Primary Remembered

“The Primary’s the main organization in the Church,” Myrtle Greer explains in her oral biography. “You teach children when they’re little, and they’ll stay with it and make good members. I did love Primary. About all I knew was missionary work and Primary.”

For many years after she invited neighborhood children to her home for Primary, those same children would greet her on the street as adults. She and Jim would be coming out of a store downtown and someone would come up to them and say, “Oh, we used to come to your house for Primary.”

Myrtle continues: “They met here at my house until they got to where they had to have a class in the bathroom. When they did that, I told Jim, ‘This is it. I cannot keep them any longer.’ We had to get another place.”

Here are two photos of the children and teachers in 1956-57, about the time the Greer home was reaching its limit. Notice the smaller children are on benches that someone in the branch made so that as many children as possible could crowd together.

Above, Primary children and teachers, 1956-57: front, Margaret Sullivan, Ginger Erekson holding Craig Boswell, [boy with head turned], Margie Reynolds(?), Steven Doty, Cris Erekson, Vera Resch. Second row: [girl behind Ginger’s head, probably a Boswell], Cathy Sullivan, Kathleen McGuire holding Ann McGuire, Paul Doty, Rose Marie Resch holding Dottie Sullivan(?). Third row: Myrtle Greer, Erek Erekson, Tommy Spahr, [boy], [girl]. Fourth row: Bucky Spahr (with back turned), Billy Spahr (hidden), [boy], Tom Erekson, John Resch.

In the picture below, most people are seated in the same location, and because the pictures were taken from different angles, we are able to identify more of the children. In addition, Gladys Sullivan is now seated to the left of Myrtle Greer.



When special Primary activities were held at the Greer home, Jim and Myrtle became “guests.” Here are photos of two consecutive Daddy-Daughter dinners, 1958 and 1959.

Seated around the dining room table in 1958, clockwise from the front left corner: Cheryl Swords, Chuck Swords, Earl Spahr, Rose Marie Resch, Fred Woolcott, Julia Woolcott, William and Anita Aymar.
February 28, 1959: [Mr.] and Joan Wilbershied; Earl Spahr and Rose Marie Resch; Charles and Cheryl Swords; Bill and Anita Aymar; Fred and Julia Woolcott.

From the Primary History: “The Seagull and the Lark classes held their “Daddie Date” on this evening. Sr. Rosalee Spahr and Sr. Lee Fisher, teachers, along with the girls planned the evening. Games were played and music sung throughout the evening. Br. James T. Greer, president of the Aurora Branch, and Sister Myrtle Greer were guests. Delicious refreshments were served from a beautifully decorated table. Colors of red and white were used. Br. Fred Woolcott opened the refreshment period with a toast to the girls and Julia Woolcott responded with a toast to the fathers.”

Myrtle loved Primary and served as president for some 25 years, and as she said, “That’s a long time.”