and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority
for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church history except Eldred G. Smith
.
The third child of David McKay and Jennette Eveline Evans McKay, David Oman McKay was born on his father’s farm in Huntsville
, Utah Territory
, about 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Ogden
.
An Unsatisfied Appetite for Knowledge Means Progress and Is the State of a Normal Mind
Freedom of choice is more to be treasured than any possession earth can give.
Next to life we express gratitude for the gift of free agency. When thou didst create man, thou placed within him part of thine omnipotence and bade him choose for himself. Liberty and conscience thus became a sacred part of human nature. Freedom not only to think, but to speak and act is a God-given privilege.
Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man.... Freedom of choice is more to be treasured than any possession earth can give. It is inherent in the spirit of man. It is a divine gift to every normal being... Everyone has this most precious of all life’s endowments--the gift of free agency--man’s inherited and inalienable right.