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Saturday, July 20, 1991
LDS Church News
Alvin Canova Chace Florida
One of Pres. Alvin Canova Chace's first duties as a new stake president in 1947 was to take charge of arrangements to send home the body of the apostle who had called him as stake president.
Pres. Chace's sad duty came when Elder Charles A. Callis, a beloved and long-time leader in the South, died in Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 21, 1947, just two days after he'd fulfilled a long-time dream by organizing the Florida Stake, the first in the South.
The end of one era, though, was the beginning of another. For the next 14 years, Pres. Chace led the stake in an exemplary manner, according to Church leaders. He later served as mission president and regional representative. His lifetime of service threads through much of the history of the Church in Florida. He and his wife, Alzada, are members of the MacClenny Ward, Lake City Florida Stake.
The first successful missionary work in that state began Nov. 1, 1895, and one of the early converts was George P. Canova, who became president of the Sanderson Branch Jan. 1, 1898. His daughter Adeline - Pres. Chace's mother - became Sunday School secretary about the same time.
Just a few months later, as he returned from a conference at a location somewhere south of Sanderson, Pres. Canova was assassinated by an unknown rifleman.
Despite this tragedy, the Church continued to progress. A small building was completed and dedicated for Church use in 1906 in Jacksonville. Membership continued to grow, though it grew slowly.
``There was a time when we knew every member from South Georgia to Jacksonville to Miami,'' said Sister Chace, who, like her husband, was a pioneer member in the area.
In the new stake, long distances were the main challenges, recalled Sister Chace. In an area where home teaching might mean driving 150 miles each way, ``You just go and do,'' she said.
``I did what the Brethren asked me to do,'' said Brother Chace. ``I didn't question them. I put the programs right into effect.''
Pres. Henry D. Moyle of the Council of the Twelve from 1947-59, and in the First Presidency from 1959-63, was once asked about Pres. Chace.
``Let me tell you about this Alvin Chace,'' he said. ``He's so humble. This man was never in a ward, never in a stake . . . and he's become one of the best stake presidents in the Church.''
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