Nat King Cole and the LDS Church

The sad news of Natalie Cole's death reminded me of my mother's encounter with the famous Nat King Cole.

Kay was a buyer for the record department at the former ZCMI during and after World War II. It was a time when records were hot and when the recording artists were hotter. Kay heard about Nat King Cole touring through Utah, and thought what a coup it would be to have him come to the store to sign records. It was kind of a thing, like authors holding book signings.

And she did it. She was ecstatic, and started preparing for the big day. Until the church stepped in.

Kay was called "upstairs" to the LDS church offices. Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution ZCMI (now Macy's) was the first department store in the United States, and it was owned and operated by the LDS Church. In 1999, the church sold ZCMI to May Department Stores, which became Macy's.

Negroes were not allowed in the store, and certainly not to sign records. Kay was devastated. What could she say to one of the most sought-after musical artists? Nothing.

Instead, Kay tore up the department and contacted Cole's publicist saying that unfortunately, they were remodeling and wouldn't be able to accommodate him. Still, she was able to get a photograph with him when he came to Utah.

Kay was so excited with the photo that she took it home, ran up the stairs and showed it to her mother. Her mother tore up the picture on the spot.

As we remember his daughter Natalie, her invitation to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for their Christmas concert in 2009 cannot be overstated. This was the church that spurned her father, but that lifted racial bans on the priesthood in 1978, and with them a a shadowy piece of history.