Oscar A. Kirkham
Born: 22 January 1880
Called to First Council of the Seventy: 5 October 1941
Died: 10 March 1958
Called to First Council of the Seventy: 5 October 1941
Died: 10 March 1958
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Improvement Era, March 1920, Portrait of Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, July 1929, Oscar A. Kirkham Honored
Improvement Era, November 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham
Relief Society Magazine, November 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham Named to Council of the Seventy
Relief Society Magazine, December 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham, Leader of Youth, Inspirer of Man
Instructor, January 1942, Oscar Kirkham - An International Figure
Improvement Era, August 1946, Oscar A. Kirkham - A Leader of Youth
Improvement Era, April 1950, In Recognition... Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, October 1956, Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, May 1958, Oscar A. Kirkham will long be remembered as a builder of men
Relief Society Magazine, May 1958, In Memoriam - Oscar Ammon Kirkham
Improvement Era, March 1920, Portrait of Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, July 1929, Oscar A. Kirkham Honored
Improvement Era, November 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham
Relief Society Magazine, November 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham Named to Council of the Seventy
Relief Society Magazine, December 1941, Oscar A. Kirkham, Leader of Youth, Inspirer of Man
Instructor, January 1942, Oscar Kirkham - An International Figure
Improvement Era, August 1946, Oscar A. Kirkham - A Leader of Youth
Improvement Era, April 1950, In Recognition... Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, October 1956, Oscar A. Kirkham
Improvement Era, May 1958, Oscar A. Kirkham will long be remembered as a builder of men
Relief Society Magazine, May 1958, In Memoriam - Oscar Ammon Kirkham
Jenson, Andrew. "Kirkham, Oscar A." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 241-242.
KIRKHAM, Oscar Ammon, executive secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A. since 1909, was born Jan. 22, 1880, in Lehi, Utah, the son of James Kirkham and Martha Mercer. He was baptized Jan. 1, 1888, and filled a mission to Germany in 1900-1903. He graduated from the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, studied music in Berlin, Germany and taught school in the Latter-day Saints University. He is executive of Region 12, Boy Scouts of America. During the International Boy Scout Jamboree, held at Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, England, in 1929, he was a member of the national staff, was general morale officer and member of the program committee, and had charge of the religious exercises of the American scouts and assisted in the general supervision of the American contingent.
KIRKHAM, Oscar Ammon, executive secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A. since 1909, was born Jan. 22, 1880, in Lehi, Utah, the son of James Kirkham and Martha Mercer. He was baptized Jan. 1, 1888, and filled a mission to Germany in 1900-1903. He graduated from the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, studied music in Berlin, Germany and taught school in the Latter-day Saints University. He is executive of Region 12, Boy Scouts of America. During the International Boy Scout Jamboree, held at Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, England, in 1929, he was a member of the national staff, was general morale officer and member of the program committee, and had charge of the religious exercises of the American scouts and assisted in the general supervision of the American contingent.
"Portrait of Oscar A. Kirkham." Improvement Era. March 1920. pg. 450.
Oscar A. Kirkham, Executive Director, Y. M. M. I. A. As mentioned in the official appointment, on page 366, in the February number of the Era, Elder Oscar A. Kirkham has been chosen Executive Director of the Y. M. M. I. A. His distinctive sphere under this new appointment is implied by the title. Elder Kirkham will have supervision both in the general offices of the organization and in the field, representing the General Superintendency and the General Board in both departments. The experience Elder Kirkham has had in Mutual Improvement work, and in the scout movement as a leader among boys, will make him a great help in the work of the Y. M. M. I. A. The General Superintendency, the General Board, as well as the officers of the organization have complete confidence in his ability to fill the responsible position to which he has been called. We are confident his labors in this calling will prove of great advantage to our organizations and result in added blessings to the young people of Zion. |
"Oscar A. Kirkham Honored." Improvement Era. July 1929. pg. 749-750.
Oscar A. Kirkham Honored
OUR own Oscar A. Kirkham has been selected by the American Jamboree Committee, Boy Scouts of America, to go in an official capacity to the great gathering to be held in England this summer. This information was conveyed in a telegram from Mr. Barclay, who is the chief of staff of the American delegation.
Almost every community in the country has had a candidate for the place which finally has been given to the Utah man, and it is a distinct honor to him and also to the Church, for Oscar is well known to all officials of scouting as a "Mormon." He has proclaimed that fact to high and low wherever he has gone, among others to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to whom he was introduced while in England attending the Jamboree in 1920.
During that visit he was the guest of the English, French and Belgian governments. Three hundred and one boys had gone from America to the gathering, and there were about 5,000 from 37 different nations.
Oscar (everybody in the country calls him by that familiar name) was introduced to Dr. De Marquette, while over there before, and his friends have been pulling out of him, piecemeal, a personal story connected with that interview which is very interesting. It will be pieced together, in spite of Brother Kirkham's protests, for a future number of the Era.
Fifteen hundred young Americans will make the pilgrimage to England this summer and will take part as official representatives of the Boy Scouts of America, in the greatest peace-time encampment of boys that the world has ever known. The Jamboree is being held at Birkenhead, across the Mersey River from Liverpool, England, from July 31 to August 13. Fifty thousand Boy Scouts, representing 42 different nations, will pitch their tents and for two weeks will work and play together. The World Jamboree is being held to celebrate the 21st birthday of the founding of the Boy Scout movement and also to pay tribute to Sir Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World. More than 400 acres of ground will be under canvas on July 31.
In patrol units of eight, under adult leaders, the American Scouts will embark from several different seaports and, landing at Liverpool, Harwich, Grimsby, Hull, Goole and Newcastle, will journey to the Jamboree Camp. Many of the American Scouts will embark on special trains from the various English seaports and be carried to Birkenhead and Upton. From there they will be transported by motor to Arrowe Park where the world-gathering is to be held.
Many notables from continental Europe will be present. In previous Jamborees, held at four-year intervals, the kings of England, Sweden and Denmark have attended. This year, the Prince of Wales, who is Chief Scout of Wales, will camp with the Scouts.
Ten Scouts will represent Utah at this gathering. They are: Wendell Gibbs, Ray L. Richards, Eric Ohlson and Theron Plumb, of Salt Lake City; Harold Chesler, Bingham; Austin E. Fife, Logan; Mark J. Brockbank, Spanish Fork; Martin C. Ririe, Lewiston; Homer P. Andersen, Hyrum; and Matthew D. Browning, Ogden.
Conrad A. Johnson, Logan, Scoutmaster of the Cache Valley Council, has been named Scoutmaster of the ten.
The group will leave Salt Lake about July 12, after a week's training in the Ogden Gateway Scout Camp, for New York. Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington will be visited en route. They embark aboard the S. S. Cedric July 20 and arrive in Liverpool July 29, proceeding directly to Birkenhead for the two-weeks' jamboree.
Word comes also that a number of "Mormon" Scouts from continental missions as well as from the missions of the United States will be in attendance. It is interesting to note that the boy who is to represent Austria at the Jamboree is a "Mormon."
Oscar A. Kirkham Honored
OUR own Oscar A. Kirkham has been selected by the American Jamboree Committee, Boy Scouts of America, to go in an official capacity to the great gathering to be held in England this summer. This information was conveyed in a telegram from Mr. Barclay, who is the chief of staff of the American delegation.
Almost every community in the country has had a candidate for the place which finally has been given to the Utah man, and it is a distinct honor to him and also to the Church, for Oscar is well known to all officials of scouting as a "Mormon." He has proclaimed that fact to high and low wherever he has gone, among others to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to whom he was introduced while in England attending the Jamboree in 1920.
During that visit he was the guest of the English, French and Belgian governments. Three hundred and one boys had gone from America to the gathering, and there were about 5,000 from 37 different nations.
Oscar (everybody in the country calls him by that familiar name) was introduced to Dr. De Marquette, while over there before, and his friends have been pulling out of him, piecemeal, a personal story connected with that interview which is very interesting. It will be pieced together, in spite of Brother Kirkham's protests, for a future number of the Era.
Fifteen hundred young Americans will make the pilgrimage to England this summer and will take part as official representatives of the Boy Scouts of America, in the greatest peace-time encampment of boys that the world has ever known. The Jamboree is being held at Birkenhead, across the Mersey River from Liverpool, England, from July 31 to August 13. Fifty thousand Boy Scouts, representing 42 different nations, will pitch their tents and for two weeks will work and play together. The World Jamboree is being held to celebrate the 21st birthday of the founding of the Boy Scout movement and also to pay tribute to Sir Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World. More than 400 acres of ground will be under canvas on July 31.
In patrol units of eight, under adult leaders, the American Scouts will embark from several different seaports and, landing at Liverpool, Harwich, Grimsby, Hull, Goole and Newcastle, will journey to the Jamboree Camp. Many of the American Scouts will embark on special trains from the various English seaports and be carried to Birkenhead and Upton. From there they will be transported by motor to Arrowe Park where the world-gathering is to be held.
Many notables from continental Europe will be present. In previous Jamborees, held at four-year intervals, the kings of England, Sweden and Denmark have attended. This year, the Prince of Wales, who is Chief Scout of Wales, will camp with the Scouts.
Ten Scouts will represent Utah at this gathering. They are: Wendell Gibbs, Ray L. Richards, Eric Ohlson and Theron Plumb, of Salt Lake City; Harold Chesler, Bingham; Austin E. Fife, Logan; Mark J. Brockbank, Spanish Fork; Martin C. Ririe, Lewiston; Homer P. Andersen, Hyrum; and Matthew D. Browning, Ogden.
Conrad A. Johnson, Logan, Scoutmaster of the Cache Valley Council, has been named Scoutmaster of the ten.
The group will leave Salt Lake about July 12, after a week's training in the Ogden Gateway Scout Camp, for New York. Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington will be visited en route. They embark aboard the S. S. Cedric July 20 and arrive in Liverpool July 29, proceeding directly to Birkenhead for the two-weeks' jamboree.
Word comes also that a number of "Mormon" Scouts from continental missions as well as from the missions of the United States will be in attendance. It is interesting to note that the boy who is to represent Austria at the Jamboree is a "Mormon."
Evans, Richard L. "Oscar A. Kirkham." Improvement Era. November 1941. pg. 660-661.
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM of the First Council of the Seventy By Richard L. Evans Of the First Council of the Seventy A new voice is heard in the general councils of Israel— a voice that has brought good will to the Church in many lands, a voice that has strengthened the morale of youth in a troubled generation. Those who attended the closing session of the 112th Semi-annual Conference, and those who listened to the broadcast of the proceedings, heard approvingly that Oscar Amnion Kirkham would now take his place among the General Authorities of the Church. As a member of the First Council of the Seventy, filling the vacancy caused by the death of the late President Rulon S. Wells, Oscar A. Kirkham brings with him many qualifications that have placed him in high esteem in other activities of the Church. Among these should be noted his pressing concern for the welfare of youth and of his fellow men generally, his wide travel and sympathetic acquaintance with many lands and peoples, the personal integrity of his life, his upright and progressive family of four sons and four daughters, his talents for commanding attention, his inborn showmanship, his unquestioned sincerity and devotion to the cause of truth, and his willingness to pursue any call that comes to him from the authorities of the Church, even though it take him from pursuits he has long loved and followed. To reduce the personality and spirit of a man to the medium of ink and paper leaves something to be asked for, but the record of Oscar Kirkham's life even so reduced to an unelaborated recital of facts is impressive: He was born in Utah, at Lehi, on January 22, 1880, the son of James K. and Martha Mercer Kirkham. He attended the available schools in Lehi and was later graduated from Brigham Young University at Provo, having served twice as President of the University Alumni Association. While still young in years he went to Germany for the study of music, which he pursued from 1900 to 1903. This was followed by two years devoted to the teaching of music in Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho, which in turn was followed by another two years in music study at Columbia University, New York City. This preparation was followed by a teaching career at L. D. S. University, where, from 1908 to 1913 he was head of the music department. Then, in 1913, into the program of the Church through the M. I. A. came the Boy Scout movement, to give active direction to which Oscar A. Kirkham was appointed a member of the General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, in the capacity of Field Secretary, and as a member of the Boy Scout committee. Success in this capacity led later to his appointment as Chief Executive of the Salt Lake Council, B. S. A., which in turn was followed by his appointment in 1925, as Associate Regional Executive, Region Twelve, Boy Scouts of America, comprising Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, and the Hawaiian Islands. This had been preceded by his appointment in 1920 as Executive Secretary of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, in which position he has served under four M. I. A. General Superintendents: Anthony W. Ivins, George Albert Smith, Albert E. Bowen, and George Q. Morris. In these two positions last named he was still serving at the time of his appointment to the First Council of the Seventy. Brother Kirkham is recognized internationally in recreational circles. Four times he has served as Chief Morale Officer at World Scout Jamborees: at Birkenhead, England, in 1920; Arrowe Parke, England, in 1929; Godolo, Hungary, in 1933; and Haarlem, Holland, in 1937. He has been in official attendance and has been called upon to participate in many recreational meets and conferences of national and international scope, one of which, the National Recreation Conference at Baltimore, Maryland, was responsible for his absence from the General Conference at the time of his appointment to the First Council of the Seventy. Among the many achievements of Oscar Kirkham, there is one which surmounts them all — his notable and worthy family of eight children, in the love and pride and responsibility of whom he has shared with his worthy wife, Ida Murdock Kirkham, whom he married in 1904. Those children, all now grown, and pursuing their lives in keeping with the example of uprightness of the home in which they were reared are : Mrs. Carol Jarvis of Arlington, Virginia; Mrs. Grace Burbidge of Salt Lake City; Rock M. Kirkham, first assistant Scout executive for the Washington, D. C, Scout Council; Norman Kirkham, graduate student at Harvard University; Mark Kirkham, who is studying architecture in Washington, D. C., Oscar N. Kirkham, private in the U. S. Army at Camp Roberts; Miss Kathryn Kirkham, student at Utah State Agricultural College, and Miss Jane Kirkham, student at East High school in Salt Lake City. It is fitting that the appointment of Oscar Ammon Kirkham should be referred to as "a new voice in the general councils of Israel." One of his most distinctive qualities is his voice—a large voice, devoid of harshness—a deep and throaty voice with pleasing quality and conviction —a voice, which, in crescendo, or in reverent whisper, carries far in terms of physical distance, and far in the lives and hearts of the men and boys it has touched. As a Boy Scout I have heard the beckoning of that voice—in the early hours of morning —in the candid brightness of day, out on the trail and after taps in the quieting solemnity of the night— and always it seems to come from the depths of a moving spirit — penetrating, sincere, persuasive, reverent. And so, we — the First Council of Seventy— the General Authorities —the membership of a worldwide Church welcome Oscar A. Kirkham to a calling of distinction and of great responsibility, knowing that his moving energy, his persuasive speech, his varied talents, and his worthy life will now be used to bestir men to be about their Father's business—that others may find the only way of life that leads to highest attainment here and hereafter. |
PRESIDENT OSCAR A. KIRKHAM OF THE FIRST COUNCIL OF SEVENTY
MRS. IDA M. KIRKHAM
THE KIRKHAM FAMILY OF EIGHT
AN EARLIER PHOTOGRAPH OF OSCAR A. KIRKHAM.
A TYPICAL CANDID PHOTOGRAPH OF PRESIDENT
DAVID O. McKAY, PRESIDENT OSCAR A. KIRKHAM, AND A SCOUT. OSCAR A. KIRKHAM, CHIEF MORALE OFFICER, WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE.
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM AND SCOUTS FROM MANY LANDS, AT THE WORLD JAMBOREE, HOLLAND, 1937.
THE FIRST COUNCIL OF THE SEVENTY, OCTOBER, 1941
Oscar A. Kirkham
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"Oscar A. Kirkham Named to Council of the Seventy." Relief Society Magazine. November 1941. pg. 776.
Oscar A. Kirkham Named to Council of Seventy
ELDER OSCAR A. KIRKHAM, executive director of the Y. M. M. I. A., was sustained as a member of the First Council of Seventy at the closing session of the recent general conference of the Church, October 5, 1941. His appointment fills the vacancy made by the death of Elder Rulon S. Wells, senior president of the council. Brother Kirkham is a man of wide experience and unusual ability. His appointment to the Council of Seventy brings to that organization a man of dynamic personality and great leadership strength.
Brother Kirkham has particularly endeared himself to Relief Society women through his interest in the membership program and the coming centennial observance. His stirring address, 'Together We Build," given at the Relief Society general conference, April, 1941, inspired Relief Society women with confidence and a determination to succeed in their membership campaign. His interest in the Society was further demonstrated when he asked for the privilege of being one of the first to donate to the proposed centennial monument to be erected on Temple Square.
Brother Kirkham has served the Church efficiently and faithfully. His advancement to a position as one of the General Authorities of the Church is a merited honor. A biographical sketch will appear in a later issue of the Magazine.
Oscar A. Kirkham Named to Council of Seventy
ELDER OSCAR A. KIRKHAM, executive director of the Y. M. M. I. A., was sustained as a member of the First Council of Seventy at the closing session of the recent general conference of the Church, October 5, 1941. His appointment fills the vacancy made by the death of Elder Rulon S. Wells, senior president of the council. Brother Kirkham is a man of wide experience and unusual ability. His appointment to the Council of Seventy brings to that organization a man of dynamic personality and great leadership strength.
Brother Kirkham has particularly endeared himself to Relief Society women through his interest in the membership program and the coming centennial observance. His stirring address, 'Together We Build," given at the Relief Society general conference, April, 1941, inspired Relief Society women with confidence and a determination to succeed in their membership campaign. His interest in the Society was further demonstrated when he asked for the privilege of being one of the first to donate to the proposed centennial monument to be erected on Temple Square.
Brother Kirkham has served the Church efficiently and faithfully. His advancement to a position as one of the General Authorities of the Church is a merited honor. A biographical sketch will appear in a later issue of the Magazine.
Josephson, Marba C. "Oscar A. Kirkham, Leader of Youth, Inspirer of Man." Relief Society Magazine. December 1941. pg. 811-813.
Oscar A. Kirkham Leader Of Youth, Inspirer Of Man Marba C. Josephson Associate Editor, Improvement Era ALONG a great hall, five selected delegates of the American Boy Scout delegation marched toward a great flight of stairs. When they reached the top of the first flight, the blare of trumpets sounded. They then marched up another flight, and again the trumpets sounded. Up another flight they went, and this time the blare of trumpets was a signal for the Queen of Holland to acknowledge their presence. In this group of Scout executives was Oscar A. Kirkham of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet. never has he boasted of that signal honor. Rather he has lived according to the famous lines of Kipling: If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -- Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, . . . And these things are what Oscar A. Kirkham, whose appointment to the First Council of Seventy was announced October 6, 1941, has done during the twenty-eight years of Scout work which has carried him to almost every state in the Union and nearly every nation of Europe. In world jamborees, five of which he has attended in an official capacity as chief morale officer of the American contingents, he has made friendships with rulers and great men and women of the nations. World-famous doctors have been pleased to call this man friend and to give him tokens of their respect and affection. Many of these tokens have come as a direct result of the living of Latter-day Saint principles by Oscar A. Kirkham. Lord Baden-Powell, founder and chief executive of Scouting in all the world, was a personal friend of President Kirkham, respecting him for his leadership of boys, a result of example as well as precept. President Kirkham has great power as a story teller. Concrete illustrations, effectively told, serve to drive home his teachings more permanently than would truisms or abstract statements. Often, boys tempted to neglect a duty are caught up by remembering the story President Kirkham tells of the young man who could ''sleep in the storm'' when the great winds blew, because he had prepared, locking windows and doors that the cattle and horses, the hay and the grain would be safe. The dynamic presence of Oscar A. Kirkham in any meeting assures that meeting of being out of the ordinary. In fact, that is one of the secrets of the interest that he arouses among those who meet him. The greatest experiences come to those who do the unexpected. By doing different things, by venturing into unknown fields, President Kirkham feels that he has gained greatly. One occasion which shows this characteristic, as well as a genuine fellowship with mankind, presented itself at the world Jamboree when he took a lad into a nearby city for an emergency appendectomy. The boy's official Scout guardian had not wished to make the trip, but Oscar said, "Here; let me take him." At the hospital he met one of the leading surgeons of Europe. Not only did the surgeon perform the operation, he performed it free of charge. And his heart warmed to Oscar A. Kirkham who would volunteer to take the strange boy in his care to see that the operation should be performed. When the Scouts moved on, James E. West, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, appointed a Mormon missionary to check on the boy's condition and report by wire daily. Moreover, Mr. West often appointed Latter-day Saint missionaries to assist in the headquarters at the Jamborees. Nothing could be better evidence of President Kirkham's example as a Latter-day Saint. Countless examples of this kind could be given to show how he has recognized the value in the unusual, in going off the beaten path for new experience. THE background of such a man is far too great to try to capture in dull print. He was born January 22, 1880, the fourth child in a family of eight children, to James and Martha Mercer Kirkham of Lehi, Utah. On January 1, 1888, he was baptized. After he completed his elementary and high school work, he graduated from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, and went to Germany during the years 1900 to 1903 to study music. While he was studying, he also labored with the missionaries and was of such great help to them that, following his return, he was given an honorable release by President Hugh J. Cannon, who was then presiding over the German Mission. Following his study, he was employed in the Church school system, first in Ricks College of Rexburg, Idaho, and after two years additional study in New York, in the Latter-day Saint University at Salt Lake City, where for five years he was head of the music department. That music has formed an important part of the leadership of President Kirkham is evidenced through the truly remarkable resonance of his voice which resulted from his music study as well as in the number of songs that he has written and which are sung and loved, particularly throughout the Mutual Improvement Associations of the Church. With Tennyson, he cares not who writes the laws of a people so long as he can write their songs. Perhaps the most popular of his songs is titled ''The Clarion Call,'' music for which was written by Alexander Schreiner, Tabernacle organist. Oscar A. Kirkham has filled' admirably many positions in the Church, beginning with his call to the General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association in 1913, with the introduction into the Church of the Boy Scout program. He was made field secretary of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. In 1920, he was set apart as executive secretary of the same organization, having held this position continuously from that time. Shortly after his entrance into Boy Scout activity he was honored by the Boy Scouts of America by being appointed Scout Executive of the Salt Lake Council. From that time to the present, he has been advanced in this movement until today his official title is Deputy Regional Executive, and his responsibilities include direction of all the western states and Hawaii. But the force of 813 his dynamic personality has reached much farther than this western region, for at five consecutive world Jamborees he has been in attendance as chief morale officer. At the last Jamboree, held in Haarlem, Holland, in 1937, President Kirkham was again the American continent's director of activities, and under his direction the American Scouts presented ''The Cavalcade of Scouting" before an estimated one hundred thousand spectators. Great as are the achievements of Oscar A. Kirkham, none is greater than that he is the father of eight children, all of whom have measured to the high ideals set by their father and by their mother, Ida Murdock Kirkham. The eight children are making their way in new fields—the two eldest daughters, Mrs. Carol Jarvis and Mrs. Grace Burbidge, as homemakers, after graduation from college; Rock, as first assistant Scout executive of the Washington, D. C, Council; Norman in the graduate school at Harvard University; Mark in his studies in architecture in Washington, D. C; Ned as a private in the U. S. Army at Presidio; and the two youngest daughters, Kathryn and Jane, as students, the former in the Utah State Agricultural College at Logan, Utah, and the latter at East High School of Salt Lake City. As the opportunities for service extend further, Oscar A. Kirkham will measure and surpass his former achievements. He will add even greater honor to the Church which has so honored him by naming him one of the First Seven Presidents of the Council of Seventy. |
PRESIDENT OSCAR A. KIRKHAM
OF THE FIRST COUNCIL OF SEVENTY |
Evans, John Henry. "Oscar Kirkham - An International Figure." Instructor. January 1942. pg. 3, 11.
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM An International Figure By Elder John Henry Evans Last week the writer stole into the room, just across the hall from the Instructor office, where Oscar A. Kirkham had his desk for many years, before he was chosen one of the First Council of Seventy. This room is an art gallery and museum combined, for pictures cover the walls, hang on easels, and decorate the shelves, and in drawers and on the desk are mementoes galore. Here, for instance, above an archway is a long narrow photograph, under glass, of a jamboree in Holland, thousands of boy scouts from every nation under the sun and Oscar one of a half-dozen leaders in front. In another place, on the wall, is an autographed enlarged photograph of Baden Powell himself, founder of the boy scout movement, as special gift to our own boy scout leader. And on an easel, in a corner of the room, is an emblem connected with the boy scout work, which has the founder's autograph on the back. These, with a hundred others, represent gifts to our friend from almost every part of the earth. The cut presented here, is of Brother Kirkham speaking to sixty thousand boy scouts in the recent world's fair, in New York. One can almost hear the clearly intoned message, delivered in that ringing voice which is audible enough to be heard without the customary loud speaker. The significance of all this is that Oscar A. Kirkham is an international figure. Few men in America have spoken before more boys and young men, with their leaders, in so many different nations as he. And since boy scout leaders everywhere, as a rule, are outstanding business, professional, and religious leaders, his contacts in many countries and with many groups are quite unusual. Before World War II turned things topsy-turvy he was one of six persons in as many nations, asked to program events in the boy scout movement throughout the world. This was a recognition of his international standing. Always Oscar A. Kirkham's message to boy scouts is bottomed on the religious ideal. When this message, which, of course, is never sectarian, is given in his clear, ringing voice and with his naturally positive nature, it carries conviction. At many a meeting where he has spoken, not only in our own country but in others, the audience has risen as one man after he has spoken, in tribute both to his earnestness and to his having expressed what was in their innermost thought and heart. Such is the man who has just been chosen one of the Seven Presidents of Seventy in our Church. |
OSCAR AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, NEW YORK
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"Oscar A. Kirkham - A Leader of Youth." Improvement Era. August 1946. pg. 494, 538-540.
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM A Leader of Youth Inspirer of youth, Builder of young manhood, Recipient of honors from the Boy Scouts of America, Valiant Church worker, Distinguished alumnus of Brigham Young University. These were the words said about Oscar A. Kirkham by President Howard S. McDonald on June 5, 1946, as he received the hood of honorary Master of Arts degree from Brigham Young University. Recently Brother Kirkham was honored by the national staff of the Boy Scouts of America —the Region Twelve executives and staff and scores of Scouts and Scouters for having completed thirty-five successful years of leadership with the Boy Scouts of America. During these years his position included the direct responsibility of promoting this organization within our Church. His great prestige in scouting has resulted from the fact that "he has magnified his calling" and made the job and its results much greater than the position he has filled. Scouting is primarily a volunteer service. Approximately five hundred forty councils in the United States and Hawaii which serve more than two million boys are staffed by more than ninety-five percent non-paid workers. These five hundred forty councils are administered in twelve regions by a regional Scout executive, his deputy, and assistants. In Region XII are Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii. A halftime deputy executive has been assigned to Utah. This particular position is the official niche from which Oscar has reached out to serve the Church in scouting and the many other troops sponsored by other churches. Oscar A. Kirkham has relinquished his official capacity as deputy Scout executive of Region Twelve, having reached the retirement age, and is devoting his full time to his work as a member of the First Council of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I am not going out but going on in scouting," were the words of Brother Kirkham. Scouting in the age of Elder Kirkham has left its special marks and etchings. First of these marks on the scouting landscape is a registration of boys the like of which does not occur elsewhere in the land. On an index of the number of twelve-year-old boys in the communities, the six councils in the heart of the Mormon country show registration of three hundred forty-eight for Salt Lake, three hundred thirty-three for Ogden, three hundred thirty-one for Cache Valley, three hundred fourteen for Idaho Falls, two hundred thirty-six for Pocatello, and two hundred sixty-six for Zion Park, as compared with one hundred sixty-two for Region XII and ninety-seven for the United States and Hawaii combined. Another mark is that sponsorship quota of Scout troops in the six councils named is the highest in America. There are more happy boys in scouting in the troops of communities in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than anywhere else. Elder Kirkham has been the file leader for these boys with a smile. His slogan, the "funway of scouting" has been a rallying cry. As Scouter of the world, Brother Kirkham has been chief morale officer of the American contingent at all of the International Jamborees since their inception in 1920 including the National Jamboree in 1937, Washington, D.C. He was one of seven officials at the World Jamboree in Holland to represent America in the international conference of youth. His many friends include Lord Baden-Powell, chief Scout of the world, James E. West, chief Scout of America, Count Teliki, directoire of scouting in Hungary, and many other world recognized Scouters who looked upon him as the spiritualizer of scouting. He stood for the Word of Wisdom, the Scout oath, and the Scout law, and with his great singing voice was an inspiration to boys of every land. What national leaders think of him is reflected in the comments of Dr. Elbert K. Fretwell, president of the National Council and whose friendship covers a period of many years, who wired as follows: Oscar Kirkham is to me the living embodiment of the scouting spirit, devoted to his God, and to his country, and to helping other people. He has the rare ability of helping people to help themselves. He has been and always will be a great national leader in scouting. H. W. Hurt, national scouting director of research and statistics states in a letter: For more than a quarter-century we have labored in a common cause—to facilitate the development of youth into responsible citizenship. . . . Across these years our contracts carried, always the impact of spiritual force. Somehow, you have symbolized, to me, a modern version of sturdy religious vigor of the prophets of old. I know that thousands have been made more aware of the eternal values of life by the challenge and wholesomeness of your example whether as a citizen, or churchman, or as the husband and father of a marvelous family. The Scout movement is richer because of these values which you have embodied as you worked in it. Mr. Harold F. Pote, national director of personnel for the Boy Scouts of America was chosen to pay tribute to Brother Kirkham at both the San Jose conference of Region Twelve Scout executives and the Buck Hill conference of national staff members. He writes: The written word is too cold to do justice to the subject, i.e., Oscar Kirkham and what he has meant to scouting through these many years. It seems to me that your associates of the national staff have, because of what you have stood for, recognized in you a fast friend. On many occasions I have heard men speak of their feelings of "steady support" from you in times of need. You may not recall it, but when I was under the greatest pressure at the 1944 conference at Buck Hill Falls, you wrote a special message to me, quoting a man by the name of Sweitzer which was designed to help me think through my responsibilities and to relieve me from pressure. This has been characteristic of your leadership through the years. In the international conference, I know your counsel and advice helped Dr. West, as chief of our group of six delegates, tremendously. We insist that even though you retire you remain as one of us. A special title must be devised for you. In times of old, the patriarchs were given special status as elder statesmen. . . . Dr. Ray O. Wyland is well known to scouting and to Scouters in our Church in his official capacity as national director of the religious emphasis of the program. He says: When I think of scouting in the Latter-day Saint Church, I think of you, for in no small measure, your leadership has contributed to the outstanding record of the Mormon Church which enrolls more than seventy percent of its boys in scouting, leading all churches, as Utah leads all states, in the percentage of boys who are receiving Scout training. It is natural that we should think of you as the ambassador of scouting to the Church, but I am equally appreciative of your mission as the ambassador of the Church to scouting. Because of your personality and unexcelled spirit, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is held in high regard among all our Scout leaders. I believe you are the best missionary in your Church, and it is entirely fitting that you should be designated as one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, selected to supervise the missionary program of the Church throughout the world. We will miss you in scouting circles. No one will ever fill your place, but I am happy to report that your son, Rock M. Kirkham, is making an excellent record, and he will carry on the work which you have so well established. I am one of the many who cherish your friendship and the happy associations we have had through a quarter of a century. . . . C. J. Carlson, regional Scout executive directing the scouting activities in the four western states and Hawaii, to whom Brother Kirkham was deputy Scout executive says: Your contribution to the Boy Scouts of America is rather unique and noteworthy. Because of your personality and outlook on the richer and fuller things of life you have richly endowed the personnel of scouting with a spiritual touch that will long be remembered. You have truly left living monuments along the trail of scouting. D. E. Hammond, Scout executive of the Salt Lake Council and member of the scouting committee of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association has been closely associated with Brother Kirkham for many years, first as his assistant in the Salt Lake Council, and since then with the Y.M.M.I.A., the sponsors of the scouting program in the Church. Brother Hammond writes: It is interesting to observe that Oscar A. Kirkham's initials spell OAK. As you think of his life and accomplishments, his great service to his community; to scouting locally, nationally, and internationally and to his Church, it is easy to compare -him to a great sturdy, deeply rooted, immovable, stately, wide-spreading oak tree—one that stands alone on the country side. Oscar is sturdy in stature, stately, deep-rooted and immovable in his convictions as to honor, justice, fair play, and Christian goodness. His influence, helpfulness and 'sheltering' service to thousands has been widespread and far-reaching. He has the unusual faculty of seeing, feeling, understanding, and interpreting the human side of life. He touches people's hearts and moves them to action. John A. Stiles, chief executive commissioner of The Boy Scouts Association of Canada, and a lifelong friend of both Brother Kirkham and the Latter-day Saint people, writes: For twenty-five years I have watched Oscar Kirkham, the militant Christian Scout, in action. The fibre of the man, his intense loyalty to fundamentals in scouting and religion; his love for his fellow men; his ability to lead, and his great sense of humor withal, have been an inspiration to me. To see and hear him, as I have many times, lead an audience of fifteen hundred or more Scout executives in the great songs of the Church and scouting has been something to remember for many a day. I regard Oscar Kirkham as one of the great pioneers of scouting, a regular individualist on the side of God and humanity. . . . And so to Oscar A. Kirkham, these tributes serve as but a challenge for his ever-increasing devotion to youth, that young people may live to the best that lies within them, challenged to that best by his ever wise, ever-friendly leadership. —From material by Dr. George Stewart and other sources |
Oscar A. Kirkham receiving special honor at San Jose Region 12 Scout Executives' conference. The special tributes were the Indian headdress from a
Scout executive of Region 12, and the etching from the National Boy Scout staff. B.Y.U. exercises where Oscar A. Kirkham received
an honorary degree of master of arts for his leadership of youth, pictured with his wife, Ida Murdock Kirkham, and youngest daughter, Jane, a graduate at the same exercises. She received a bachelor of science degree. |
Zobell, Albert L., Jr. "In Recognition... Oscar A. Kirkham." Improvement Era. April 1950. pg. 279.
In Recognition... Oscar A. Kirkham By Albert L. Zobell, Jr. Perhaps the greatest honor ever to come to a member of the Church in the field of camping came to President Oscar A. Kirkham of the First Council of the Seventy on February 17. Veteran Scout and M.I.A. leader, and always a friend of youth, he received one of five citations given by the American Camping Association at their convention in St. Louis, in recognition of his outstanding service to the youth of our country and other lands in the field of camping and character building. The purpose of this organization, which has an enrolment of five thousand leaders and one million members, is to further the interests and welfare of children and adults through camping as an educative and recreative experience. Inaugurating this year a new plan of recognition of living persons who have rendered exemplary service to the camping movement, the organization gave citations and plaques to Elder Kirkham and to four others, Harriet Farnsworth Gulick of Brookline, Massachusetts; Barbara Ellen Joy of Wisconsin; Charles R. Scott of Newark, New Jersey; and Taylor Statten of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In presenting the recognition award before a group of over nine hundred registered delegates representing thirty-seven states, this was said of Brother Kirkham: Oscar A. Kirkham, Salt Lake City, Utah. A prominent leader in western organizations for many years, including the Pacific Camping Association and its federation with this Association on a national basis; served with distinction the National Organization of Boy Scouts of America for over thirty years in attending many large, national gatherings and five great International Jamborees where he has camped with hundreds of thousands of men and boys from all parts of the world in four different European Countries; prominent in the Church of Jesus Christ for his executive leadership in the development of camps and outdoor programs; on the mountain trails and around the campfires of the West you can hear his songs and stories; he has developed many bulletins on camping. We are pleased that Mr. Kirkham could be here in person to receive the citation. As field secretary of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association beginning in 1909, and later as executive secretary, Elder Kirkham has done much to further the recreational and scouting movements within the Church. He is a thirty-five-year veteran of the Boy Scout program and was the first Scout executive in the Salt Lake Council. He attended the first world jamboree of Boy Scouts, held in Olympia, London, England, in 1920; the third, at Arrowe Park, England, 1929; the fourth, at Godollo, Hungary, in 1933; the fifth, at Haarlem, Holland, in 1937; the sixth, at Moisson, near Paris, France, in 1947 as well as the national jamboree at Washington, D. C, in 1937. He was chief morale officer at all the jamborees that he attended. He holds personal recognition from Lord Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting, and from other world leaders. A decade or so ago he led sixty thousand Scouts at the New York world's fair in the Scout oath and the national anthem. As executive secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A., one of his contributions was the introduction of and leadership in the fathers' and sons' outings. One outing, held at Waterton Lakes, Alberta, Canada, had 1327 in attendance and stood for a long time as the largest outing of that kind in history. Elder Kirkham was called to the First Council of the Seventy at the October 1941 conference of the Church and has been active in that work since then, as well as in the cause of youth. When the general board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association was reorganized in 1948, he was the dean of the board in years of service rendered to this auxiliary organization of the Church. |
President Kirkham hangs the award received from the American Camping Association on the wall of his office.
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Hinckley, Bryant S. "Oscar A. Kirkham." Improvement Era. October 1956. pg. 704-708, 765-767.
Oscar A. Kirkham By Bryant S. Hinckley SCOUTER MUSICIAN SEVENTY DEFENDER OF TRUTH LATTER-DAY SAINT No man goes about a more godly business than he who is concerned with the right upbringing of his own and other people's children.—Aristotle THE MEASURE of a man's value to society is his constructive influence in the world. That may be best determined by the answer to these questions: Has he made the world a better place in which to live? When he is gone, will what he built up tumble down? Judged by these standards Elder Oscar A. Kirkham will qualify for a place among the good and great of his day. In his youth, he gave promise of the achievements which have crowned his mature years. More than half a century of his colorful life has been dedicated to building men, the supreme work of the world. He has the rare and precious gift of moving people to righteousness, of awakening their slumbering souls and giving direction to their lives. He motivates. From his luminous soul he kindles the souls of others. This is one of his gifts. He loves to help people. Wherever you find him, he is doing something for others, promoting their friendship, looking after their welfare, seeking to make them happy. When Elder Kirkham carried a crippled Swiss boy on his shoulders up a steep mountainside so that the boy could see the Matterhorn, he gave us an example of his gracious willingness to help others. Elder Kirkham is a field marshal on the battleground where character is forged and is happiest where the action is the heaviest. That is where he shines, where he best demonstrates his ability. His towering figure and clarion voice, his ready grasp of any situation put him in command and make him a brilliant leader. Elder Oscar A. Kirkham was born in Lehi, Utah County, Utah, seventy- six years ago, January 22, 1880. He is the son of James K. and Martha Mercer Kirkham. His father was a musician and a merchant. He was a kindly, religious man, steadfast in his allegiance to the Church, upright in all his dealings, highly respected by his neighbors. His mother, Martha Mercer Kirkham, was from distinguished pioneer stock. Although she died while still a young woman, she left forever the impress of her nobility upon her eight children. She was indeed a great mother. Her children prove it. They are superior men and women. This is due in no small measure to her wise and saintly influence. She bequeathed to her children that precious but intangible something that makes one "hunger and thirst after righteousness." That is one of the greatest inheritances, and her heritage to her children. She had a premonition that this son, Oscar, would do a great work in his time—that he was a child of destiny. However, she did not live to rejoice in his achievements. In his childhood and youth Oscar did what most country boys do—hoed the garden, milked the cows, thinned the beets, marketed produce, and went to school. In the school of his home town he met a young teacher, George N. Child, who recognized this tall boy's possibilities and not only inspired him to work but also filled him with a desire to win a place in the world. Brother Kirkham owes much to his fellow townsman, George N. Child, who became one of the distinguished educators of the state of Utah. At seventeen years of age Oscar entered Brigham Young University [then academy] at Provo and was later graduated from that institution. Since then he has twice served as president of the alumni association and at present is the first vice president of the Emeritus Club. The story of how he obtained his education with little or no financial help is stimulating to all ambitious young men. During the first winter in Provo he lived in the loft of a granary with another Lehi boy of promise, James T, Worlton, who won distinction as an educator. In those days a sack of potatoes cost fifty cents and a hundred pounds of flour, three dollars. These items with a little home-cured bacon would feed two boys for most of a school quarter. Plain living and high thinking often go together. Because Brother Kirkham loved the stage and had an exceptional baritone voice, he soon became prominent in school dramatics. His vocal teachers thought he had great possibilities as a singer and encouraged him to go to Germany to study. After graduating from Brigham Young Academy he did spend three years in Germany studying under some of the ablest vocal teachers. He made splendid progress and appeared on some important musical programs in that country. Being deeply religious, he often joined with the missionaries in their work. On his return to America he taught music at the Ricks Academy in Rexburg, Idaho. He also instructed private pupils, and through his boundless energy he was soon able to repay the money borrowed for his schooling in Germany. Elder Kirkham now began to feel that if he were to make music his career he needed further training in the art of teaching. Accordingly, he went to Columbia University in New York City, where he studied two and one-half years. In order to help meet his expenses he sang in a choir in New York and did some teaching. The head of the music department of the university assigned him to coach a group of students who could not meet the required standards. Under his direction they made remarkable progress, proving his ability as a teacher. In the final examinations these pupils were among the best. On his return to Salt Lake City he became head of the department of music at the LDS University, a position he held for five years. Elder Kirkham became a member of the general board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association on August 25, 1912, and continued to serve on the board until October 10, 1948. In the summer of 1911 the Scout movement had been recognized by the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, and in 1913 the MIA Scouts, on invitation from the National Council, affiliated with and became part of the Boy Scouts of America. The official act of the executive board of the National Council was taken May 2, 1913, at which time the general board of the YMMIA was given a charter covering the entire Church. In 1919 Brother Kirkham became field secretary of the YMMIA and later executive secretary of that auxiliary. Now began his remarkable career as a leader of young people. As such he has had few equals. This great organization soon began to feel the quickening touch of his vitalizing leadership. It was here that he came in contact with scouting. In April 1919 he was appointed Scout executive of the Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America. In November 1925, he was made associate executive of Region 12, consisting of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and the Hawaiian Islands. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints adopted early the plan of the Boy Scouts of America as part of its program for youth, and has had almost from the beginning a higher percentage of its boys registered in scouting than has any other church. Brother Kirkham served the YMMIA under general superintendents Anthony W. Ivins, George Albert Smith, Albert E. Bowen, and George Q. Morris. He has attended six world Scout jamborees, six national jamborees in the United States, and many sectional gatherings, and has served as morale officer at all of them: This is a highly important assignment. Keeping thousands of restless boys interested and happy and maintaining a high spiritual atmosphere, requires superb leadership. In forty years the Scout program has reached impressive proportions. In the United States there are more than four million Scouts vv^ith more than eight hundred thousand officers and leaders. In this group which has attracted men of distinguished leadership and ability, stands the towering figure of Oscar A. Kirkham. It was in scouting that he had the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership and to make his supremely significant contribution to the manhood of the Church and the nation. At October conference, 1941, Elder Kirkham was sustained a member of the First Council of the Seventy. This was the climax of years of Church service. As a seventy, Elder Kirkham has visited the stakes and missions of the Church and has inspired the members with renewed faith and devotion. These fifteen years, along with the many preceding them, have been dedicated to the promotion of the great work designated for the seventies of the Church—that of proclaiming the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. In this capacity he has continued his great service to all people and has unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the work of the Lord. In this calling he feels he has met the most significant responsibility of his dedicated life. And yet he has met it in the honest humility of being "the least of these." The walls of Elder Kirkham's office are adorned with tokens, trophies, citations, and tributes of appreciation. We submit a few letters and citations. At the MIA conference June 20, 1948, the following citation was read: OSCAR A. KIRKHAM Dean of the General Board of the YMMIA Member of the Committee upon whose recommendation the program of the Boy Scouts of America was adopted by the Church in 1913. Thirty-live years' service in the Boy Scout movement. First Scout Executive in the Salt Lake Council. Many years a member of the staff of Region Twelve. Member of the National Staff at five World Jamborees and the great National Jamboree held in Washington, D. C, in 1937; [In all, Elder Kirkham has attended six world Jamborees, six national, and many other sectional gatherings of the Boy Scouts.] including membership at International conference of leaders, where he presented a paper on "The Patrol Method." Led sixty thousand Scouts at the New York World's Fair in the Scout Oath and the National Anthem. Honorary member of the Boy Scouts of France and Greece. Selected to present the bronze statuette of Scouting to the Queen of Holland at the World Jamboree in behalf of the American Delegation. At France, in 1947, with International leaders, was made Chief "Elk" of the Blackfoot Indian Tribe and was also presented with the Cross of Jerusalem by chief religious leader of Boy Scouts of France. For many years, "Oscar" was the executive secretary of the YMMIA. He introduced and gave leadership to the plan of Fathers' and Sons' outings, including one held at Waterton Lakes, Alberta, Canada, with 1327 present, the largest in history. At this time, the Canadian Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes were exchanged by National leaders. He holds personal recognition from Lord Robert S. S. Baden- Powell, the founder of Scouting, and other world leaders. President Kirkham claims his greatest satisfaction has been his high privilege of serving the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the youth of this America. Another of the great honors in his colorful career was the citation given by the American Camping Association at the convention in St. Louis, February 17, 1950, in recognition of his outstanding service to the youth of our land and other lands in the field of camping and character building. The purpose of this organization is to further the interests and welfare of children and adults through camping and recreational experiences. It has an enrolment of five thousand leaders and a million members. This citation was given in recognition of living persons who have rendered exemplary service to the camping movement. On this occasion the organization gave citations and plaques to Brother Kirkham and four others. In presenting the awards before a group of more than nine hundred registered delegates representing thirty-seven states, this was said to Brother Kirkham: Oscar A. Kirkham, Salt Lake City, Utah, —A prominent leader in western organizations for many years, including the Pacific Camping Association and its federation with this Association on a national basis; served with distinction the National Organization of Boy Scouts of America for over thirty years in attending many large national gatherings and five great international Jamborees where he has camped with hundreds of thousands of men and boys from all parts of the world in four different European Countries; prominent in the Church of Jesus Christ for his executive leadership in the development of camps and outdoor programs; on the mountain trails and around the campfires of the West you can hear his songs and stories; he has developed many bulletins on camping. We are pleased that Mr. Kirkham could be here in person to receive the citation. SILVER BEAVER CITATION January 9, 1953 It is with a touch of emotion that I assume the honor of presenting this dean of all good Scouters to our Council President for the highest local Council Service Award in Scouting. He became my scouting idol more than thirty-six years ago, which has been true also of thousands of other boys now taking their places in mature society. Men and boys alike have for forty years cheered, sung, thrilled, hiked, and followed his dynamic leadership. He is remembered affectionately for his inspiration at the round table, in the meeting room, at the head of massive assemblies, as the marshal of the day and in the quiet glens and hollows of our western hills by the light of a thousand campfires. Here is a man to match our mountains! For outstanding service to boys and to those who love them—at home, all over America and on foreign shores—we say simply, Oscar and Ida, thank you and God bless you. Silver Beaver Committee Chairman of the Council M. Elmer Christensen Brigham Young University presented this citation: Brigham Young University, February 21, 1956, the faculty and student body of the Brigham Young University present this citation to Oscar A. Kirkham in recognition of his lifetime of untiring, unselfish service to the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Boy Scouts of America, and boys of all nations of the world. Signed: Ernest L. Wilkinson—President J. Wid Tingey—Student Body President Brother Kirkham is a popular speaker. He has an impressive personality, a strong and well-modulated voice, and deep religious convictions. Out of his wide and wonderful experiences he has gathered a wealth oi stories and anecdotes which lend interest and effectiveness to all he says. He has written songs, coined slogans, and published guides and manuals for camping and scouting. The following is typical of his thinking: BUILDING A FIRE Here are some rules for building a fire. They may also suggest something to you (1) Get down on your knees near the wood. Be close to nature; if God is with you, 3'ou cannot fail. Do your part. (2) Start with a little spark; be patient; it will grow. (3) Blow gently, give encouragement in lowly, safe, kindly ways. (4) Add fuel only as needed. Do not smother the fire. It will need care. (5) Let the warmth be yours to enjoy. Feel the glow of the fire, there is magic in building it. Confucius said: "He who chops his own wood gets warm twice." As surely as the sun brings the morning and rivers run down to the sea, a new day is dawning, and our children shall live brave and free. On May 25, 1904, Elder Kirkham married Ida Murdock of Heber City, Utah, a capable and beautiful young woman. He had but recently returned from studying in Germany. He was in debt; he had no money. He was twenty-four years of age. But none of these factors deterred him. Sister Kirkham is a modest woman with a generous endowment of common sense, and with superior executive ability. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University and has been a popular and successful teacher. Through the years she has managed the economy of the Kirkham household, spelled all the hard words for the family, helped train the children, and promoted and encouraged her distinguished husband in his public service. The home life of the Kirkhams has been a happy one. The atmosphere at their fireside is the kind in which strong men and noble women grow. They have four sons and four daughters, all of whom are pursuing their lives in keeping with the training and spirit of the home in which they were reared. They are all married, all college graduates, and five have filled missions for the Church. They are Mrs. George Y. Jarvis (Carol), Mrs. Leslie Burbidge (Grace), Rock, Norman, Mark, Ned, Mrs. Wade H. Andrews (Katherine), and Mrs. David S. Bassler, Jr. (Jane). The children are active in the Church. One is a member of a high council, another a bishop, a third a YMMIA president. Two of the sons are in government service. Two grandsons of President and Sister Kirkham are currently filling missions for the Church. Oscar Kirkham's life and his affections are centered in his home and family. It is here that he is best known and most loved. It is here that he experiences his deepest joy and makes his greatest contribution. These tributes from his children and from his companion of more than fifty years, eloquently testify in his behalf. Sister Kirkham says: "We have a united and happy family, loyal to each other, to their country, and their Creator. At the close of our golden wedding celebration, at which all the children were present. Brother Kirkham said, 'This has been a perfect day for me; my great desire is to bless you.' We knelt, and while he prayed, the spirit of heaven filled our hearts to overflowing. Oscar has been the great personality in our home, where he is adored by all. His teachings have regulated our lives, and his example has inspired our efforts." Here are a few sentences taken from tributes paid by his children. One said of him, "If I were looking for an ideal in life I would look to my father. He has been in all respects an ideal father." Another said, "When I go into my father's presence, I feel that I am facing one of the choicest, most reverent, refined, yet one of the most delightful persons I have ever met. . . . Words can never express my love and admiration for him." Another writes, "I remember father's faith, trust, and generosity. I remember his great capacity for forgiveness, his great love of people, and the thousands of friends that reward that love." One of the daughters writes, "When I think of my father, a warm and delightful feeling comes over me. He is a great man, full of understanding and with a love for humanity. I love him because he taught me the magic of prayer." THE Kirkhams grew vegetables in Lehi, and the boys sold them in the streets of Salt Lake City. Oscar as a young boy had a strong, clear voice which could be heard for a city block. He would attract customers by announcing what he and his brothers had to sell. His voice made him a valuable salesman. If the load was not sold the first day, the boys camped at night in the tithing office yard and slept either in their wagon or on the cobblestone pavement. Perhaps they dreamed of better days. The youthful voice that attracted buyers and sold vegetables on the streets of Salt Lake City has called Scouts assembled from all over the world to rally to their standards and to make men of themselves. That same voice has inspired men and women all over the Church with a renewed hope and with a renewed faith. The boy from Lehi who slept on the cobblestone pavement of the tithing office yard has been the guest of the nobility of the earth. He is known the world over as a leader of boys and has mingled with the great and the near great of the world. Oscar is a great commoner. Wherever he goes, he makes men and women better and happier. Pioneers and world leaders in this movement have recognized and followed his leadership. He is a crusader for righteousness. With a contrite heart and an unconquerable faith he still pursues his work. He is a great morale booster. In this field he rises to the pinnacle of his power. Here he is superb, pre-eminent, unmatched. His generation will never forget him and generations to come will be better because of him. |
Brother and Sister Kirkham on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, 1954.
Musical brothers, James K. (Oscar's father), Joseph, Hyrum, and George Kirkham. Standing, left to right, Oscar's mother, and Grandfather and Grandmother Kirkham.
Ten-year-old Oscar with his father James K. Kirkham.
A master storyteller, Brother Kirkham entertains Scouts of Region 12 at Mt. Lassen, California.
Martha Mercer Kirkham, Oscar's mother.
Children and grandchildren gather for Brother and Sister Kirkham's Golden Wedding Anniversary.
As a young man.
President Oscar A. Kirkham's first love and primary concern is his office as a Seventy in the Church. Here he is flanked by his brethren of the First Council of the Seventy.
Brother Kirkham was presented an Indian headdress when he became a member of the staff of Region 12, which includes Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and Hawaii.
"An Indian chief" at the 1953 World Jamboree of Scouting in
London. Brother Kirkham with the Salt Lake Council of BSA, wearing silver buffalo award.
Brother Kirkham with other members of the American World Staff Delegation of the BSA, at 1934 Boy Scout Jamboree.
With Scouts at the World Jamboree of 1929 in Budapest.
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Zobell, Albert L., Jr. "Oscar A. Kirkham will long be remembered as a builder of men." Improvement Era. May 1958. pg. 520-521.
Oscar A. Kirkham will be long remembered as a builder of Men
by Albert L. Zobell, Jr., Research Editor
President Oscar Ammon Kirkham, a member of the First Council of the Seventy since October 1941, a Boy Scout officer for almost as long as there have been Boy Scouts, long-time worker in the MIA and in the cause of youth, passed away the morning of March 10, at his home in Salt Lake City. The seventy-eight year old Churchman was the third member of the General Authorities to be called by death in fifty-four days-Elder Thomas E. McKay and Elder Adam S. Bennion preceding him.
Death came to Elder Kirkham at about three o'clock Monday morning following a heart seizure. Although he had suffered a similar attack some months ago, he had returned to the busy routine of his office, and was there Friday, March 7, the last day of the work-week.
Youth was his element—and from that element he happily built manhood. He inspired all who remembered that youth was once theirs. Elder Kirkham supported the Boy Scout program very early and was a member of the committee that had it adopted by the Church. He became a member of the general board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association on August 25, 1912. The next year, on May 2, 1913, the YMMIA Boy Scout charter was received, making the Church the first religious body to become officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Elder Kirkham was a member of the first Scout committee.
In April 1919 he was appointed Scout executive of the Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. In November 1925, he was made associate executive of Region XII, consisting of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and the Hawaiian Islands. He later was a member of the national staff of the Boy Scouts.
He attended six world Scout jamborees, six national jamborees in the United States, and many sectional gatherings, serving as a morale officer. He led sixty thousand Scouts at the New York World's Fair in the Scout oath and the national anthem. He was an honorary member of the Boy Scouts of France, Austria, and Greece, and was selected to present a bronze statuette of scouting to the queen of Holland in behalf of the American delegation. During the World Jamboree in France in 1947, he was made Chief Wise Elk of the Blackfoot Indian Tribe and was also given the French Cross of Jerusalem. In March 1949 he was awarded the Silver Antelope for distinguished service to boyhood. In January 1953 he was given the Silver Beaver "for outstanding service to boys and to those who love them—at home, all over America, and on foreign shores."
He held personal recognition from Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting, and also from other world leaders.
Truly, Elder Kirkham's stature as a leader of boys —a maker of men, was international in scope.
In 1919 Brother Kirkham became field secretary of the YMMIA and later served as executive secretary of this auxiliary. He introduced and gave important leadership to the plan of fathers' and sons' outings, now so popular throughout the Church. When released from the YMMIA general board in October 1948, he was the "dean of the board."
Although he claimed his greatest satisfaction had been his high privilege of serving the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the youth of America, another call was in store for him.
In October 1941 he was sustained as a member of the First Council of the Seventy, and for the remaining nearly sixteen and a half years of his life he met with the Saints almost weekly in their stake and mission conferences. Here youth continued to cluster around him. Now, instead of teaching his wisdom around the campfires in the great open spaces, he used another way which was certainly no stranger to him—the pulpit.
Elder Kirkham was born in Lehi, Utah, January 22, 1880, the son of James K. and Martha Mercer Kirkham. At seventeen years of age he entered Brigham Young Academy (now University) and was graduated from that institution. He was president of his class and later served twice as president of the BYU Alumni Association and as vice-president of the Emeritus Club. In 1946 he was given an honorary Master of Arts degree by BYU.
He studied music in Germany from 1900 to 1903, also being set apart as a missionary to Germany, and the elders who were serving in that land then still fondly recall how a song from Elder Kirkham buoyed them up as they faced their labors. Later he studied at Columbia University, New York City.
From 1903 to 1905 he taught music at Ricks Academy (now College), Rexburg, Idaho.
In the meantime, on May 25, 1904, he had married Ida Murdock in the Salt Lake Temple. Eight children blessed that home: Mrs. George Y. (Carol) Jarvis, Mrs. Leslie (Grace) Burbidge, Rock M., Norman, Mark, Ned, Mrs. Wade H. (Katherine) Andrews, and Mrs. David S. (Jane) Bassler, Jr. All are college graduates; five have filled missions. Twenty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren are numbered among Elder Kirkham's posterity.
Funeral services were held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square, March 13.
Oscar A. Kirkham will be long remembered as a builder of Men
by Albert L. Zobell, Jr., Research Editor
President Oscar Ammon Kirkham, a member of the First Council of the Seventy since October 1941, a Boy Scout officer for almost as long as there have been Boy Scouts, long-time worker in the MIA and in the cause of youth, passed away the morning of March 10, at his home in Salt Lake City. The seventy-eight year old Churchman was the third member of the General Authorities to be called by death in fifty-four days-Elder Thomas E. McKay and Elder Adam S. Bennion preceding him.
Death came to Elder Kirkham at about three o'clock Monday morning following a heart seizure. Although he had suffered a similar attack some months ago, he had returned to the busy routine of his office, and was there Friday, March 7, the last day of the work-week.
Youth was his element—and from that element he happily built manhood. He inspired all who remembered that youth was once theirs. Elder Kirkham supported the Boy Scout program very early and was a member of the committee that had it adopted by the Church. He became a member of the general board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association on August 25, 1912. The next year, on May 2, 1913, the YMMIA Boy Scout charter was received, making the Church the first religious body to become officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Elder Kirkham was a member of the first Scout committee.
In April 1919 he was appointed Scout executive of the Salt Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America. In November 1925, he was made associate executive of Region XII, consisting of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and the Hawaiian Islands. He later was a member of the national staff of the Boy Scouts.
He attended six world Scout jamborees, six national jamborees in the United States, and many sectional gatherings, serving as a morale officer. He led sixty thousand Scouts at the New York World's Fair in the Scout oath and the national anthem. He was an honorary member of the Boy Scouts of France, Austria, and Greece, and was selected to present a bronze statuette of scouting to the queen of Holland in behalf of the American delegation. During the World Jamboree in France in 1947, he was made Chief Wise Elk of the Blackfoot Indian Tribe and was also given the French Cross of Jerusalem. In March 1949 he was awarded the Silver Antelope for distinguished service to boyhood. In January 1953 he was given the Silver Beaver "for outstanding service to boys and to those who love them—at home, all over America, and on foreign shores."
He held personal recognition from Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting, and also from other world leaders.
Truly, Elder Kirkham's stature as a leader of boys —a maker of men, was international in scope.
In 1919 Brother Kirkham became field secretary of the YMMIA and later served as executive secretary of this auxiliary. He introduced and gave important leadership to the plan of fathers' and sons' outings, now so popular throughout the Church. When released from the YMMIA general board in October 1948, he was the "dean of the board."
Although he claimed his greatest satisfaction had been his high privilege of serving the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the youth of America, another call was in store for him.
In October 1941 he was sustained as a member of the First Council of the Seventy, and for the remaining nearly sixteen and a half years of his life he met with the Saints almost weekly in their stake and mission conferences. Here youth continued to cluster around him. Now, instead of teaching his wisdom around the campfires in the great open spaces, he used another way which was certainly no stranger to him—the pulpit.
Elder Kirkham was born in Lehi, Utah, January 22, 1880, the son of James K. and Martha Mercer Kirkham. At seventeen years of age he entered Brigham Young Academy (now University) and was graduated from that institution. He was president of his class and later served twice as president of the BYU Alumni Association and as vice-president of the Emeritus Club. In 1946 he was given an honorary Master of Arts degree by BYU.
He studied music in Germany from 1900 to 1903, also being set apart as a missionary to Germany, and the elders who were serving in that land then still fondly recall how a song from Elder Kirkham buoyed them up as they faced their labors. Later he studied at Columbia University, New York City.
From 1903 to 1905 he taught music at Ricks Academy (now College), Rexburg, Idaho.
In the meantime, on May 25, 1904, he had married Ida Murdock in the Salt Lake Temple. Eight children blessed that home: Mrs. George Y. (Carol) Jarvis, Mrs. Leslie (Grace) Burbidge, Rock M., Norman, Mark, Ned, Mrs. Wade H. (Katherine) Andrews, and Mrs. David S. (Jane) Bassler, Jr. All are college graduates; five have filled missions. Twenty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren are numbered among Elder Kirkham's posterity.
Funeral services were held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square, March 13.
Ivins, Antoine R. "In Memoriam - Oscar Ammon Kirkham." Relief Society Magazine. May 1958. pg. 286-287.
In Memoriam - Oscar Ammon Kirkham
January 21, 1880 - March 10, 1958
Elder Antoine R. Ivins
Of the First Council of the Seventy
EARLY in the morning of March 10th of the current year, Oscar Ammon Kirkham gave up the problems of mortality and passed on to his eternal reward. His going closed a life of great activity and useful service to his Church and his fellow men. He used his varied talents always in the interest of people and in his thinking, people were reduced to individuals as varied as their number. Men and boys usually were the subjects of his interest and service and it can be said that they always benefited by contact with him.
A portion of his life was devoted to the study and teaching of music, but the greater part was given over to the Boy Scout work with which he was associated from the time it became a part of the Mutual Improvement program. In this service he touched the lives of literally thousands of young men upon whom his influence was always helpful and beneficial. These young men comprised many differing nationalities, and no one could come nearer harmonizing their thinking than Oscar. I have had scouters in far off Hawaii tell me that no one in the National Councils could do more to iron out difficulties than Oscar Kirkham. He did a wonderful work and merits the thanks of thousands of men who once were boys under his guidance.
After a long and most active service as above set forth, Oscar was brought into the First Council of the Seventy under appointment of President Heber J. Grant. In this capacity he developed the same interest in the Seventies of the Church which he had displayed in dealing with the Scouts. His interest in the Seventies was in men rather than in organizations. Always he strove to develop a pride in the assignment which ordination as a Seventy gave a man. Always he strove to teach the individual responsibility of a Seventy, realizing that in the strength of the individuals is to be found the strength of the group.
No man reaches his maximum development without the aid of a fine supporting wife and Oscar was no exception. In all his efforts his good wife stood at his side aiding and abetting him in his missions.
He married Ida Murdock in the Salt Lake Temple on the 25th day of May 1904, and from that union came four sons and four daughters all worthy of their ancestry. Theirs is the problem of carrying their father's name into the future.
In Memoriam - Oscar Ammon Kirkham
January 21, 1880 - March 10, 1958
Elder Antoine R. Ivins
Of the First Council of the Seventy
EARLY in the morning of March 10th of the current year, Oscar Ammon Kirkham gave up the problems of mortality and passed on to his eternal reward. His going closed a life of great activity and useful service to his Church and his fellow men. He used his varied talents always in the interest of people and in his thinking, people were reduced to individuals as varied as their number. Men and boys usually were the subjects of his interest and service and it can be said that they always benefited by contact with him.
A portion of his life was devoted to the study and teaching of music, but the greater part was given over to the Boy Scout work with which he was associated from the time it became a part of the Mutual Improvement program. In this service he touched the lives of literally thousands of young men upon whom his influence was always helpful and beneficial. These young men comprised many differing nationalities, and no one could come nearer harmonizing their thinking than Oscar. I have had scouters in far off Hawaii tell me that no one in the National Councils could do more to iron out difficulties than Oscar Kirkham. He did a wonderful work and merits the thanks of thousands of men who once were boys under his guidance.
After a long and most active service as above set forth, Oscar was brought into the First Council of the Seventy under appointment of President Heber J. Grant. In this capacity he developed the same interest in the Seventies of the Church which he had displayed in dealing with the Scouts. His interest in the Seventies was in men rather than in organizations. Always he strove to develop a pride in the assignment which ordination as a Seventy gave a man. Always he strove to teach the individual responsibility of a Seventy, realizing that in the strength of the individuals is to be found the strength of the group.
No man reaches his maximum development without the aid of a fine supporting wife and Oscar was no exception. In all his efforts his good wife stood at his side aiding and abetting him in his missions.
He married Ida Murdock in the Salt Lake Temple on the 25th day of May 1904, and from that union came four sons and four daughters all worthy of their ancestry. Theirs is the problem of carrying their father's name into the future.