On Aug. 18, three days before his 83rd birthday on Aug. 21, President Thomas S. Monson went to the Church Printing Services and pressed the button that started the presses rolling on his biography, To the Rescue.
The visit to the press and seeing the pages recording a great portion of his life's history was, in a way, an early birthday gift.
The smell of printers ink and the hum of the huge press helped President Monson feel he was in his element at the printing services building. Before being called to the Quorum of the Twelve in 1963, he was general manager of Deseret Press. He began employment with the Deseret News in 1948 as an advertising executive and was chairman of the Deseret News board for 19 years. He is a past president of the Printing Industry of Utah and officer of Printing Industries of America. He was inducted into the Utah Printers Hall of Fame in April 2009.
"This is like coming home," President Monson said. "This (on the printing floor) is where I learned the trade."
Looking up at the 216-ton web press on which the first signature of his book was being printed, President Monson exclaimed, "I'm glad I don't have to hand-feed that!"
He described the rhythm that helped him insert and remove pages from the letter press he worked at as a young man. "You'd feed a page in and take the other one out," he said. "You had better not get out of sequence, or you'd lose your fingers."
During his nearly hourlong visit, President Monson enjoyed talking with press employees. It was obvious that he and the workers "spoke the same language," although he did comment on how technology has changed the industry.
"It's safer now and it's better," he said. "The trade has come a long way."
His vast experience in the printing industry has helped build the kingdom through publications, including the latest LDS editions of the King James Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. He has had his hand in publishing books about and by great men and women.
This time, he was the subject of the pages rolling off the press. More comfortable shining the spotlight on others through the printed word, President Monson found himself the subject of all those pages.
His life story hardly can be squeezed into 608 pages. Heidi Swinton took on the challenge when he asked her to write the book.
"I read and prayed and pondered about this 16th President of the Church and prophet of God," Sister Swinton said. "I outlined and categorized his themes and his personal experiences and began to write. This last year, I have had almost daily contact with him. I have come to know this remarkable prophet and leader; the book communicates what I have learned. I love Thomas S. Monson; I revere him as God's leader of all mankind on the earth today. His contributions to the Church are legion but, his call 'To the Rescue' is uniquely his mantle."
The book is scheduled to go on sale Sept. 27. To the Rescue is a title fitting to the man who has devoted his life to going to the rescue of those in need.
President Henry B. Eyring, his first counselor in the First Presidency, told the Church News, "President Monson is an extraordinary example of a great shepherd. Everyone who has ever been associated with him seems to have become one of the sheep for whom he feels love and responsibility. Some people have a friend for a time; with President Monson, friends seem to be forever. He remembers people, their families and their lives with remarkable feelings of charity. He has the rare ability to see people as they really are and yet to always see the best in them. He is particularly sensitive to those who are in difficulty and who are ignored by others."
Further, President Eyring said, "President Monson is exemplary in his ability to reach out to people of other faiths and nationalities. He feels a bond and genuine love for all of God's children.
"It is a blessing to the Church and to the world that he has had such a long and productive life. To me, he seems to be like a young man, full of energy and greeting each day with happy optimism."
President Eyring said that one trait he treasures in President Monson is his optimism about the possibility of the gospel changing lives and lifting people high if only they will try.
"I believe that is one of the reasons he is so persistent in going to the rescue. He is so optimistic about people and what they can become. He keeps searching for the lost sheep with confidence that they can be found if only we keep looking."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, said, "I am deeply impressed by President Monson's kindness toward those in need. He is always concerned about the members and all people who are in need and what the Church can do to help."
"His response to the different needs of cultures and nations around the globe is — for me as one who has an international background and has experienced the peoples of the planet Earth — very impressive. He really has a compassionate feeling and heart for all people around the globe.
"He's truly the universal and global prophet of all the people and feels very much with them as they have special needs and special desires."
President Uchtdorf added, "President Monson is always up for the rescue. That's how he has been all his life and that's what his biography is about.
"When we talk about people who have challenges in the Church — who have problems, who have done things perhaps not the way the Lord wants them to do — his first thought is, 'How can we rescue them?' It isn't anything else but, 'How can we rescue single, individual souls; how can we rescue families?' His way of concern and kindness is very special. I really appreciate every minute I've been with him."
Both counselors commented on being able to work closely with President Monson.
President Eyring, in reference to their close association in Church leadership, said, "President Monson's prayers seem to me like half of a sacred conversation. It is a joy to hear him pray."
President Uchtdorf said, "President Monson is a joy to work with. He is so inclusive; he opens up to his counselors all the time and asks for their opinions and feelings on all matters of Church government. He is the prophet, the one the Lord has elected for this time."
