Wit and wisdom of J. Golden live on
Deseret News 12Dec99 A2
By Dennis Lythgoe: Deseret News book editor

With the rapid growth of the LDS Church, more and more members are unfamiliar with legendary LDS general authority J. Golden Kimball. Now James Kimball, a great grandnephew of J. Golden, has produced "J. Golden Kimball Stories" to bring J. Golden to life to a broader audience. James Kimball is also working on a biography of his relative.

J. Golden Kimball was one of the LDS Church's seven presidents of the Seventy from 1892 to his death in 1938 in an automobile accident. Growing up on a ranch near Bear Lake in northern Utah, Kimball learned the rough life and profanity that colored his later life. He had a high, squeaky voice and down-home manner that endeared him to the rank-and-file members of the Church while worrying other general authorities.

Since his death, stories about J. Golden have proliferated, raising him to mythical status. While all the stories told about him are probably not true, it is also impossible to sort out which are factual and which are simply imagination based on the myth. James Kimball has been collecting these stories all his life, and is well known in Utah for his performances of a one-man show, "Remembering Uncle Golden," in which he portrays the LDS general authorities in a variety of situations. His performance was recorded by Salt Lake public TV station KUED, as well as a follow-up show, "On the Road with Uncle Golden."

The book covers little new from James Kimball's shows, but those not familiar with J. Golden or who don't live where they could see the shows will now be able to get the stories easily. And those familiar with the shows and stories may still not be able to resist a second helping.