That typed history today belongs to Smith's family. Now chairing the committee to dedicate the city's first temple and the area's second, with the other in nearby Idaho Falls, Smith thinks often of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who are all deceased. He hopes they are among "the angels in heaven who are just as much aware and just as much excited and maybe more so than we are here," he said.

With the dedication of the temple just around the corner, Smith chuckles a bit when he explains he did not at first appreciate the "magnitude" of the job of organizing an open house and dedicatory events for a new temple.

"There's a lot of preparation that goes into opening the doors of the temple to everyone," he said.

Smith and his committee have overseen some 10,000 volunteers serving in shifts helping nearly 200,000 visitors to the open house. Lauding his committee, he said the key was selecting "people who can serve on that committee who have the talents and the capacity to accomplish everything that is given in the guidelines (from the church)."

Smith said he chose individuals proficient in public affairs, in physical facilities, in organizing thousands of volunteers, and in music for dedicatory choirs. He added there were volunteers for serving refreshments, helping with parking and cleaning facilities.

As many members as possible were given the opportunity to participate, Smith added, "because I'm convinced that it is life-changing to be part of a temple open house, and I've seen it. I've seen it in the lives of the people who have volunteered. You can see it in their countenance."

Smith surmises the committee's efforts also have reached many in the community, including those who aren't members of the LDS Church. Invitations to the open house were specially sent to leaders of other local faiths. Smith expressed the hope that many in the community of various faiths come to view the "beacon on the hill" as "our temple."

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E-mail: julied@desnews.com