Richard O. Cowan - The Oakland Temple: Portal to Eternity

Published by the Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, in cooperation with Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City. http://rsc.byu.edu

2014 by Brigham Young University. All rights reserved.

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ISBN 978-0-8425-2860-3 Retail US $29.99

Cover and interior design by Juliana G. Cox. Front cover photo by Matt Granz. Back cover and spine photo by Brent R. Nordgren. Chapter opener photo by Marci Williams. Front matter chapter opener and end matter chapter opener photos by Brent R. Nordgren.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cowan, Richard O., 1934 The Oakland Temple : portal to eternity / by Richard O. Cowan and Robert G. Larsen. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8425-2860-3 (alk. paper) 1. Oakland Temple (Oakland, Calif.)--History. 2. Oakland (Calif.)--Church history. I. Title. BX8685.O25C69 2014 246.9589332--dc23 2014015689

Preface

The Latter-day Saint temple in Oakland, California, celebrated its jubilee or fiftieth anniversary in November 2014. Because it has played an important role in the culture of the Bay Area, and because its rich history elucidates facets of broader Latter-day Saint developments, the authors were prompted to offer this work as part of the commemoration of the temples anniversary.

Author Richard O. Cowan. Courtesy of Richard O. Cowan.

Author Robert G. Larsen. Courtesy of Sharyn Larsen.

The two authors bring significant but different backgrounds to this project. After earning his doctorate in history at Stanford University in 1961, Richard O. Cowan taught Church history at Brigham Young University for over fifty years. His research focus has been on Latter-day Saint history during the twentieth century. He has authored more than a dozen books related to this topic, including two about LDS temples and one on California Saints, which traces Mormon history in the Golden State. Robert G. Larsen earned two masters degrees, one in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and the other in public administration from California State University, Hayward. A longtime resident of the East Bay, his career was in county government. Over the years, he had a keen interest in collecting and analyzing Latter-day Saint history in the area. Therefore, his contributions form an important part of this volume. Unfortunately, he passed away in August 2013.

Many individuals made significant contributions to the construction of the Oakland Temple. Eugene Hilton was the stake president whose persistence led to the Church acquiring Temple Hill. Harold Burton was the Church architect who designed the building. W. Glen Harmon played a key role in building the Interstake Center that preceded the temple on the hill. Arthur Price was the Churchs representative who faithfully monitored the quality of the temples construction. Two other individuals also deserve special acknowledgment: Jack Wheatley was the on-site contractor whose experience and expertise enabled him to lead the team actually building the temple, and O. Leslie Stone served as president of the Oakland-Berkeley Stake during the course of the temples construction, chaired the Oakland Temple fund-raising efforts, and coordinated arrangements for the open house and dedication. The extensive accomplishments of Jack Wheatley and O. Leslie Stone will be evident in the events chronicled in this work. The beautiful color photographs were made possible because of financial contributions from Jack and Mary Lois Wheatley and the families of O. Leslie and Dorothy Cobbley Stone: James Reed Stone, M.D.; Ronald V. Bud and Patricia Judd Stone; Douglas Leslie and Karen Sedgwick Stone; and Thomas R. and Diane Stevenson Stone.

Mary Lois and Jack Wheatley. Courtesy of Jack Wheatley.

Dorothy Cobbley and O. Leslie Stone. Courtesy of Thomas R. Stone.

The authors have been excited and moved by events related to the construction and operation of the Oakland Temple. They have regarded it as a distinct privilege to be involved in sharing this story. Without the support of their wives, Dawn Cowan and Sharyn Larsen, this work would not have been possible.

Numerous photographs make an important contribution to this work. Various early views, taken by now unknown photographers, were collected by Robert Larsen. Bart Christenson, who served with his wife as a missionary at the Oakland Temple Visitors Center, contributed a number of pictures. Where the identity of the photographer is known, appropriate credit is given.

The authors are particularly indebted to three professional photographersMatt Granz, Hugh Harline, and Marci Williamswho graciously have made available beautiful and significant images from their collections, taking some photographs specifically for this book. The cover, for example, uses a striking photograph of the Oakland Temple at dusk as recorded by Matt Granz. Because this book is being published on a nonprofit basis, the authors receive no royalties. In like spirit, these photographers have made their high-quality images available at no cost, even though they normally depend on photography for their livelihoods.

Others have made important contributions as well. Thomas Wayment, publications director at Brigham Young Universitys Religious Studies Center (RSC), has provided counsel and encouragement regarding this project. Devan Jensen, executive editor at the RSC, kindly answered repeated questions regarding style and form. Brent Nordgren generously provided technical assistance with illustrations. Juliana Cox is the capable graphic designer of this book. We also express thanks to RSC editing interns Austin Ballard, Shanna Clayton, Hadley Griggs, Rebecca Hamson, Rachel Gessel, and Rebekah Weaver.