My LTM (Now MTC) Experience 37 Years Ago

Our teachers Heidi Anderson and Ken Wagner

Our Branch President George Pace

Our district in front of Knight Magnum Hall

My companion, Elder Sedgwick and I

Room mates, Elder Tsuneishi on left

Letter from President Pinegar

When I prepared for my mission, I was at the Language Training Mission (LTM) in Provo.  This would later be renamed the Missionary training Center (MTC.)  However it was still in the process of being built, so could not hold all of the missionaries.  Max Pinegar ws the mission president.  We met him as my companion had not been set apart by his stake president, so this fell to President Pinegar.
Our district, along with several others, was housed in the Knight Magnum Hall.  We reported to the MTC, but somehow our stuff made it the Knight Magnum.  This was the same place where Young Ambassadors rehearsed.  They had their own cafeteria.  It was a large dormitory.  We also had our own ward and districts.  There were actually two wards in the building, and each ward would generally get a new district of missionaries every week.  Consequently there were about 15 districts of twelve each divided in to two wards.  Our Bishop was George Pace.  This was the group that we met with for Sunday meetings.  My companion, Elder Sedgwick, was called to be the district leader.  Although I wasn’t officially the assistant, if my companion for some reason were absent, I was called on to ask someone to pray.
Being in Knight Magnum Hall had its advantages.  We were closer to campus, the BYU barber shop and other amenities at the student center.   Our gym services were provided in the Field House, where they had a nice track for running, which is basically what we did for gym.  A couple times there was a net set up for volleyball.  Sometimes we had meetings at the LTM, and it was a good mile or more walk, but we were young and full of energy.  The meetings were always very good.
We had very good teachers.  Ken Wagner, a returned missionary later become a basketball coach.  I think he is now at BYU Hawaii.  Heidi Anderson was the daughter of a Spanish professor at BYU.
At week six, some additional buildings had been completed at the LTM, and they were closing Knight Magnum to missionaries, so we had to make the walk up the hill, and move into a new setting. We sang to the tune of Babylon, "Oh Knight Magnum Oh Knight Magnum we bid thee farewell, we're going to the prison on the hill to dwell."  We left our stuff, but had to pack it all up, and they had a van and movers but it in our rooms.  The showers were more communal at the LTM.  Everything was more institutional and sterile.  You can imagine how much larger the cafeteria was, and the lines to the cafeteria, even with staggering of lunches, could get very long. 
We attended BYU devotional, however I was at the LTM during the Winter break so they did not have it every week.  They did have some special meetings at the LTM which were very good.