kimball Takes on the South. Scott not only tackles one of the most
legendary, and colorful of LDS Church leaders to have ever lived, but he also
bravely held his book launch in Blanding, where Hurst story telling has also been
legendary for many generations.
Scott is the son of Michael Hurst and Ellen and Steve
Williams, and grandson of Riley and Carol Hurst. His Blanding connections, as well as the
topic of his book, pulled in a large crowd June 13 at the Blanding library,
with 60 books being sold, and orders for more.
The forward was written by Blaine Yogenson, one of his father’s
missionary companions. Yorgason credits
Scott for fulfilling the writing promise of his father, Michael, while
celebrating the life of J. Golden Kimball in a “wonderful and entertaining
way.”
Without faltering, Scott faced this first audience, and
lived up to his two year-old pronouncement (told by eye-witness Winston Hurst)
“I’m a Winner,” as he charmed his audience with honesty, wit, and sprinklings
of J. Golden’s early history.
The bait which hooked Scott on this Golden topic came initially
from James Arrington, who decades ago did a one-man show about J. Golden’s
humor. Later James Kimball wrote a witty
anecdotal book about his father, J. Golden.
Intrigued by the apocryphal nature of the man and his stories, Scott
wrote to James, and eventually they became friends. Hurst was given privy to journals written by
this “raise a righteous ruckus” LDS General Authority. At the time he was studying film making and
screen writing at BYU and he hoped to make a film about J. Golden.
Undaunted by this bigger than life personality, the author began
what would be 13 years of research and writing.
He first wrote a screen play but when big bucks funding was not possible
for this period piece, he rewrote it as a book which focused on the little
known years of J. Golden’s early life, and his missions to the South, first as
a “not so young” missionary (30) and then as a Mission President. Told in a captivating narrative style, the
stories are sure to augment considerably any prior knowledge readers already
have of J. Golden Kimball. The book
shows the humanity and down to earth nature of this cowboy General Authority,
who once claimed he was so thin, “he didn’t cast a shadow.”
J. Golden’s shadow was actually immense and the book confirms
the fact that even if he “didn’t always walk the straight and narrow, he truly
did cross it a lot of times!” When J.
Golden died in 1934, the family requested permission to use the Tabernacle for
the funeral, but many doubted they would need such a large facility. It was good that permission was granted, as
his funeral was second only in size to that of the Prophet Brigham Young’s 57
years earlier. His death generated even more
anecdotal stories, one of what has Saint Peter greeting him at heaven, with
this declaration, “We finally got you to the Pearly Gates!” At which point, J. Golden declared, “But you
had to kill me to do it!”
The book is published by Bonneville Books and imprint of
Cedar Fort, Inc of Springville, Utah and can be ordered through Amazon. Many thanks to the Winston and Kathy Hurst
family for planning and hosting a wonderful evening of entertainment, visiting,
and book signing.
