By Joseph Ghiz
When LDS people hear the name Samuel Smith they think of the Prophet Joseph''s younger missionary brother.
A certain student at BYU carries a name hard to overlook: Samuel Joseph Chester Smith. Don''t let the Chester throw you off.
It''s an everyday thing for Smith, who is working toward a Ph.D in instructional psychology and technology, to have his name compared to the early Church member brothers.
'Oh that''s a great missionary name,' is a common phrase Smith hears when talking to the old guys in the temple.
Whenever anyone asks Smith his relation to the Prophet he thinks to himself, 'Do you know how many Smiths there are in the world?' and then he informs them he was named after Samuel the Lamanite, not the Prophet''s brother.
Being named after the only Lamanite prophet we know about is quite an honor. Smith received the name because of an experience his father had while serving a mission.
'My dad went to Tahiti on his mission and he lived by a large stone wall,' Smith said. 'Every time he looked at the wall he thought of the Arnold Friberg painting of Samuel the Lamanite.'
Smith''s dad liked the painting, the ancient prophet and his mission enough to name his firstborn son after him.
Obviously Smith''s name is known mostly among Mormons, but the origin of his name provides great missionary experiences, Smith said.
'While I was in Toronto I had a Samuel the Lamanite action figure on my computer,' Smith said. 'People would ask what the little statue meant and it would open the door for a great discussion.'
While Smith has never stood atop a high wall declaring repentance to a blood-thirsty people, he is the first in his family to receive a Ph.D.
Even though his name and looks are similar to The Book of Mormon prophet, try not to shoot an arrow at him because he would die.