I,  Louis William Larsen, was born in the early morning hours of October 27,
1884.  On that same night, they say, there was a jolting earthquake.  I must have been
shaking for I have been "shook" ever since”
My parents were an English girl,   Susannah Tittensor, and my father a Dane, John
Christian Larsen.  She was born in Manchester,  England.  He was born of immigrant
parents in Plain City,  Utah.  The vast system of Mormonism brought them together in
Cache Valley - two towns within courting distance: he in Logan,  she in Richmond.
My nativity was Cove,  Utah - a sprawling village that skirted a five-mile lane, 
beginning high in a canyon, looping a great mountain promontory and winding back
into a picturesque cove.
My first memory - and now my oldest memory - was a childhood on a sage brush
mesa,  past which roared the turbulent waters of High Creek in the spring,,  receding to
a mere trickle in the late summer and autumn.  That was the stream whose man-made
tributaries stirred the parched desert to life and made this place-just barely-habitable.
My mother's house was a two-room frame shack with an attic that was a bedroom
for her four sons.  I speak of it as my mother's house for the  reason that my father had
two houses on this rock-strewn lap of the great mountain.  He was a polygamist - ¬
married to two sisters.  My mother was known as the "first wife."  The children born of
Ella,  the "second wife”  we called our "half brothers and sisters."
All of our religious and other social life centered around the ward's meeting
house.  This drab barn-like structure was chapel, school and dance hall.  You will have
to imagine the varied and colorful memories that hark back to that frontier mecca of all
the commingling of forty-odd families drawn from places across the sea and across the
land of America.  Seven   of the heads of families were polygamists.
When I had outgrown the school - there was 'no such thing as graduation - I
attended the Brigham Young College in Logan for seven years - was graduated with
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908.
In 1907,  the most eventful of all things had happened:  I was married to Ada
Vilate Hendricks in the Logan Temple.  Ours had been a courtship with the romantic
background of  "the old mill stream!"  Her father was the miller,  deep in the entrance to
the rugged High  Creek canyon.   Her mother Vilate,  a lovely and unforgettable
woman,  died in her early womanhood,  leaving the teenage Ada in charge of five
brothers.

After my graduation,  I moved with my wife back to the old homestead in Cove, 
where I spent the summer working on the farm with my father.  On July 2 of that year, 
1908,  our first child Richard was born.
In the fall of that same year we moved to Rexburg,  Idaho where I taught for one
year in the Rick’s Academy.  The subjects that I taught were Theology,  History and
German.  Near the end of the school year,  1909, I was called to serve in the Eastern
States as a Missionary in the Mormon Church.  I was assigned to the state of Vermont. 
The first year of my mission, I lived in Montpelier, capital of the state.  From this
center,  I walked to the borders of the state in just about every direction.  My second
year in Vermont was spent at Burlington on Lake Champlain.  During the winter
months of my second year in Vermont, I attended the State University,  where I studied
advanced French and History of the Novel.  My teachers were Dr. Tupper and Dr.
Myrick.  
I was released to return home in May of 1911.  I was reunited with my family at
Logan,  where my wife and son had been living with my mother.  We then moved to the
old home in Cove,  where we spent the summer.
In September of 1911,  we moved to Lewiston, Utah,  where I served as principal
of their new High School for one year.  In September of 1912,  we moved to Richmond,
Utah,  where I was principal of their new High School for one year, Throughout these
two years spent in Cache Valley,  I organized and lead a local dance band.  I was also
active in various church activities.
Louise was born September 15, 1912,  in Richmond, Utah.  At the end of the
summer of 1913, we moved to Salt Lake City,  where I had signed to serve on the
faculty of Granite High School.  I taught at this school for three years.  I was an
instructor in History,  Political Science and Citizenship.  During these years I attended
summer  school sessions and extension classes at the University of Utah.  I specialized
in literature.  I received a Master’s Degree October 15, 1916,
For three years, 1916 to 1919, I taught Freshman English and Journalism as a
faculty member of the University of Utah.  At the end of the school year of 1919, I
resigned from this position to accept work as a copywriter on the staff of Stevens &
Wallis,  Advertising Agency.  I continued in their service for eight years.
In September of 1927, I founded The Ad-Craftsmen.  Associated with me in this
venture were Paul  S. Clowes,  Fielding K. Smith and Joseph Havertz.  After several
years of struggling to get established,  Paul and  I bought out the interests of Smith and
Havertz.  This partnership continued until Paul entered the service and was stationed in
England for the duration of World War II,
           At this point I will digress to summarize a few of the side activities that I
engaged in,  in the period of transition from teaching to advertising.  In the summer of
1916,  I went with my wife and daughter to Berkeley, California, to attend the summer
school at the University of California.  Here I studied journalism under the direction of
Professor Dimond of the University of Missouri.  On our return to Salt Lake City,  I
resumed teaching at the University of Utah.  Also in this period I collaborated with
Wesley King in the writing of a brief history of the University of Utah, covering the
institution's first fifty years.  In 1921, I was the winner of the Deseret News Christmas
Story Contest.  In 1930,  I won the contest again,  setting a record of being the only
writer to win the contest twice up to that time.  During my teaching period at the
University of Utah, I conducted off-campus extension division classes in Business
Letter Writing and Advertising.  Besides downtown assignments,  I conducted classes in
Ogden and Bountiful.
Before I left the campus to enter the field of business,  I was assigned to write a
small booklet of brief biographies of wealthy pioneers who had made endowments to
the University.  In 1931, I assisted Mrs.  Alta Jenson in the capacity of co-founder of the
first writing group at the famous Art Barn, located at the edge of the University
Campus.  Also in this general era of my life, I was ghost writer of a book titled THE
MAN OF TOMORROW.  This work was done for Claude Richards,  who took credit
for full authorship.  paying the real author a very small stipend.
               Throughout my three years at the University,  I was director of the school’s
publicity.  This brought me in close contact with the local newspapers.  I contributed
some of my earliest poems to the Salt Lake Tribune at about this time.
                In 1921,  I served as first counselor to Bishop Frank Higginbotham in the
Wells Ward.  It was in this same year,  February 21,  1921 that our son Thomas was
born.
               In my life in advertising as owner and manager of my own business,  dating
from 1927 to 1952,  I handled the accounts of a wide range of businesses and other
institutions.  For eleven years The Ad-Craftsmen conducted all phases of  State Fair
Advertising.  Our final year of this activity was the conduct of the vast publicity
campaigns incident to the great Utah Centennial in 1947.
               In July and August of 1933,  two of my long articles on polygamy were
published in H. L. Mencken's AMERICAN MERCURY - the belles-lettres of
magazines.  I was for many years a member of the Utah State Poetry Society and in
1969-1970 was listed in WHO’S WHO IN THE WEST.
               An eventful date in our family history was our move from the home at 1589
Laird Avenue to the Butler area - later Cottonwood Heights - fifteen miles to the
southward.  In this year 1948,  I acquired, with my son Richard and son-in-law,  Robert
Armstrong,  a twenty-acre tract of orchard land.  My wife and I moved into a newly
constructed home on historic 7800 South, in May, 1948.  Richard and his family moved
into their new home near ours one year later.
Our oldest son Richard was married to Ellen Louise Jensen,  September 17, 1927. 
Their oldest son Robert Richard Larsen was born June 2, l932 and Roger Gary, 
December 2, 1937.  Richard attended Granite and East High School and studied art at the
University of Utah.  He first engaged in a career of advertising as a commercial artist. 
Later he was associated with the Salt Lake Tribune and in 1946 joined the staff of 'The
Ad-Craftsmen.  In 1952, I merged the accounts of The Ad-Craftsmen with Adamson &
Buchman, later changed to W. S. Adamson & Associates, where I served as account
executive and copy writer and Richard as production manager.
A sad chapter in our family life concerns our son Tom.  He enlisted in the armed
services, Mountain Infantry, in 1941.  His first training was at Fort Lewis, .Washington. 
Later he had training at Fort Ord, California. In the summer of 1943, he went with his
Regiment to Kiska, in the Aleutian islands, where he was encamped for several months. 
Fortunately, there was no engagement with the Japanese, who had vacated the island
before the arrival of the Americans.  Returning from Kiska in late 1943, he was stationed
for a few months at Camp Hale, Colorado.  During his stay at this Fort, he made several
visits with us in Salt Lake.  In late 1944, he was encamped in Texas.  Near the end of the
year he was shipped with the 2nd Army to Italy.  He was killed in action on Mt. 
Belvedere on the date of  February 20, 1945.  He was buried in Italy until his remains
were sent home and interred in  Wasatch Lawn Cemetery in March of 1949.  While
stationed in Texas, Tom  married Juana Marie Broussard of Austin.  After he went
overseas, she came to reside with us for about twenty three months, at the end of which
time she was married to Claudius A.  Banks of Vernal, Utah.  Tom was a sergeant in the
85th  Mountain Infantry, 10th Division.
Louise married Robert Francis Armstrong  November 5, 1939.  They resided in
Boise, Idaho,  for several months, then moved to Yakima, Washington, where their son
Robert Francis Armstrong, Jr. was born March 5, 1941.  In late 1944, the family moved
to Salt Lake, where Bob became associated with me in advertising.  He and his family
purchased our home on Laird Avenue.  Thomas Gregg was born July 29, 1946.  Robert,
Sr., died suddenly of a heart attack March 31, 1949 at the home on Laird Avenue.  Louise
and her two sons came to live with us at 3120 E.  7800 South at that time and have
resided here ever since.
Through the years,  dating from the early ‘ twenties,  my hobby was writing verse,  which
was published in the Salt Lake Tribune over the pen name Betsy Bangs.  In the early
'forties.' Ham Park started his column, "Senator from Sanpit," in The Tribune.  I
continued my contributions from that time until 1963, using a new pen name,
Mademoiselle X. All in all,  I had hundreds-of poems published over the four decades. 
Early in 1963, I contracted with Pageant Press in New York for a 2500-edition of about
75 selected poems under the title ALONG THE LANE'.  It reached the market in June of
1963 and the sales in this locality have been satisfactory.  Since publication,  I
contributed verse to Park's column, but used my own name.
Soon after the death of President Kennedy, I had a poem in Ham Park's Tribune
column titled  ETERNAL FLAME, which was read by Senator Moss into the
Congressional Record and later  included in a Commemorative Anthology,  a book of the
poems of more than one hundred American poets.

OBITUARY:    Louis W. Larsen, age 87,  died September 15, 1972,  at Cottonwood
Hospital.  He resided at 3120 E. 7800 South, Salt Lake City, Utah.  He was born at Cove,
Utah, October 27, 1884,  to John Christian and Susannah Titensor Larsen.  Received his
early schooling at Coveville and Logan, Utah.  Received A.B. degree at Brigham Young
College,  1908, Logan, Utah and his A.M.  degree at the University of Utah, 1917. 
Special training was received at the University of Vermont and the University of
California.
Taught one year at Rick’s Academy Rexburg, Idaho, 1908-09; one year principal of 
Lewiston High School, 1911; one year principal Richmond High School, 1912; three
years on faculty of Granite High; served on faculty of University of Utah, English
Department, for three years,
Employed as copy writer by Stevens & Wallis, advertising agency  from 1919 to
1927, in which year he and several associates founded an agency, The Ad-Craftsmen, that
served scores of important accounts to the year 1952, in which year it was consolidated
with Adamson & Buchman  Agency.  Mr. Larsen retired in 1965 and spent the remainder
of his life on a small farm in Cottonwood Heights.
In his many years of service in the business world,  Mr. Larsen had membership in
the Salt Lake Ad Club,  the Commercial Club, the Executives Club and the Utah Poetry
Society.  He taught many downtown extension classes for the University of Utah.  He
also served the Mormon Church in many teaching capacities.
Mr. Larsen's achievements in creative literature included a book of poems titled ALONG
THE  LANE;  several articles on early Utah history assigned by H. L. Mencken and
printed in the AMERICAN  MERCURY;  twice a winner in the Deseret News Christmas
story contest.  His poem titled ETERNAL FLAME, was printed in the John F. Kennedy
COMMEMORATIVE ANTHOLOGY and was, on motion of Senator Frank Moss,
printed in The Congressional Record.
Mr. Larsen is survived by his widow, a son Richard H. Larsen and a daughter Mrs.
Robert Francis Armstrong (Louise), both of Salt Lake City;  three grandchildren and nine
great grandchildren; sisters LaVerne Merrill and Edna Maughan, California; sisters Inez
Hendricks and Irene Rose, Idaho; and sister Teresa Green, Logan, Utah.

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