I lived in Simi Valley when my wife and I joined the church. My cousin in Phoenix gave me a copy of a tape by Br. Erickson.  I was fascinated and found out how to contact him.  I was a councilor in the Elders Quorum and our president authorized me to set it up.  Br. Erickson flew down in his own plane and stayed at our home.  He spoke to our Stake Saturday and in our ward on Sunday.  One of our Seventies received permission to tape it.  Mike O'Keefe taped him after that whenever he was close enough and as a result of his work, became an accepted "taper" when Church authorities visited.  He sent over 5,000 (the last I heard) copies of Br. Erickson's lectures all over the country and overseas.

We so enjoyed having him visit.  Our oldest son was about 2 at the time and Br. Erickson had a son about the same age at the time, as I recall.  This would have been about 1975 or 1976.  As a result of the tapes going all over, he began speaking more often, or so it seemed.  He once credited me for that but he was just being gracious.  I invited him to speak and he knocked their socks off.  And I really don't know that he was any busier than he had previously been.  But I was thrilled to look him up on line and see that he was so well read.  Great guy.

After sending my previous email, I went to look at the home page and I read the section on tapes. I was thrilled to see that the taping in Simi Valley was indeed a significant event.