[Leonard Arrington]
I received a call from the office of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada in Washington, D.C. inviting us to lunch in SLC yesterday noon. Harry was a student in political science and history back in the 1960s when I was in the USU Stake Presidency. He and his wife Landra [[Landra Joy Gould (1940-) was born and raised Jewish. Since her parents disap- proved of Harry Reid, the couple eloped in 1959 and she worked to put him through USU and George Washington University law school, while also raising five children.]] had just been converted to the Church and I had the privilege of ordaining him an Elder and signing their first temple recommend. They have been close friends ever since. He invited us to dinner every two or three years when he is in SLC or Provo and we have a good chat. He is a former golden gloves boxer; attended College of Southern Utah in Cedar City for a couple of years, then two years at USU. He was here with Landra to speak to classes and students at BYU, where his son is a law student. They have 4 children, all of whom have gone to BYU. Landra has been a Relief Society president; now a teacher. Harry likes to read-is now on the fourth volume of Will Durant's history of civilization [The Age of Faith]. We talked politics, economics, Mormonism, and family. Landra, now that her children are grown, is interested in lots of things. This is their 11th year in Washington-4 years as a Congressman and now 7 years as a Senator. He is a Democrat, moderate in philosophy and voting. He is on Appropriations, Environment, and other important committees. He's now working on the health bill with Hillary [Clinton], for whom he has enormous respect. He's a good guy. We like him and Landra.
[Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]
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