Marion D. Hanks’ had a unique approach to faith. He was an amazing leader within the Church. Richard Hanks, who authored his father’s biography, provides personal anecdotes and quotes that illuminate his father’s unique personality and influence, Marion’s perspectives on the evolution of Church administration, and personal character.

Navigating Faith Crisis and Staying “Inside and Lift”

Marian Duff Hanks experienced his own faith crisis but advocated for staying within the Church and working to improve it from the inside. He famously told Gene England, a more liberal voice in the Church, to “Gene, stay inside and lift. Anyone can point fingers from outside. Stay inside and lift.” This philosophy aligns with later counsel from President Uchtdorf (“Stand lift where you stand”) and the encouragement to “doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” Hanks believed in the possibility of the Church repenting from mistakes, drawing a parallel to individual repentance. His focus was on uplifting others and fostering a desire to be better, a quality attributed to his interactions.

Uplifting Leadership and Belief in Potential

Marion D. Hanks possessed a remarkable ability to inspire and make people feel valued. He lived by a principle he gleaned from Goethe: “If you treat a man or woman as he is, he will remain as he is. If you treat a man or woman as they can be, become they will become.” Richard shared an anecdote of a former stake president who felt deflated after criticism from a visiting apostle but felt uplifted and renewed after an interaction with Marion D. Hanks, stating, “When the previous general authority left us, we all felt like we needed a shower. When your dad left us, we all felt like we’d had one.” Hanks consistently emphasized the positive aspects of the Restoration, referring to it as the “more excellent way” rather than focusing on negativity or being judgmental.

Evolution of the Seventy and Church Administration

Marion D. Hanks served three times in what is now known as the Presidency of the Seventy (formerly the First Council of the Seventy when he was first called). Initially, the authority of the Seventy was distinct from that of High Priests, with Seventies primarily focused on missionary work and lacking the authority to ordain bishops or stake presidents. “a 70 was not even a high priest. Now they’re all high priests.” Hanks, deeply knowledgeable of the Doctrine and Covenants, was a proponent of restoring the Seventy to their scriptural role and decentralizing authority within the Church. In the early days, even ordaining missionaries required approval from Salt Lake City, which became unsustainable as the Church grew. Hanks wrote position papers and advocated for the changes that eventually led to the regional representative system and the expanded role of the Quorums of the Seventy. Richard believes his father didn’t receive sufficient credit for this influence. Marion disagreed with the centralized control, famously telling Mark Peterson, when asked to return to Salt Lake from his assignment in Hong Kong, “No, you can’t run half the world’s population from Salt Lake.” This foreshadowed the current area presidency system.

Courage of Conviction and Speaking His Mind

Marion Hanks was known for his directness and willingness to express his views, even to top Church leadership. President David O. McKay gave him a blessing to “Let your voice be heard. Even if it’s in opposition to others and even if it’s against the status quo…” which aligned with his patriarchal blessing. He stood firm on his understanding of scripture and principle, as illustrated by his interaction with Henry D. Moyle regarding getting rid of the baseball baptism practices in England. Richard suggests that his father’s lack of fear and unwillingness to tolerate “bullies” among Church leaders might have been a reason he never became an apostle.

Exceptional Character and Influence

Marian Hanks was described as having a powerful presence. In the presence of top military brass at a Navy-BYU football game, one military leader asked who Marion was. “I don’t know… But you can feel his presence.” Marion was a remarkable athlete, excelling in multiple sports over several decades. He was principled and not afraid to speak out against societal issues, as evidenced by his letter to Sports Illustrated criticizing the glamorization of alcohol. Marion complained about the hypocrisy of drunk driving. Despite not becoming an apostle, he deeply influenced many who did, including Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks, who were sent by President Hinckley to learn about the temple from him. President Nelson recalled, “I still have the card. It’s in my locker in the Salt Lake Temple. Here’s what Elder Hanks taught me.” Marion’s loving nature is highlighted by the fact that many General Authorities would stay at his home. He is credited with starting early morning seminary at 6:30 AM for students with extracurricular activities while teaching at West High, demonstrating his initiative and responsiveness to the needs of young people.

Genesis of Early Morning Seminary

Absence of Book of Mormon Curriculum: Richard reveals a surprising historical detail: “The church had no program for teaching the Book of Mormon in the 1940s and 50s.” Prior seminary classes focused on the Old Testament, New Testament, and church history. Marion Hanks, while teaching at West High, independently created materials for teaching the Book of Mormon. Richard explains, “Dad would make his own materials and then had this mimeograph machine that you’d roll.” He documented all of the journeys between Zarahemla and other places mentioned in the Book of Mormon, The seminary program existed prior to Duff, but its timing (7:30 or 8:00 AM) conflicted with extracurricular activities. Students approached Marion Hanks, requesting an earlier time: “Can we come at 6:30 early morning?” He accommodated this, effectively starting an earlier iteration of the program. This initiative led to a request for him to implement it in California, which he declined before becoming a General Authority. Church leaders said, ‘Well, we want you to go do this in California.’ And Duff said, ‘No, I’m not moving to California.'” Richard humorously mentions what he said at Duff Hanks’ funeral: “He did mostly good things. [Early Morning Seminary] was not one of them.’ Cuz we all had to go 6:30 in the morning.”

Marion D. Hanks as a Teacher

Engaging Teaching Style: Richard shaers anecdotes that highlight Marion’s dynamic teaching. One story recounts him interrupting a lesson on the Doctrine and Covenants to clarify the oneness of God and Jesus using the Book of Mormon (Mosiah), directly addressing a recent convert’s confusion about the trinity. Richard shares moving accounts of individuals Duff named after his father, often due to blessings Marian Hanks gave them, sometimes in life-threatening situations: “…Half of them will just look me in the face and start crying. They would say, ‘My name’s Duff. I’m 65. I was named after your father.’ And I’ll say, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because when I was born, I was supposed to die and your dad came to the hospital and gave me a blessing.'” After his time in early morning seminary, Marion taught at the institute for 20 years, where his “classrooms were jammed just full of people.”

Marian D. Hanks’ Service and Faith:

Calling Stake Presidents: Richard recounts stories illustrating Duff’s spiritual discernment in calling stake presidents. In one instance, after extensive interviews yielded no clear choice, Marion identified an individual from a list of high priests who was not at a meeting, but was ultimately called. His opening line to the chosen individual was: “‘How long have you known?’ And the man says, ‘About 3 weeks.’ And he said, ‘Why didn’t you come to the meetings?’ And he said, ‘Cuz I figured then you’d choose someone else.'”

Deeply Spiritual: Richard expresses his belief in his father’s close relationship with God: “I happen to believe that that God listened to dad as dad listened to God.” Richard describes his father as potentially being considered “liberal in today’s terms” but prefers to see him as “a disciple of Jesus.” He shares an example of Marion, as chairman of the Deseret Gym (a church-run facility), intentionally taking his son to the YMCA (a “horrible physical plant”) to show support and even seeking church funds to donate to them, stating, “‘They need to know that Mormons will come here. We don’t want to all be Mormons at at Deseret Gym and non-Mormons at the YMCA.'”

Marion D. Hanks’ Personal Life and Character

Despite his significant religious contributions, Marion had many relatable interests, including hardware stores and Italian food. He enjoyed simple pleasures like watching Gunsmoke and eating ice cream with his son. Richard fondly remembers his father’s playful competitiveness in sports like tennis, even using humorous tactics when his son started to win. Marion Hanks frequently used jokes, even beginning most of his general conference talks with one. He instilled a love for poetry in his children through trips and recitation. Even as a General Authority, he enjoyed the normalcy of chopping wood at their family cabin. Duff was known for his athletic prowess, even defeating top-level racquetball players at the University of Texas during a conference, leading to some calling him a “minister that you can sweat with.” He also served as chairman of the Deseret Gym. Richard repeatedly emphasizes his father’s dignified nature.

Struggle with Dementia

The latter part of Marion Hanks’ life was “marred by dementia.” Richard believes it was likely frontal lobe dementia rather than Alzheimer’s, characterized by fluctuating clarity. Richard describes the difficult experience, particularly for his mother, who was his primary caregiver. He reflects on the unfairness of his father, who spent his life serving others, having to suffer in this way. Despite the dementia, moments of his father’s personality and intellect would shine through. Richard shares an instance where, in his wheelchair, Marion looked at his nameplate (“Duff Hanks”) and said, “‘That’s my name by a more familiar sobriquet.'” Richard went home to learn that the word sobriquet means name in Scottish. Richard also recounts a powerful prayer offered by his father even in his diminished state: “Heavenly father please help me be of use to someone on on this earth while I can.”

Visits from Church Leaders: Even in the memory care facility, Duff received visits from prominent Church leaders, including President Monson, Elder Holland, and Elder Cook. Richard shares a humorous anecdote about President Monson’s visits: “He’d say, ‘Yeah, he talks a lot.’ Or or he say, ‘Yeah, we talked about basketball.'”

Have youy read “To Be a Friend of Christ?” What are your memories of Duff Hanks?