The name Gordon Hinckley appears on your caller ID. What do you do? What will you say?Some people panic, says Gordon D. Hinckley, of St. Anthony, Idaho.Hinckley is the namesake of President Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who died in 2008. So too is Gordon K. Hinckley, who lives in the Taylorsville Utah Stake.For years, the two LDS men lived in the ever-lengthening shadow of President Hinckley. Though the late prophet was relatively small in stature, he was a giant at making friends for his international church. He was revered as the prophet, seer and revelator of God on earth.With such a famous and honored name among LDS worldwide, there were bound to be hundreds of inquiring minds who mistakenly attempted to contact the "other" Gordon Hinckleys."Sometimes I wished I
would have gone by Dale," Gordon D. says of his middle name.Gordon K., 61, said he averaged one call for each semi-annual LDS general conference during President Hinckley's tenure (1995-2008).__IMAGE1__"I just tell them who I really am," said Gordon K., which disappointed some.Since President Hinckley's death, communication about him for the other Gordon Hinckleys has virtually stopped. But it's not gone.When he was introduced after the prophet's death, Gordon K. said surprised people "looked at me funny (and said): 'I thought you died.'"Gordon K. says business colleagues formerly called him "president," but stopped apparently out of respect for the late prophet.Gordon D., 42, said cousins needled him about the namesake prophet."They were teasing me about a name to live up to," he said.His wife's grandfather enjoyed introducing him "to get a chuckle at my name" before the church president died.They each still answer questions about their long-distance blood relation.Gordon K., who met the prophet twice, said the second time he "could see the wheels turning" in President Hinckley's head about how they were related. He asked Gordon K. to find out and write back, but President Hinckley actually solved the puzzle.They're all related through the first Ira Nathaniel Hinckley, who is grandfather of the late prophet, great-great grandfather of Gordon K. and great-great uncle of Gordon D.While three Gordon Hinckleys may be amazing, Gordon D. said he learned from then-apostle Gordon B. Hinckley three decades ago that Ira Nathaniel Hinckley has six descendant-namesakes.__IMAGE2__A name to live up to — and demandEven the moniker "President Hinckley" is shared. Gordon K. served as elders quorum president, while Gordon D. was president of his teachers quorum.Apparently, it's hard having the same name as someone well-known. People tend not to believe you. After all, namesakes are rare. In this case, lightning struck twice in the same church."It's coincidental my parents named me Gordon, because they weren't active in the church," said Gordon K. "I don't know that they ever realized the impact it's had on my life."Gordon K. has been pleased since he was a teen to learn his renowned namesake, then an apostle, was featured on a church manual cover. "But I'm my own person and different. He was a good role model."Gordon D., who was named for his mother's friend, accepts references to the 15th prophet as a compliment. One friend formerly listed him on his cell phone directory as "the prophet," which didn't bother him.But some reactions do bother him. In 1985, while attending Ricks College, Gordon D. introduced himself to his dorm mother. Her answer surprised him."If your name is Gordon Hinckley, my name is Camilla Kimball," she said."I had to show her my driver's license" to prove it, Gordon D. said.When people learn who Gordon K. is, they remember his name."Friends say, 'You'll never guess who I had lunch with today.' I have some good times with it," he said.The surviving Gordon Hinckleys don't have all the fun. Richard L. Hinckley of the Salt Lake Riverside Stake said his name was once mistaken for now-First Quorum of the Seventy member Richard G. Hinckley, after the latter's mother died.When a woman called a surprised Richard L. to offer condolences about his mother, he said, "I just talked to her!" Ira Nathaniel Hinckley is his great-great-great uncle.Gordon Hinckley in demandIn the bad old days when Gordon K. was inundated with phone calls for the prophet, many were senseless, soliciting or underhanded. One woman left three phone messages and added to her story each time, he said. She claimed the church wronged her in some way, owing her $1 million — and later upped the ante to $1 billion.After Hurricane Katrina, a caller wanted to know if the prophet realized help was needed immediately."They called like (President Hinckley) wouldn't have thought of this," Gordon K said.Gordon K. says he was once called by a celebrity, whom he refused to identify.