History
Some years ago, when I was editor of the Utah edition of the Latter Day Sentinel, a newspaper directed to Mormon audiences (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I began receiving some interesting correspondence about members of the Church-a man celebrating his 1-millionth proxy baptism for the dead, the longest home teaching route, the highest kite ever flown, and so much more. Such snippets didn't really qualify as hard news but they certainly were interesting, amazing and inspirational.
I began collecting such "records" in 1988. It was usually a lot of fun and I met hundreds of wonderful people in person, on the phone or via e-mail. But there was the occasional discomforting phone call when I had to ask that awkward question, "Are you LDS?" Most people were kind and understanding about the query and would politely decline or accept the offer to be in the book. I had only one man turn me down because he was no longer active in the Church. I explained that I never ask for a person's level of activity, just a valid connection at one time or another. I hope he'll change his mind.
The number of achievements by LDS grew fantastically fast during the 1980s, or at least the reporting did. And during the 16 years I was writing the book, I found several record holders who were included in earlier drafts having surpassed their personal bests -- and by 2002 or 2003, they had new records to post. They never stopped trying to excel, and it was an inspiration to discover that unending growth.
I hope readers will be generous with their time to tell me about missing or improved records. So many achievments can have age and gender catergories. For example, I have the fastest mile run by a Mormon, but is it? I'd love to include the fastest female miler, and youth milers of all ages. I was also frustrated with my failure to find more women scientists, executives and athletes. I would appreciate any referrals so they can be included in the next edition.
Today, the collection stands at about 2,300 records, approximately 1,600 of which are included in the premier edition of the book. I hope you find them as enjoyable to read as I did to collect.
Are you a Mormon World Record? If so, let us know and we'll make room for you in the next updated edition. Records are meant to be broken. Who will set the new standard, the new record, the new level of achievement? Are you a new Mormon World Record?
I invite you to e-mail us with any records and amazing feats of your own. Click on "Contact" and tell us all about your own achievements .
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