John Sillito, a Salt Lake City Sunstone participant, receives a telephone call from the stake executive secretary, stating that his stake president, W. Bruce Woodruff, wants to meet with him "to get to know you better." John responds that he is aware that a number of people are getting calls from their stake presidents and asks that the request be put in writing. On 9 December John receives a letter from Woodruff requesting a meeting "to discuss your feelings with regard to sustaining our church leaders" on Sunday, 15 December. Sillito writes back saying he sees no benefit in a meeting and stating that he has done nothing in his ward or stake to cause any concerns. He adds that he cannot meet on 15 December because it is the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights and, as a teacher of American history, he plans to spend "a portion of that day contemplating [the] guarantees" of "freedom of speech and conscience." During a follow-up phone call from Woodruff on 29 December, John repeats his preference for continuing future discussions in writing and reiterates his belief that he has not done anything that legitimately falls within the stake president's area of concern. During the course of the conversation, Woodruff confirms that the issue was Sillito's Sunstone paper on excommunicated apostle Richard R. Lyman and further confirms that "somebody has brought this to my attention." When Sillito asks if it is someone in his ward or stake, Woodruff pauses, then says, "It was someone in our region." Sillito suggests that anyone who has a problem should consult him directly and that his number is in the phone book. On 31 March Woodruff again writes requesting a meeting about John's "lack of responsiveness" and querying, "Can I assume by your letter that you do not sustain the leaders of the church, since you have declined to meet with me?" On 1 April John writes back stating that he has fully discussed the issues during the telephone conversation. There has been no further ecclesiastical contact.
[Anderson, Lavina Fielding, "The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership: A Contemporary Chronology," Dialogue, Vol.26, No.1]
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