Mormon to lead passport office
When those at the Minneapolis Passport Agency recently celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting, there were Mormons participating.
Robert DeWitt, of the New Brighton Ward in the St. Paul Minnesota Stake, will be the regional director of the Minneapolis Passport Agency and was the event's master of ceremonies on Aug. 18.
At the ribbon cutting, Erin Gray of the Shoreview Ward and director of the Minnesota Mormon Chorale, sang the national anthem.
DeWitt has been a U.S. foreign service officer since 1991 and served in Addis Ababa, Kampala, Beijing, Quito, Shanghai and Shenyang. In the LDS Church, DeWitt, who is a returned missionary and father, has served as a home teacher, temple ordinance worker, a group leader in Shenyang, China, and as a Sunday School and High Priest group teacher.
The keynote speaker and guest of honor was the U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Other guests of honor, who came from the State Department in Washington, included Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice Jacobs, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services Brenda Sprague. The Minnesota National Guard presented and retired the colors.
Do you know a famous Mormon?
As both members and missionaries, Mormons cover the globe.
And in some cases, fame follows.
Take Kent Derricott, for instance. The once shy young boy who grew up in Sandy, Utah, is one of the most popular and recognizable celebrities in a country of 127 million people. Derricott vaulted into fame on the comedy television circuit in Japan after serving a mission in Sapporo and returning to the country on a business trip. But to most church members, he's relatively anonymous.
In an upcoming edition, Mormon Times will profile members of the LDS Church who have carved out fame and notoriety, in either their home countries or places where they served missions, but who are not well-known in the United States.
And we need your help. If you have an example of such an individual, e-mail his or her name and a short explanation to mormontimes@desnews.com … and watch for our upcoming profiles.