The Story of Jack Harris

by Tyler Hoggan Rogers
1993

I can’t remember how or where I first met Jack Harris and his wife Cora. I will however, never forget the effect he had on my life. What I know of Jack came after he had joined the Church. What I tell here are the things I remember.

As best I can remember, his real name was not Jack Harris. I never recalled any other name that he used, real or otherwise. Jack left his home when he was at a young age, joining the Army. As I recall, Jack said he was 14 he joined the U.S. Army. When his correct age was discovered, he was sent home. He then went to Canada and joined there, from there he came to the United States. It was when he was in the Canadian Military that he took the name of Jack Harris. What he did while in the service I do not know, but he often talked about State Department affairs.

When I came to know Jack, he was working on the railroads at Geneva Steel in Orem, Utah. I often rode with him on the railroad as his engine would bring the various materials to be used in the open hearth furnaces. I am not sure what his job was. I know he was not the engineer. He could have been a switchman or brakeman.

After the war was over, he wandered across the country and ended up near or in Ogden, Utah. This is where he met and married Cora. I cannot remember Cora’s maiden name. Jack was a devout Catholic, while Cora was a devout Latter-day Saint. Their marriage was a happy one, in spite of the religious differences. They were too old for children and became totally devoted to each other. It was this devotion that led Jack to converting to the LDS Church. Cora was patient with Jack as he was with her. They developed a mutual respect for each other’s faith. Cora’s ways regarding the Church were such that it prompted Jack to ask questions.

As time passed, strange things began to happen to them. Perhaps the strangest was that they quite often would have the same dreams. Most of the dreams were spiritual in nature. These experiences were troublesome for Jack and he would question Cora at length about the dreams. Cora would answer his questions with a gospel answer, at which point Jack would often get perturbed at her. Yet these answers were logical to him. One dream he had that particularly troubled both of them was never fully answered and may have had its meaning at a later date in their lives, with the death of Cora. The dream that always confused Jack and Cora was where he was hurrying to catch a boat leaving the dock. He was dressed in good clothes and carrying a suitcase. The people were cheering him on, to get on board before it was too late. At the time, there was a large billboard on State Street in Provo, now in the Riverside Plaza. The sign was one for Farmers Insurance, depicting a large boat full of happy people who had retired and going on vacation. The wording indicated that one was suppose to have a savings plan that would one day allow ample financial freedom. As I recall, the main wording was “hurry before it is too late.” Jack often thought it was this sign that prompted his dream though later he thought it was a urging for him to join the Church and that he and Cora should be sealed in the temple. As it turned out, Cora didn’t have live much more than a year after he joined the Church.

The one dream that led to Jack’s conversion occurred when a special event happened. They had been to Ogden to visit Cora’s sister. Upon returning, there was a package in the mailbox from Jack’s mother, with whom he had not been in communication with for years. The package contained the family Bible, with a family history recorded in it. Jack could never understand how the package got to him, with his mother not knowing his address. The dream that finally awakened Jack came shortly after the family history arrived. The dream was essentially one of a long sloping valley, very beautiful and peaceful. There was a trail that led down each side of the valley to a common joining at the bottom of the mouth of the valley. There was a woman standing at the joining of the paths, beckoning him. Both Jack and Cora had this same dream on several occasions. Jack would ask Cora what he meaning was and she could not give an answer. Jack asked Cora who the woman was and Cora could not discern who it was. Then one night, the personage came out of the valley scene and stood by the bed or rather at the foot of the bed. At this point Jack recalls, he asked her what she wanted. The woman would only smile. Jack and Cora awakened. Jack asked Cora who the woman was. Cora stated it was her mother. Jack’s immediate question was ‘what does she want?” It was decided that if the dream occurred again, they would ask her what the difference was between the Catholic and LDS Church was. The dream did occur again and again, the woman beckoned to them. Immediately Jack asked what the difference was between the two churches. The woman in the dream held up her hand and with the thumb and forefinger almost touching, indicating a small but large difference, said the word “beatific.”

Jack and Cora both immediately awakened. Jack asked Cora what the word was. Cora repeated it, ‘beatific’. They both searched the dictionary and all known sources but could not find the word, until they were looking through the old family Bible, the one that had been sent to Jack by his mother. In the old family Bible, they found that word referenced to the word revelation. By this, Jack decided to look more closely at the LDS doctrine. Not long after this, Jack was baptized.

At Jack’s confirmation, he was told he would have the gift of healing. Upon joining the Church, Jack became a different man. Soon he was giving his all to the Church, in any capacity. Eventually, his conversion story became known and likewise, his talent to tell of his conversion. One such time he was speaking at a sacrament meeting and afterwards he was asked to go to a home of a small child, sick with rheumatic fever and bed ridden. After the blessing was given, Jack and Cora chatted for a little while with the little girl. It was learned that the little child was desirous of a kitten. Cora had cats by the dozen so she offered to bring her one. It was also learned that the little girl was not likely to ever walk again, and if ever, not very well.

On the way home, Cora questioned Jack as to whether he knew what he had promised the child when he was giving her a blessing. Jack replied that he did not know but whatever he had said would come to pass. He had blessed her with full recovery from her illness. A few weeks later, they took a pretty little kitten to the home. Upon ringing the doorbell, who should answer but the little girl? She was on roller skates! Instances like this occurred often in Jack’s life.

Jack had been a member about a year when our young son developed problems that gave us great concern. Brian was a beautiful baby, easy to care for. About nine months after he was born, he contracted pneumonia and had a ten day stay in the American Fork hospital. It was a bad winter. The hospital was over crowded. There was no room and he had to stay in a small bed placed in the hallway. His temperature stayed around 105 for several days. It was the fever that became the prime factor in the problems he had the next winter. We had gone on a vacation or something and left Brian with a neighbor. Upon our return, the neighbor commented that while Brian was easy to care for, it seemed that he wasn’t developing very fast. He wasn’t trying to crawl or walk or do things an eighteen month old child should be doing. We agreed and took him to our pediatrician. It took but a few minutes and gently he (the doctor) suggested we take Brian to the Salt Lake City. He was suspicious of either past brain damage or a tumor. So we took our son to Salt Lake City.

The hospital was on 21^st South and State in Salt Lake. It was the same hospital that Cora was in prior to her death. The hospital was known as the county hospital. When Cora was a patient there, she would often ask Jack for a blessing. Many times, one of the attending doctors, who was Jewish, would witness the blessing and the near immediate relief of pain would astonish him. Much discussion about this was had at Cora’s bedside.

The day we were to admit Brian to the hospital for test that would hopefully tell what the problem was, we asked Jack to give Brian a blessing. The blessing proceeded as in the normal and correct way. Then, as the blessing continued, it seemed as though Jack directed the message to his mother. He assured her that all would be well. That there was indeed a problem, that indeed there was brain damage. Jack said that Brian would grow to be a normal fine man, pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

The next morning, as we prepared to have the tests performed, the doctor told us that the tests would be quite painful but all would go well. [I recall my father telling me that it included a spinal tap. BYR] Later that day, we had part of the results made known to us. When the results of the test were returned, there was indeed of brain damage. There was no tumor and the damage was quite likely a result of the fever a year earlier.

The next day, the doctor talked to us, giving us a dim outlook. He indicated the boy would either grow to be above average, brilliant young man or become a vegetable so far as mental capacity was concerned. The doctor told us to take the boy home and live with what would come. We went home and clung to the blessing Jack had given.

About this time, Cora contracted a fast growing cancer. I believe the dream that Jack had relating to missing the boat, was trying to tell him of the need to join the Church soon. If he had not, and if Cora’s illness had not come earlier, he probably would never join and never had come to know the life that became his [and I might be a vegetable rather than using that same gift of healing in my life, BYR]. Cora lived but a year longer. Jack was at her bedside the entire time. His ability to bless her was of great comfort because the cancer caused so much pain.

After Cora died, Jack became a lost and lonely man for a long time. He was eventually called on a mission and in time married again. I have never heard of Jack since he returned from his mission. I am sure that his life has been one of giving, as that was what he did best. I know what he did for us and will always be grateful to Jack Harris and the Lord.