Elder W. Mack Lawrence

Of the Seventy

It’s an interesting sight—Elder W. Mack Lawrence walking along the street with a string of grandchildren trailing behind him. It happens every Sunday, and the neighbors often comment about the “Pied Piper” and his faithful little following.

“Our family is the most important thing in the world to him,” remarks Elder Lawrence’s wife, Jackie. “He calls our grandchildren the greatest dividend he’s ever received. He’s devoted.”

The things Elder Lawrence is devoted to are carefully considered and chosen. But when his priorities are established, Elder Lawrence works hard to succeed.

That success can be seen in his thirty-nine years with US West Communications, where he has progressed from his first job as a “nickel shagger” (the person responsible for gathering coins from pay telephones) to his assignment as the company’s Utah vice president and chief executive officer.

Elder Lawrence has also succeeded in his efforts at community service. Most recently, he was chairman of the building fund campaign for the recently completed Primary Children’s Medical Center. He is a member of the board of directors of the Utah Symphony. And he has served as chairman of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the executive committee of the Utah Foundation.

“I think it’s very important for all of us to become involved in our communities and to work at making them better places to live and raise our families,” the newly called member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy explains. “President Kimball once said that we have no right to complain about what’s happening in our community unless we’re involved. I’ve tried to follow that counsel.”

Born on 28 October 1926 in Salt Lake City, W. Mack Lawrence was Richard S. and Thelma McKenzie Lawrence’s oldest child. When Mack was in the fourth grade, the family moved to Provo, where Mack later graduated from Provo High. After serving in the military forces during World War II, Mack enrolled at the University of Utah, where he began dating Jackie Young, a friend from his high school days.

After a two-year engagement, the couple married in the Salt Lake Temple on 15 June 1949, the day after Sister Lawrence graduated with a degree in sociology. Elder Lawrence graduated a year later with a business degree.

Brother Lawrence was then hired by the telephone company, and the family, which eventually included three children—Craig, Deborah (Ohlson), and Pam (Castleton)—spent their early years in several cities—Salt Lake City, Provo, and Denver—as Brother Lawrence steadily advanced within the company. Eventually, the Lawrences settled in Salt Lake City, where Brother Lawrence continued to devote himself to his family and the Church.

“That’s really all there is,” he points out. “Family and church—those two things are the things that matter, the things that last.”

“We had a great bishop, O. Leslie Goates,” recalls Elder Lawrence. “It was through his caring, loving, patient influence that I began to recognize that to truly gain happiness, you need to be involved in the Church and living the gospel.”

It was his calling as a stake missionary that gave Brother Lawrence an opportunity to share his newfound knowledge with others. He has continued to share the gospel in callings as stake mission president’s counselor, bishop, high councilor, and regional representative.

“Mack is a people person,” notes Sister Lawrence. “He is patient with others and brings out their best. He knows how to get others involved.”

Those abilities will serve Elder Lawrence well as he continues to share his testimony as a new General Authority.

“It’s hard to put in words, to record on paper. But I know the gospel is true,” he testifies. “I want to share that with others so they can find peace and happiness and purpose in life.

“There’s no one secret to helping others and sharing the gospel,” he continues. “It’s a continual, loving, patient process. It’s an arm around a shoulder, both figuratively and literally. That’s how we build the kingdom. That’s how we do the Lord’s work.”