President Monson Extols President McKay at Library Inauguration

A new library and community center in Huntsville, Utah, the birthplace of President David O. McKay, has been completed, and President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency, honored the Church’s ninth leader during the opening ceremonies.

“I can’t help but pay tribute to David O. McKay,” said President Monson, who was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1963 by President McKay. “He was a great giant in this land, a wonderful representative of this community.”

President Monson also commented on the importance of reading, mentioning the first two books he ever checked out of a library as a child: Chanko, the Homing Pigeon and Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with the Circus.

“To show you how the truth you take into your minds as a child through reading stays with you,” he continued, “I still have some pigeons, and I went to the circus recently. … You have a diverse background in this valley. That’s how it should be. This is a public institution. I’m happy this library is for all people, every religion, every ethnic background, every nationality. This is a house of learning. We should always remember that.”

The new building includes an auditorium named for President McKay.