Comments on: “Jim the Penman”

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:05:39 +0000

It’s at the stage of thanks for reminding me!

By: Eric Boysen

Eric Boysen — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:02:17 +0000

Well,now that we have been directed here from the cornerstone time capsual post, what is the status of this project?

By: Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:23:38 +0000

Ardis,

This is a great nugget of history. Very COOL.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:26:10 +0000

Good to know, Ardis.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:51:17 +0000

Justin, that one doesn’t look like the JFS signature that I’m familiar with in using his letters — it looks much more like his name written by a calligrapher than the way he signed his name routinely. I wonder where they got that one?

But you’ve given me an idea. I’ll try to collect scans of authentic signatures and pair them with the ones on this page. Might take a while, but I’ll get started.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:43:53 +0000

Very interesting. I'd like to find samples of the authentic signatures and compare them to HJG's versions. I located a JFS signature on lds.org for one point of comparison.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:15:06 +0000

I don’t know the entire history of his education, but Heber J. Grant was a student at the Morgan Commercial College on First South Street in Salt Lake City. Penmanship, “plain and ornamental,” was very much stressed by the founder, John Morgan. I’m looking right now at a list of students which is written in the most lovely, easily readable script imaginable. Some of the students: Heber J. Grant, Brigham H. Roberts, Orson F. Whitney, Ruth May Fox, J. Golden Kimball, and many other notable names.

By: Jon W.

Jon W. — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:48:38 +0000

Wow the things you learn about people. Amazing stuff, I agree though Ardis, what a tedious process just to use as a trick. Though it does make one wonder what got him doing it in the first place.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:14:48 +0000

Unfortunately, I have no party tricks.

This is super cool.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:45:21 +0000

A very suspicious comment from one who is himself named Jim!

A friend just told me that hanging on the wall of the pioneer church in the Pioneer Village end of Lagoon is a similar page of HJG’s, um, creative penmanship. I’ll have to wait until spring to follow up on that.