Lester Bush, author of "Priesthood Ban" article dies

[deacon blues]

This is especially interesting for old-timers like me:
Historian who traced racist LDS priesthood/temple ban to Brigham Young dies
www.sltrib.com
Lester Bush's story is a very interesting contrast to that of Russell Ballard. I would submit that Bush impacted the Church far more significantly than Ballard did.

[Jeffret]

I would submit that Bush impacted the Church far more significantly than Ballard did.

I'm curious how you arrive at that assessment. I suspect that if you asked people at Church on Sunday, hardly any of them (if any) would know about Lester Bush's work, much less who he is, but everyone would know who Ballard is. And Bush's work didn't get anywhere without Ballard's assent.

[deacon blues]

From my "1975 missionary" perspective the Priesthood Ban was not going to change until the Millennium. That was what Brigham Young said.
According to the Tribune article, and other things I've read, the Lester Bush article made a deep impression on Spencer Kimball. It's possible that it influenced a few other Church leaders, but as we know it's what "the prophet" thinks that makes the difference.
So I think it's likely that without the Lester Bush article, the priesthood ban gets lifted much later, or not at all.
But I could be wrong.
I also think I may be comparing apples and oranges, but what significant changes did Russell Ballard contribute to?
By the way, thanks for the question. You made me question myself, which is often a good thing.

[Jeffret]

Snipping to line things up a little for my comment.

as we know it's what "the prophet" thinks that makes the difference.
<snip>
what significant changes did Russell Ballard contribute to?

Since it's a pure hierarchy, the only person whose individual actions matter is the one at the top. Since Ballard never got there, his individual impact is pretty limited. But, the agreement (or at least the lack of disagreement) from the top 15 is required to move forward, so Ballard had more actual impact than anybody outside that circle. And he got to speak at every conference, to millions, who supposedly hung on his every word.

I think the priesthood ban was something whose time had come and its termination was imminent. It's demise was more a matter of who had died and who was out of town, than anything done by anyone outside the magic chairs. (In spite of its claims to contrary, the Church is heavily influenced by widespread public pressure and by who has died.)

[Jeffret]

I'm not entirely sure about the relative influence of everyone, but given all I've seen I assume those at the top of the hierarchy have the only real influence.

And I was curious about the basis for your argument, which does actually have a fair bit of validity. You may be right.

[Ghost]

According to the Tribune article, and other things I've read, the Lester Bush article made a deep impression on Spencer Kimball. It's possible that it influenced a few other Church leaders, but as we know it's what "the prophet" thinks that makes the difference.

Yes, that second biography by Edward Kimball mentions this (page 219):

On May 25, Mark E. Petersen called President Kimball's attention to an article that proposed the priesthood policy had begun with Brigham Young, not Joseph Smith, and he suggested that the President might wish to consider this factor.
On May 30, President Kimball read his counselors a tentative statement he had written in longhand; it removed racial restrictions on priesthood.

[Cnsl1]

I could be wrong (couldn't we all at anytime and anywhere) and I don't remember the source (getting more suspect by the minute), but a guy in my ward has a sister who's best friend was on a mission with Elder McConkie's granddaughter... No, sorry, I waxed ridiculous. Cut that last part. I don't remember the source but I have a memory that perhaps David O McKay reportedly wanted or maybe tried to lift the ban when he was the main man, but it was met with resistance, particularly from Bruce McConkie. Again, just a memory with no source, but I'll try to find one.

[Gatorbait]

Read the Trib article and followed up on Bush's article in Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought, which is on line, a 1973 edition- easy to find. The article is really long and I've just glanced through it. Very extensive and well documented.

Also, Hugh B. Brown was very much involved in the lifting of the Priesthood band movement, together with several others. Just finished the biography of Hugh B. Brown, by the way, written by his grandson. Excellent book, in my opinion.

Still lots of bigots in the quorum of the twelve way into the 60's and 70's and the Brown biography book discusses a few names, but not specifics. Brown locked horns with a few of them, which cost him friendships along the way. He fought on to the last, and enjoyed very much reading Dialogue, and in the book, towards the end of his life, Brown asked his grandson to make sure that he received the latest issue of Dialogue. Since Brown was close to David O. McKay and President Kimball, and others who felt the same as he did about the Priesthood ban nonsense and disapproved strongly the bigoted few who continued to hold on to the ban, there was quite a lot of unrest in the quorum of the twelve for many years regarding this issue. Being a geezer myself, I remember these issues in the 70's very clearly. So I do not think that President Kimball ever stood in the way of keeping the ban. Can't say the same for Lee and Smith while they were church presidents.