During his April 1992 general conference address, President Thomas S. Monson recounted an experience that illustrates the importance of an influential teacher:
“There was a Sunday School teacher—never to be forgotten, ever to be remembered. … She had been a missionary and loved young people. Her name was Lucy Gertsch. She was beautiful, soft-spoken, and interested in us. … She never raised her voice. … She taught us that the present is here and that we must live in it. She made the scriptures actually come to life. We became personally acquainted with Samuel, David, Jacob, Nephi, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our gospel scholarship grew. Our deportment improved. Our love for Lucy Gertsch knew no bounds.