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Events Surrounding the Life of Wallace F. Toronto
Mary Jane Woodger, "Events Surrounding the Life of Wallace F. Toronto," in Mission President or Spy? The True Story of Wallace F. Toronto, the Czech Mission, and World War II (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), x鈥搙i.
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September 20, 1848 |
Guiseppe Taranto arrives in the Salt Lake Valley. |
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June 14, 1905 |
Albert Toronto and Etta F. Toronto are married. |
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December 9, 1907 |
Wally is born in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
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October 1928 |
Begins service as missionary in the German Mission. |
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June 1929 |
One of the first elders is transferred to open the Czechoslovakia Mission. |
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September 15, 1933 |
Wally marries Martha Sharp in the Salt Lake City Temple. |
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1936鈥39 |
Wally serves as president of the Czechoslovak Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
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September 1938 |
Evacuates Czechoslovakia with family and missionaries to Switzerland. |
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November 1938 |
Calls local leaders to take charge of branches until the missionaries can return. |
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December 1938 |
Returns to Czechoslovakia with family and missionaries. |
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March 15, 1939 |
Nazis occupy Czechoslovakia. |
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July 1939 |
Four missionaries arrested by the Gestapo, held in prison for forty-four days. |
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August 1939 |
Wally evacuates again with family and missionaries before outbreak of World War II. |
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September 1, 1939 |
World War II begins; Wally calls Josef Roub铆膷ek to preside as mission president in his absence. |
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June 1940 |
Wally graduates with an MA in sociology from the University of Utah. |
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1942鈥45 |
Works as director of Red Cross for Utah. |
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1946鈥68 |
Reopens the Czechoslovak Mission, serving as president. |
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February 1948 |
Communist coup in Czechoslovakia; government begins controlling all businesses, industries, churches, and schools. |
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March 1, 1950 |
Martha and children leave Czechoslovakia. |
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March 1950 |
Last of LDS missionaries are expelled by Communists. |
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March 30, 1950 |
Wally leaves Czechoslovakia and heads to Basel, Switzerland. |
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April 6, 1950 |
Governmental decree terminates the legal entity of the Church in Czechoslovakia. |
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May 1950 |
Wally returns home to Salt Lake City. |
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1950鈥64 |
Serves on the general board of the Young Men鈥檚 Mutual Improvement Association. |
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1951鈥68 |
Heads the Anti-Cancer Society in Utah. |
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1963 |
Travels to Northern Europe and Germany with the general board of the Mutual Improvement Association to hold a series of conventions. |
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December 1964 |
President McKay assigns Torontos to visit the Czech Saints as tourists. |
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January 1965 |
Wally returns with Martha to Czechoslovakia to aid and counsel Church members. |
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July 1965 |
Wally returns for the last time to Czechoslovakia to visit government authorities and attempt to reestablish the mission. |
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1966鈥167 |
Serves as president of the Utah School Boards Association. |
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January 10, 1968 |
Dies in Salt Lake City at age sixty. |
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November 14, 1985 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begins formally requesting official recognition in Czechoslovakia. |
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October鈥揇ecember 1989 |
鈥淰elvet Revolution鈥 of 1989; Vaclav Havel becomes president of free Czechoslovakia. |
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February 21, 1990 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is officially recognized by the Czech government. |
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January 1, 1993 |
鈥淰elvet Divorce鈥 of clashing governments; Slovakia declares independence from the Czech Republic. |
