TALK GIVEN BY LOU LARSEN
 AT THE ANDERSON FAMILY REUNION
 HELD AT THE S. U. P. BUILDING, SALT LAKE CITY, 
JUNE 15, 1985.

When Dennis asked me to say some things that I could remember about Grandfather
Anderson it seemed like I thought of a lot of things and then as I tried to put them down
on paper, my memory is just up with my increased years and it began to fail me; so I don't
know what I can say other than I know that Grandfather Anderson would certainly be
very proud of his grand posterity and all of you here. I think that probably from Grandma
Anderson must come the endowment of good cooking and good cooks. This wonderful
meal that we've partaken of and enjoyed, I think speaks that. I know I ate more than I
probably should have.  I told some of you here that they told me at the V. A. (Veterans
Administration Hospital) that I was kind of an s. o. b. and I wanted to know why that ?
And they said well, that means "stomach over belt, " I think that must go for some of us. 
There are some wonderful cooks.  More than their husbands ought to eat.

One thing that came to my mind; one time Merrill was asked to give a lesson in
priesthood and, more than one time I'm sure, but this particular time I happened to be
there and Merrill asked Grandpa Anderson if he wouldn't come and talk and I don't know
whether Merrill remembers this or not, but one thing that he said that has stayed with me
for all my life, and it has been very meaningful to me - was this, and it was a quote, "What
you think you can do, or dream you can do, begin it ! Boldness has wisdom and power in
it.  " And I guess to me that's kind of a part of John H. Anderson's philosophy, I know
that be had a boldness and be had a lot of self-confidence and he had a lot of wisdom. .
He wouldn't have been able to attain and accomplish the things that he has done or he did
do without the perseverance and the diligence and a boldness to begin things and to
accomplish things.

My memory goes back to times when Ruth Mae and I would get up at the wee
hours of the morning and watch the thrashers come in and thrash and see Grandfather
leading a horse or supervising the putting of the bay in the barn, The wonderful garden
that he always grew; and Ruth Mae and I could sure find our way out into the pea patch
back of the shanty, eating our harvest and enjoying the fruits of his labors.  He always had
such a wonderful big garden and that kind of gave way to the beautiful flowers that he
raised there.  And I'm sure many of you can remember those magnificent sized plate
dahlias, and the other wonderful, beautiful flowers that he grew.

I always thought of him as a very thrifty person and I sure remember him riding his
bicycle to work and to the bank and saving that beautiful automobile in the garage for
Merrill to polish.  Take it out on a Sunday or a special occasion.  Some of those special
occasions were going fishing.  I think that was a worthy use of that automobile. He loved
to fish.  My mother (Charlotte) told me of her grandfather being quite a fisherman, how
those nets that we could see and find around the old homestead were his so that he used
to get up in the middle of the night when no one was about and take those nets down into
the sloughs and the river down below Logan and seine fish.  He loved to just fish and
catch fish. He'd bring home a wagon load of fish and take them up to the yard and feed
the pig and feed the chickens or bury them in the garden.

I remember well the fishing trips that I had with my Grandfather.  Marie and Merrill
frequently took me along and we would be out fishing and enjoying the activity and then
on the way home he would get everyone singing in the automobile.  He loved to hear his
children sing, and he really loved his children.  He took me fishing a couple of times alone. 
I remember one time; he bad a great patience.  I don't ever think I ever heard him raise his
voice, I heard him say, "My Goodness! " a couple of times.  And he had a way of putting
forth his attitude and his feeling when he said "My Goodness!" that could have many
different meanings.  And when we arrived up at this one particular time fishing we were
going to camp overnight and he prepared the meal and I sat down to eat it along with him
and sat on his favorite fly-rod and it broke the tip, and he said, "Oh my goodness boy, my
conscience! Can't you watch what you're doing ? " And that was all.  He got no more
flustered than that.  And then I sat down again.  I picked another spot. It was a very soft
spot about that big around; it was green and afterwards it showed even more green.  And
he had to scrape a cow-pie off my pants.  "Goodness boy, can't you be more careful ? " I
remember the time we went up to the Madison River.  He took me fishing on the Madison
River once, Marie was my champion.  She loved me.  We went out and gathered willows
and then Grandpa showed us how to make a bed out of those willows and put our bedding
on.  He had a wealth of lore.  And I was trying to catch a fish and I beat the water - didn't
have any success. He said, now, he said, watch me he said where would you fish right
there ? And I said, oh, in the water.  He said, well, try just in front of that big rock.  So I
cast my bait into the big rock and man, I caught a big fish ! And I just knew he was
inspired. He was quite a fisherman.

I can remember an amusing situation after a family gathering, going home with an
extended belly. And I had eaten too many olives and I was sick and Grandpa came up to
administer to me and before he administered to me he kind of gave me a little talking to
about not letting my eyes get bigger than my stomach.  He gave me some good
grandfatherly advice.  The reason I mention that is because a few times, all too few, that I
heard him pray, I knew he knew who he was praying to and who he was talking with. He
had a very definite hot-line, you might say, and a great communication with the Lord. 
And just certainly a tremendous person.

I copied a few things from somebody else, put a little thought or two here of
my own. John H. Anderson has been a very powerful force in my life.  His example has
touched me in so many ways. Not only desires to serve the Church, but to work hard,
enjoy big projects and as I realize more and more in raising my children, hopefully the
blessings of good parentage and grandparentage are carried on from generations; the
desire to make our father and grandfather proud has been and will continue to be a major
source of motivation to me. Perhaps the greatest Father's Day present we can give is the
desire of prayer followed by interest that we will begin to realize here in this life that the
greatest of all promised blessings is joy and rejoicing in our posterity.  Thank You.


FOLLOWING ARE REMINISCENCES OF VARIOUS FAMILY MEMBERS


Merrill:  I just want to make this observation; about the only time that Logan City ever
operated within its budgets was when John H. Anderson was mayor.

JR: A humorous note; one that shook my faith in the dignity of my grandfather Anderson,
but I deserved what I got.  Grandma and Grandpa were down visiting and we were all
going out to Lagoon on an outing and I was in the back of the car and I'd been on a little
temper tan-trum and acting like a little snot and I probably was.  And Grandpa listened to
this and the dialogue between Mother and I for about ten minutes and finally he turned
around and looked me right in the eye and he said, "When you act like a baby, boy, you
have to suck tit !" And I was thunderstruck.  Imagine my grandfather Anderson using that
language.  I suspect I didn't say another word.

Berneice: He was wonderful and I loved everything he did and everything he taught us. If
you wanted to know anything about the Bible or anything about the Church he could help
you and tell you.  I'd like to say something about Grandma.  You never could walk in but
what she wanted to get you something, something to eat, "Can I
fix you something to eat ? " Phil met her once when he went up to see her, He only met
her for a few minutes.  The minute he walked in she said, now what can I get you to eat ?
And she just loved Phil and she wanted to do something for him.  And he said he never felt
so welcome.  And she always said, where your heart is big enough, there's always enough
for everybody.  I think that's the way she lived, that's what she did.  She was always so
generous and so pretty.  She had a purse.  It was a lovely purse, a big one and it was
always full of money.  She always had the most money in that purse.  And oh what a
wonderful thing to put your hand in that purse and feel all the money.  And she was
always handing it out to the children and to you. And it was fun to get the little kids would
go up there and they would just love her holding that purse out and hand the children
some money and more quarters and fifty-cent pieces and dollars than anyone I've ever
seen, but she always had some money and she always shared it and that's the way she was. 
She shared everything with everybody.  She was the most generous, sharing person and
the sweetest soul I ever knew.

Lou:  I wanted to say this, when I was up there; while it was not first hand, my mother
told me that near the end, before he died, that just pointing out his generosity and his
concern and consideration for his fellowman, that when people would come to the bank,
some of his friends and people that he knew personally, and they couldn't qualify for a
bank loan that he personally would then loan them money.  And when he died he didn't
want anyone to press these people for the monies that he had loaned them that were still
owing and he had them come in, and Mother said, all one afternoon people came one after
another and he would give them their note back and tear it up and tell them that they didn't
owe anything that he was taking care of that now.  Just pointing out his concern for his
fellowman.  And then something that she also told me that maybe many of you have
known, that in his will be left the bulk of his estate to the Church and the Church would
not accept it except all of his children agreed to this and they all agreed with one accord
that if that was the way Father wanted it, that would be the way it would be, And he dealt
fairly with each one of his children as he built them a home or given them a home or
monies or whatever, He paid out all and then the rest, if I put it right Mother said, that he
left his money to the Church, specifically the welfare plan and in it something about
leaving it; we all pray for the poor and the sick and the needy and what do we do about it ?
And therefore he left the bulk of his money to that program.  I was going to school
down in San Francisco working nights and going to school days getting very little sleep
and I remember saying to Marie, I wonder if he didn't know that we were among the poor
and the sick and the needy.

Marie:  President Grant came to the store one Saturday night and asked if John H.
Anderson was there and I said no, he just was gone home.  Very often I had to work in
the store on Saturday because Merrill wouldn't.  Anyway, I was there this particular time. 
I said he just went home and he said, well, where does he live ? And I told him and I said,
oh, I'll be able to take you there because I'm his daughter, let me take you there.  President
Grant, you know how majestically he looked, he said, No You have been put here to do a
job, you must stay here.  That's where your father would want you, and he said, I'll find
the way, and he did.  He went out and oh I rushed over to Joe and John and said, did you
know who that was ? And they were on the way to meet me.  They said, what did he want
? And I told them and said he wouldn't let me take him home.  But anyway, I couldn't wait
to get home and see what President Grant wanted.  And be had come to ask Father if the
Church can buy some sugar stock.  It was the U. & I. Sugar Corporation at that time and
he had just a little stock left in it, Father said.  I asked him how much it was and he said
three thousand dollars.  And President Grant said the Church was buying it all up and he
found out that Father had this little amount.  And he said, would you let us buy it ? And
Father said, I will give it to you, the Church can have it.  And President Grant, almost
angrily said, "Brother Anderson, I did not come to ask you for it.  I came to buy it !" And
so he said, sure, whatever you want, and he did sell it to him. But I was just going to say
that a few years ago I wrote out a talk on Mother and Melvin did on Father and Uncle
Merrill did one on Mother and it was read at our reunion and at that time I was secretary
and I still have a lot of these copies left and if any of you younger families would like them
for a memory book, it'll only cost you a letter to me and I'll send it, send you a copy of any
you want because I still do have a drawer full of these talks that we gave at the reunion.

JR: When I married Shauna her Grandfather (George Albert Smith) recognizing that name
(John H. Anderson) told me that at that time, John H. Anderson had contributed more to
the welfare program of the Church save any other man than Heber J. Grant.