One of my great heroes of the early days of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not LDS himself.

Thomas L. Kane first encountered the Latter-day Saints in 1846 during a lecture, and he became their best friend in an hour of great need.

It's hard to overstate his contribution. Kane was the son of a district judge and his brother was a famous Arctic explorer. He was active in the underground railroad and in other causes that helped the poor and needy.