Pyper, George D. (George Dollinger), 1860-1943

George Dollinger Pyper served as manager of the Salt Lake Theatre from 1898 to 1929. He also served as general superintendent of the Deseret Sunday School Union and as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

From the guide to the George D. Pyper photograph collection, 1860-1940, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)

General superintendent of the Deseret Sunday School Union; member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; manager of the Salt Lake Theatre (1897-1929).

From the description of Papers, 1862-1940. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122487230

George Dollinger Pyper (1860-1943) was manager of the Salt Lake Theater from 1898 until its destruction in 1929. Nicknamed the "Cathedral in the Desert," the Salt Lake Theater became an attraction for Pyper at an early age as he watched performances from the top gallery. He received a formal introduction to the theater with his first operatic role in Patience in 1885 and sang as the leading tenor in the Salt Lake Opera Company for the next twenty-five years. His love for the Salt Lake Theater led him to publish a history called The Romance of an Old Playhouse in 1928. The book describes Utah and Mormon history, the building of the theater, and the events that took place within. After retiring from the theater business, Pyper devoted the rest of his life to working on LDS Church publications and managing the Musical Arts Society.

Pyper was born 21 November 1860, to Alexander C. and Christiana D. Pyper in Salt Lake City, Utah. While growing up there he helped his father raise silkworms, feeding them with food from Brigham Young's mulberry grove, and herded cows in the Sugarhouse area. He attended school in the Sugarhouse and Twelfth Ward schools, and for a short time in Brigham Young's private school. He also attended the University of Deseret and studied law for two years. While attending the university, he met Emmaretta Smith Whitney, the daughter of Horace K. and Mary Cravath Whitney. They were married in the LDS Endowment House on 24 September 1883, and later had two children, Retta and George W. Pyper.

Pyper became a police court clerk in 1875 at the age of fourteen, while his father served as judge, and held that post until 1882, when his father died. Between 1883 and 1890, he was a justice of the peace, performing exactly 100 marriages, and served as an alderman and police judge. Most of his life, however, was devoted to music and the performing arts. In addition to his position in the Salt Lake Opera Company, Pyper was a member of the Tabernacle Choir, touring with them in their 1893 trips to Chicago and San Francisco, as well as managing the 1911 trip to the National Irrigation Congress in New York and the concerts en route. He also sung at hundreds of funerals, was one of early members of the Orpheus Club, belonged to the Philharmonic Society, and was president of the Salt Lake Civic Music Association in the 1930s. His devotion to music and the LDS Church led him to write a book entitled Stories of Latter-day Saint Hymns, Their Authors and Composers (1939) in which he documented the history of many hymns.

In 1890, Pyper became assistant secretary of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society and the secretary of the Utah state fair organization. These two positions helped him organize Utah's agricultural exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair as well as Utah's exhibit at the Tennessee Centennial in 1897. His activities within his community included being a member of the first Salt Lake Board of Education and the first city library board, a charter member of the Orpheus Club, and a member of the Rotary Club.

Pyper was called to serve an LDS mission--along with Brigham H. Roberts, Melvin J. Ballard, and Edward Midgley--in 1896. The original arrangement was for Roberts to talk and for the others to sing and say the prayers, but before too long they all shared the speaking duties. In 1897 he was appointed to the Descret Sunday School, building up its programs and increasing its membership. In 1918 he became a member of the Sunday School general superintendency, under David O. McKay, and in 1934 he became the general superintendent. While in these offices he helped publish church magazines such as The Instructor . For the LDS Church centennial in 1930, Pyper wrote and produced a pageant called "The Message of the Ages," which was performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The pageant was performed again in 1947 to celebrate the centennial of the first pioneers to settle in the Salt Lake Valley. George D. Pyper died in Salt Lake City on 17 January 1943.

From the guide to the George Dollinger Pyper papers, 1834-1975, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)