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Depicting a Vision: The Story of the McKay Mosaic

Upon driving around the Flag Circle into the entrance of Brigham Young University – Hawaii, the scene that captures the attention of most visitors is the grand mosaic depiction of President David O. McKay at the flag-raising ceremony of the local elementary school. The scene resonates in the hearts of all who understand the prophetic mission of the University. For Norman Burr, the sight brings back a humbling sense of accomplishment.

In 1958, the First Presidency called Burr as a labor missionary and asked him to leave his work as a tile setter on the mainland and move his family to Hawaii for a year. The eleven-hour flight across the Pacific only enhanced the family’s excitement. According to Burr’s daughter, Jan Ryan, “It was an adventure and a great chance to serve.” 

That adventurous spirit carried Burr through the challenges of his main task: the Mckay mosaic. Burr recalls that the mosaic was shipped to Hawaii one section at a time, in three separate boxes. The labor missionaries working on the project were forced to move forward in faith without a vision of the final project because, as Burr says with a smile, “The instructions were in the third box.” 

The missionaries encountered other challenges as well; they discovered that the top of the mosaic was about 18 inches longer than the bottom of the mosaic and it would not fit in the frame. They decided to take a pie-shaped section out of the top – quite a challenge, due to the amount of detail in the mosaic. Burr admits that, “We had a lot of help from Father in Heaven.” Help also came in the form of young adults who would stand under the scaffolding and re-glue small pieces of tile as they fell from the mosaic.

Labor missionaries and young adults worked day and night to piece the mosaic together, concerned that they would not finish it in time for President McKay’s arrival. As a precaution, they had even bought a large tarp to cover the unfinished product. However, with the faith and hard work of many volunteers, the mosaic was finished within minutes of President McKay’s arrival on campus. 

Burr remembers sitting in the audience before the dedication of the McKay classroom building. “I turned around and President McKay was sitting right in back of me, so I got to shake his hand and tell him how much we appreciated him as a prophet and for being there to dedicate this wonderful building.” 

Tremendous respect for the Prophet and his vision provided motivation for Burr and the other labor missionaries as they volunteered their services. “I can remember a story in Chicago where [President McKay] had taken a train and gotten off at the landing, and as he walked through the hallway, people just stopped and looked at him. They didn’t know who he was, but they knew that there was something special about this man. He was a wonderful man and truly a prophet. And it was nice to do something…to bring his dream to reality.”  

Burr’s feelings are shared by many of the labor missionaries. On September 29, the 50th Hawaiian Labor Missionary reunion was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, giving volunteers the chance to reflect fondly upon their experience. Click here to watch a video clip about the reunion from KSL News.

With Burr, many of those labor missionaries are able to say, “I feel very proud to be a part of something that gave so many young people the opportunity to get higher learning.”

Watch the full video with Norman Burr and his daughter, Jan.

Interview with Norman and his daughter

Photo by Monique Saenz