Renowned BYU religion professor killed in crash0
Mormon Life says: A beautiful tribute to a faithful saint. I love this: "What my dad taught is what he lived."
On a day in June 1978 in Johannesburg, South Africa, a black man named Moses ran down a long set of church steps, while a white man in his mid-thirties ran up.
They met in the middle and embraced.
E. Dale LeBaron, the white man with a pioneering spirit from a small Canadian farm town, was soon to conduct the first baptismal interview of a black man in Africa.
For years, Moses had been coming to the mission house where LeBaron served as president to collect pamphlets and books, then going out to teach the gospel to anyone who would listen.
That day marked the beginning of a rapid expansion of the LDS Church in Africa following the 1978 revelation that welcomed black men into the church priesthood.
LeBaron's daughter, Debra St. Jeor, recounted the joyous meeting of Moses and her father as one of his favorite stories.
"He developed a deep love for the African people," she said. "People who knew him knew that he loved them."
The renowned BYU professor of church history died Thursday after being struck by a truck while crossing a street near his home in Orem. He was 75.
Police said the driver reported being blinded by the sun when he turned on to 1600 North from 800 West. LeBaron's wife, Laura, and another woman suffered minor injuries.
St. Jeor said her father was devoted to his six children and 34 grandchildren, loved playing games and never missed a baptism in the family.
"His main passion in life was the gospel and his family," she said. "What my dad taught is what he lived."
The oldest child, St. Jeor was just 12 when the family headed to South Africa in 1972.
Read the rest of this story at deseretnews.com
LEAVE A COMMENT
Login to leave a comment.