Claude C. Cornwall

Claude C. Cornwall Recently Appointed Field Secretary of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations If active participation in the Mutual Improvement work may be regarded as ample qualification for leadership among our young men, then Elder Claude C. Cornwall has come to the position of Field Secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A. well equipped for this responsibility. His Mutual activity began in contest work, as a young man, first in quartette singing where his organization won in the ward and stake finals, then in tenor solo, and later he succeeded in winning the grand finals of the Church in re-told story. During his college days at the U of U he was song and yell leader, and he attributes this early ability to the experience he had as chorister in the Sunday School and M. I. A. He was at this time a member of the Salt Lake Opera chorus, the University quartette and glee club and a charter member of the

836 IMPROVEMENT ERA new Salt Lake Oratorio Society. In 1911 he was graduated from the Engineering School and for a while followed the engineer- ing profession, later being employed in the faculty of the L. D. S. University. Here he became a leader in student activities and many Founder's Day celebrations and school dramatic and operatic productions have been counted sucessful under his management. At this time he because active in the Boy Scout program, first as scoutmaster in his ward, then Deputy Stake Commis- sioner of the Granite stake, and later he was appointed Supt. of the Mutuals of the Cottonwood stake. When war broke out he enlisted with the U. S. training detachment at the University of Utah and was appointed in- structor in electricity. During this service he organized the training detachment band which was heard during the summler in concerts both at the U. and also in the Salt Lake Theatre. Under his diretion a vaudeville production was given at the Orpheum and more than 1200 soldiers were banquetted at the Hotel Utah and the University campus on the proceeds of these concerts. This active service won for him an appointment to the field artillery officers' school at Camp Taylor, Ky., where he was made instructor in mathematics and Battery Song leader, concluding his military service in this camp. One day Pres. Jos. W. McMurrin, of the California mission, met Elder Cornwall on Main St., at Salt Lake, and as he says, "had an inspiration to speak to the young man." This resulted in his call to the California mission where he became a promi- nent figure in supervision and organization among the Mutual Improvement Associations and Sunday schools. On his return from this mission of two and one-half years he entered the ad- vertising and business field until the fall of last year when he went to Beaver, Utah, and there organized and taught the L. D. S. Theological Seminary. There are few young men in the Church who are better known than Elder Claude C. Cornwall. His play, Fagged Out, written to emphasize the 1921 slogan, has been produced in many of the ward mutuals. Through active participation in community affairs he has gained a wide acquaintance. He was a song leader in Los Angeles Community Service and a member of the L. A. Oratorio Society, was special Boy Scout Commis- sioner for California, Arizona and Nevada, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the new Salt Lake Community Dram,a League. Members of the General Board feel confident that the ap- pointment of Elder Cornwall has been properly made and that hi3 energy and experience will be an asset to the organiza- tion.