Nearly from infancy, those who grow up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught that papers, photographs, knickknacks and gewgaws from the faith’s nearly 200-year history are “sacralized” items, worthy of preservation and ownership by church members, as well as the parent body.
Now, the particular passion of a small, determined corps of Latter-day Saints has been brought to public attention by the pending prosecution of a 29-year-old dealer in Mormon memorabilia.
Kevin Mark Ronald Schuwer is awaiting trial in Utah on felony charges related to his trafficking in Mormon historical items, some of which authorities say were stolen from libraries and archives at Brigham Young University in Provo and at Utah State University in Logan.