Our August 15th Dinner Meeting features guest speaker Dennis Holland, older brother to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.
S. Dennis Holland (left) with an actor in the California Living History production of "More Precious than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion".
Dennis was born and raised in St. George, Utah. His great great grandparents were among the first wagons into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake with Brigham Young and were called by Brigham Young to settle St. George and what is now Carson City, Nevada. Growing up in St George and having this ancestral heritage has given him his love of LDS pioneer history.
An alumnus of Dixie College, he enjoyed a successful career as a pharmacist before retiring and beginning many years of service to the church and western history. He has served as LDS director of Public Affairs, and as mission president of the California Living History Church Service Mission.
He is author of the book, “Sierra Saints” A Brief history of the Mormons in Western El Dorado County from 1847 to 1997, and was involved in the production of the video produced by the LDS church, “More Precious Than Gold, Contributions of the Mormon Battalion,” which was a gift from the LDS Church to the State of California for the Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Discovery of Gold in California. He was part of the delegation that presented it to then Governor Pete Wilson.
Dennis was also a driving force for the building of the popular interactive Mormon Battalion Historic Site Visitor’s Center in Old Town San Diego.