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

`

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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