4 quarter 2015 sons of utah pioneers ogden pioneer...
TRANSCRIPT
http://www.supogden.com
4th
Quarter 2015 Volume 20
Sons of Utah Pioneers Ogden Pioneer Messenger
President: Stephen L. Richey President Elect: Bill Reese Vice President: L. Nate Pierce Past President: Kenneth J. Alford Secretary: Paul Child Treasurer: David G. Hart
Calendar Highlights:
Chapter Lunch Comfort Suites 12:05 12/14 - Mon w/partner 01/11 - Mon 02/08 - Mon Board Meeting County Library 2:00 12/28 - Mon 01/25 - Mon 02/29 - Mon Regional History
Symposium 02/20 – Early Pioneer
History of Northern Utah
I was driving to the Chapter Board Meeting this past Monday when I saw a very interesting bumper sticker. It read: “I married one of The Few Good Men”. As I reflected on the obvious pride the woman driving the car had for her husband; I couldn’t help think of the tremendous worth the members of the Pioneer Chapter are to the Chapter membership at large. Accordingly, I decided to recognize those Board members that are, either completing their service at the end of this year, or who will be taking on new or additional assignments:
1. Immediate Past-President – Ken
Alford: has served faithfully and well as
my mentor and right arm. This will
conclude his four years of service as an
executive officer.
2. President Elect – Bill Reese: will
be following me as Chapter President
beginning in 2016. He has been great to
work with and I admire his
dependability.
3. Vice President – Nate Pierce: will
step into the President-Elect position.
Nate has taken the assignment to head-
up the Northern Utah Symposium in
February and truly has a 5 star program
prepared.
4. Secretary—Paul Child: completes
his faithful service as Secretary and will
follow Nate as our Chapter Vice
President. Jeff Booth has accepted the
call to be the Chapter Secretary.
5. Personal History, Name
Memorialization, and Chapter Awards
Chairman – Joe Smith: will be followed
by Lorin Thompson in this vital position.
President’s Message Many thanks to Joe who has been very
influential in defining this multiple task
assignment for National SUP.
6. House Captain – Curtis Smout: who
has served very well for many years, was
pleased to learn that his position was not a
“lifetime” one. His position will be filled
by George Cobabe.
7. Mail Coordinator –Dick Rice: is
another long-tenured member of the
Board. Rich Blake has agreed to assume
this important responsibility.
8. Membership Chairman –
Leo Stevenson: Is now being assisted by
Jim Albertson. Both will continue these
duties in the coming year.
9. Newsletter Editor (Pioneer
Messenger) – Ken Richey has assumed an
additional role as the Trailmarker
Coordinator. He will assist National with
Chapter news for publication in the
quarterly Trailmarker publication.
10. Program Chairman – Gene Larkin:
was recently called to serve a full-time
mission with his wife. Gene has done an
outstanding job selecting top-rate
speakers for many years. He will be
followed in this area of responsibility by
Kent Petersen.
11. Scholarship Chairman – Dave
Jacobs: who is also a National Area Vice
President, will be assisted by former
Chapter Secretary, Aaron Hatch. Aaron
will assume the chairmanship after the
scholarship awards in April and is currently
working with Dave on next year’s program.
12. Pianist – Hal Stoddard: will
continue as pianist and is noted here as he
was not listed with Chapter Officers in the
Continued on Page 6
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Ogden Pioneer Messenger Page 2 of 6
October 12, 2015 – Christina Myers; A Story of Lifelong Service Ogden, UT 1 Nephi 1:1 I, [Christina],
having been born of goodly parents,
therefore I was taught somewhat in all
the learning of my father; and having
seen many afflictions in the course of my
days, nevertheless, having been highly
favored of the Lord in all my days; yea,
having had a great knowledge of the
goodness and the mysteries of God,
therefore I make a record of my
proceedings in my days.
Christina was an exchange student as a
teenager, she came to live in Utah. It was
an amazing experience, learned about the
church and was surprised to see that the
church was filled not just with old
people but young people as well.
Christina was baptized in 1977 as an 18
year old. She immediately set a goal to
serve a mission. Upon returning to
Sweden she set out to save for her
mission. It was a difficult time for
her because she didn't have the support
of her parents for something that she
really felt like she was directed to do.
Being called to Ecuador made it even
more difficult as her mother soon
discovered there were locals who still
practiced cannibalism.
As a missionary she gained experience
with financial literacy and public
relations. She was blessed
with leadership experiences where she
worked with public officials in the most
impressive circumstances combined with
the teaching opportunities in the
humblest circumstances were life
changing. She ended up serving for 23
months.
Following her mission she returned to
Ogden where she met Shaun and courted
and eventually married in the Ogden
Temple 1983. Children didn't come
immediately but eventually they were
blessed with 4 children. Shaun and
Christina decided to eventually adopt 2
children from Kazakhstan from the
former USSR. These children while in
the orphanage were unable to develop
normally, had the opportunity to
presented itself she would have adopted
all 150 children from the orphanage.
These children were afflicted with all
manner of challenges, there were no
diapers and feeding all 150 children at
the same time presented many
difficulties. Most of the children had
various sicknesses, etc. The city where
these children came from had about 130
different ethnicities.
August 4, 2003 her youngest daughter,
loving, kind full of life at age 9, woke up
unable to walk, paralyzed from her legs
down. They rushed to Primary Children's
Hospital where they discovered a large
tumor growing on her spine. She was
treated with chemo and radiation.
Christina learned the following quote
from Elder Neal Maxwell from her
daughter's experience. She saw that from
her daughter on a daily basis. Her
daughter was always willing to submit
and do everything that was placed before
her. April 24, 2004 her young daughter
returned to her Heavenly Father.
"The submission of one’s will is really
the only uniquely personal thing we have
to place on God’s altar. The many other
things we “give,” brothers and sisters,
are actually the things He has already
given or loaned to us. However, when
you and I finally submit ourselves, by
letting our individual wills be swallowed
up in God’s will, then we are really
giving something to Him! It is the only
possession which is truly ours to give.
Consecration thus constitutes the only
unconditional surrender which is also a
total victory." - Elder Neal A. Maxwell
After her daughter's death they traveled
to Ecuador to bring items for those living
in the humblest circumstances. Her son's
eagle project included fund raising for
items to be donated; clothes, school
supplies, hygiene, and scholarships to
help aid the education of these needy
children.
One of the larger projects in Ecuador
was to build a community tutoring
center. This way they could receive
services for free to aid in their education
as well as help services for the parents.
A favorite quote Christina shared; "If
you want to leave your footprints in the
sands of time... wear work boots."
It took an unbelievable number of hours
to build a building of this magnitude.
They were aided with many volunteers
including the full time missionaries. The
community wanted to name the center
after their daughter, Tutorio Centro de
Annika.
After building the community center
they were able to do a home makeover
for a local family.
Later they had another opportunity to
provide a different kind of service, this
time to Guatemala. They were able to
introduce a new Hymn book to the locals
with hymns translated into the local
native dialect. Here they were able to
teach the locals how to sing the various
parts.
She shared a quote by Elaine Jack
related to her service opportunities;
"... we reach out to each other. Hands
often speak as voices can't. A warm
embrace conveys volumes. A laugh
together unites us. A moment of sharing
refreshes our souls. We cannot always
lift the burden of one who is troubled,
but we can lift [him]/her so [he]/she can
bear it well." - Elaine L. Jack
They were excited to see the many
churches that dotted the land as beautiful
beacons of light. These churches were
gathering places for the people to come
to from miles around.
They were able to return again to
Ecuador do another home makeover.
Again they received tremendous support
from many volunteers.
Ogden Pioneer Messenger Page 3 of 6
Trek – Monte L. Bean Museum
Pioneer of the Month – 9 November 2015
Members of the Ogden Chapter of the
Sons of Utah Pioneers and their
spouses trekked to the Monte L. Bean
Museum in Provo Utah.
The trek was very successful and
enjoyed by all. We spend about half of
the time going through the Natural
History part of the museum. I’ll attach
a few of the things we saw. The
remaining half was spent in the Boyd
K Packer Gallery which was a
highlight of the trek…wow, what an
artist. We then went to the Wilkinson
Center for lunch prior to returning
home. We met at the Student Wards
Building at 8:30 and returned just a
little before 4:00 p.m.
Members in attendance Eldon and Jean Capener
Morris and Jan Sterrett
Lynn and Saundra Call
Rich and Carol Ann Blake
Kent and Glenda Draper
Ed Allen
Mark Walker
Stephen Richey
Lorin Thompson
Paul Child
Larry Blanch
Dick Rice
Stu Radmall
Richard Penrod
Kent Draper presented his pioneer ancestor William Draper, as the pioneer of the month. Kent was born 12 July 1938 in Ogden, Utah. He attended Davis High School, went on a mission to Australia, then married Glenda Bennett. He attended Weber State University. He is a retired Sales Manager from Sperry Corp., and currently owns a travel agency. His church service includes being a missionary, Bishop’s counselor, Bishop, Stake Executive Secretary, High Council, Stake Mission President. Kent’s hobbies include skiing and traveling. William Draper was born the seventh child of William and Sarah Earl Draper. He was born 25 November 1818 in
Easterton, Wiltshire, England. He died 1898. William never attended school but spent time from an early age assisting his father as an agricultural laborer On 28 August 1838, William married Sarah Ann Miles and they had four children. In 1845 Mormon Missionaries began sharing their message throughout southern England and was heavily canvassed in Easterton. After his sister and mother-in-law joined the church William’s wife became interested. She left to attend a meeting against his wishes. When he found that she had left
for the meeting against his wishes, he picked up a stick and said he would fetch her home, for he would not allow her to disobey him. He was in a very disagreeable mood, but as he neared the meeting pace, he was impressed by the intensity the missionaries showed as to the truth of what they were teaching. So, he slipped quietly to where he could learn more. In a more subdued mood he walked quietly home beside his wife. Following this experience, he learned more of this new found religion and was soon converted. Sarah was baptized Nov. 18, 1845 and William followed Nov. 27, 1845. William led a very interesting and full life. He passed away in 1898 and is buried in Salt Lake City, UT
`
Ogden Pioneer Messenger Page 4 of 6
November 9, 2015 – Carl Turner; Ogden Temple Construction
Ogden, UT - Carl Turner and his wife
Tiffany of 25 years were guest speakers
to the Ogden Chapter of the Sons of
Utah Pioneers for the November
meeting. Carl is employed at Big-D
Construction where he was selected as
the Supervisor of the Ogden Temple
Reconstruction Project. Carl and Tiffany
shared photos of the project along with
many stories and interesting statistics
along with some very special tender
mercies from our Father in Heaven
related to the decommissioning,
deconstruction and reconstruction of the
Ogden Temple. Carl also answered many
questions from the audience about the
entire process.
The original Ogden Temple was 136,000
sq feet and was dedicated in 1972. A
little known fact, the Ogden Temple was
the first dedicated temple in the State of
Utah. All other temples dedicated
previously were dedicated in the
Territory of Utah. The last sessions were
performed on April 2, 2011 and on April
4th of that year Carl began nearly a 3 1/2
year project to decommission,
deconstruct and reconstruct the Ogden
Temple. On September 21, 2014 the
Ogden Temple was rededicated. The
new Ogden Temple is 112,000 sq feet,
slightly smaller than the original. The
primary reason for the remodel was
because the original temple was not
designed for seismic safety. There were
other issues that they were able to
correct in the reconstruction as well,
including significant water issues as well
as asbestos.
In Carl's long tenure with Big-D
Construction he has worked on many
different construction projects. As he
began his role as superintendent of the
project he was amazed at the various
challenges and difficulties that they
encountered. The area authority Elder
Hollingsworth confided in Carl that the
problems he faced had nothing to do
with his own ability but more to do with
Satan's unrelenting efforts to slow the
work of the Lord. Yet despite all the of
the challenges they faced they were able
to move the project along and complete
on time. The Ogden Temple serves
nearly 300,000 members of the church
and therefore Satan's efforts could affect
the lives of these 300,000 saints.
A few of the challenges they faced and
were able to overcome:
The dome found in the Celestial
Room was originally measured by
the artist and then constructed. Once
completed they found that the dome
was originally measured incorrectly.
Eventually they were able to find a
way to correct this problem.
There are 5,000 lights in the temple.
The manufacturer had taken some
liberties and essentially made it so
that they didn't shine as brightly as
they expected. All 5,000 lights
needed to be adjusted to provide the
correct amount of light.
After a painstaking process of
ensuring the baptismal font was free
of leakage, when they went to finish
applying the glass tile and stone
quarried from Egypt, and applying
the plumbing they found a leak.
That very day one of the workers
had heard an advertisement from a
company that could repair such a
leak. They were able to get the
company on site that very day and
have the leak repaired.
New oxen molds were used for the
font. These molds went through a 2
year planning process to get
approved by the 1st Presidency.
Each oxen is unique and created
from special material. When they
went to place the oxen they found
that they did not fit. After
remeasuring they were able to cut
about 2 feet from the base of the
mold and get the oxen to fit into
place under the font.
One of the companies that supplied
the marble for the pillars in the
Celestial room created some
challenges when they decided to
attempt to renegotiate their contract
with Big-D and the Church. This
company’s product required 5-7
days of work prior to install. As they
were unable to renegotiate, the new
supplying company provided a
finished product that only took 2
days to install.
One of the contractors who had
worked on multiple temples assured
Carl not to worry about the delays.
He explained how on every temple
he worked on there were challenges
but that somehow they would
always complete on time. That
somehow "He" would lend the
necessary support to get the job
done.
Tiffany Turner shared a very special
experience related to blessings that came
to her family as a result of the Ogden
Temple Reconstruction. She shared how
her only daughter had begun to make
choices that carried her gradually away
from the church and its teachings.
Nothing dramatic, but little by little
Tiffany and Carl could see that their
daughter's interest and testimony in the
church were fading. These challenges
were compounded as in the final push to
get the Temple ready for the open house,
Carl was working 18-20 hour days, 6
days a week. With him being out of the
home the stress of managing the family
was even greater for Tiffany. Finally
they were able to attend the open house.
Their daughter came begrudgingly to the
open house and chose to follow around
her 5 year old younger brother. As he
busily chased about the temple she didn't
really pay too much attention to the
detail and finish of the temple.
Continued on Page 5
Ogden Pioneer Messenger Page 5 of 6
Eventually her younger brother came to the Celestial
room. Immediately he stopped in his tracks and with
awe in his voice declared, "it's perfect!" Their
daughter, for the first time, noticed the beauty of the
temple and especially that of the Celestial room.
When she walked through and was under the dome,
she distinctly heard the voice, "you promised me."
She immediately looked around to find nobody in the
room but herself and her 5 year old brother. After
leaving the Celestial room she began to chide herself
and explained away the voice as something she made
up. A few weeks later she returned to the open house
with her family as well as her boyfriend. She was
more attentive this time as she went from room to
room. Once again, as she entered the Celestial room
and passed under the dome she again heard the voice,
"you promised me." Later that night as she prayed she
knew the origin of the voice, and knew without a
doubt that she needed to return wholeheartedly to the
church. She is presently serving a mission in Chicago,
IL a mission covering some of the same territory
where Carl served his mission.
Carl then closed the meeting sharing a very symbolic
experience related to our lives and the placing of the
spire on the Temple. The spire was placed May 6,
2013. He estimated the spire to weigh 66,000 pounds.
After removing the nuts on the anchor bolts, the began
trying to lift the spire with a crane. The crane began
pulling with no success even reaching 200,000 pounds
of pressure. Eventually they decided to cut all the
anchor bolts with a torch, assuming that they may be
the cause of not releasing the spire. Again they began
pulling with no success... again reaching nearly
200,000 pounds of pressure.
Here Carl discussed how as we go through life we all
will make mistakes. From the youngest member of the
church to the eldest we all fall short. Satan would
have us dwell on our imperfections and short comings
to bind us down and prevent us from rising up. Each
time he succeeds we fall short of our potential and fall
short in our ability to help those around us. Just one
little thing has the ability to keep us from growing.
As the construction crew surveyed the problem they
decided to go back and check all 48 bolts that had
been cut off. In this process they discovered one bolt
that had only been half cut. When they finished
removing this last bolt, the crane was able to lift the
spire which weighed in at 68,000 lbs.
Carl shared his testimony, and shared a 6 minute
video showing the spire being installed as well as
Angel Moroni being placed atop the Ogden Temple.
Regional History Symposium –
Early Pioneer History of Northern Utah
Saturday, 20 February 2016 – 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Sessions: 1pm - 5pm
1. Prominent Women of the Church 1847-1899
2. The Railroad’s Impact on Northern Utah
3. Utah Territory and the American Civil War
4. The Mormon Reformation
Presenters:
Dr. Gene A. Sessions Professor of History at Weber State University. Noted author and
Presidential Distin-guished Professor of History and John S.
Hinckley Fellow.
Audrey Godfrey Lecturer and Author on Mormon History. MS degree in History
from USU. Advisory Board of Editors (Utah Historical Society) and
Board of Editors (Mormon Historical Studies).
Dr. Richard W. Sadler Professor of History at Weber State University. General Editor of
Utah, The Right Place: The Official Centennial History, and co-
author of A History of Weber County.
Dr. Ken Alford Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU.
Retired U.S. Army Officer (Colonel). Served as a Professor of
Behavioral Science at the National Defense University,
Dinner: 5:30 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: Elder Marlin K. Jensen (Emeritus Member of the Seventy, former LDS Church Historian)
Cost:
$25 per person (Early Registration, before 15 January
2016)
$30 per person (Registration after 15 January 2016)
Location: Weber Heights Stake Center
1401 Country Hills Drive
Ogden, UT 84403
(North of the WSU Dee Events Center)
Continued from Page 4
Chapter Lunch Time Board Meeting 01/11/2016 12:05pm 01/25/2016 02/08/2016 12:05pm 02/29/2016 03/14/2016 12:05pm 03/28/2016 04/11/2016 06:00pm w/partner 04/25/2016 05/09/2016 12:05pm 05/23/2016 06/13/2016 12:05pm 06/27/2016 07/11/2016 06:00pm w/partner 07/25/2016 08/08/2016 12:05pm 08/29/2016 09/12/2016 12:05pm 09/26/2016 10/10/2016 06:00pm w/partner 10/31/2016 11/14/2016 12:05pm 11/28/2016 12/12/2016 12:05pm w/partner 12/19/2016 Notes: 1-In general, monthly meetings are held on the 2
nd Monday and Board Meetings are held on the last Monday of each month.
2-We meet with spouses/partners four times a year with three of those meetings at 6:00 p.m. in the evening. The fourth (December) we meet at 12:05 p.m. All meetings with spouses/partners are held at the Comfort Suites Inn. 3-Only one regular meeting (July) is not held at the Comfort Suites Inn. This is the summer picnic. The location will be announced well in advance. 4- One Board Meeting has been moved to the 4
th Monday (May) on account of conflict with Memorial Day. All Board meetings
are held in the Nye conference room in the South Ogden Library from 2pm-4pm
Chapter Lunch
Dec 14th at 12:05pm
Special Musical Presentation by David and Ruth
Stevenson
Ogden SUP - 2016 Calendar
Upcoming Birthdays
Mark your Calendar
December Bill Critchlow III Wayne Decker Justin Eccles Dean Hurst Theo Maisey Nate Pierce James Pitchford Kenneth Richey Bob Wallentine
January Neil Ballif John Edrington Klaus Gurgel Roland Hadley David Hart Dick Jardine Melvin McAllister Don Nelson
February Doran Barlow James Dawson William Ford Arthur Moore Allen Peterson Reed Richards
2015 Directory.
13. Treks Manager – Lynn Call: another “lifer” will pass the great tradition he has set
with treks on to Morris Sterrett and Kent Draper to serve as co-chairs of this essential
assignment.
All other Board assignments remain unchanged. It has been a signal honor to have served as Chapter President for 2015 and I look forward to continuing my association with all of you in the coming years. It can truly be said that you are numbered among “The Few Good Men.” Stephen L. Richey President
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