Special Olympics: Roosevelt, Utah 1983

In 1983 I found myself in Roosevelt, Utah doing a field placement at Utah State Social Services.  In addition to completing my field placement, I would also complete a research project on rural social work.  It would be an incredible time.  During this time I would fall out of love with a girl, and into love with Sheri, my wife of 31 years.  I would participate in a musical, Men of La Mancha.  I would also work with Rose Miller.  Rose was involved in the community, and one of the things she did was the local chairperson for Special Olympics.  One of my work assignments was to rewrite the procedural book for the local Special Olympics.  When the Special Olympics event was actually held I worked as a volunteer.  Rose Miller was able to get Pace Mannion to come and be the master of ceremonies.  This was after his Senior year of basketball at the University of Utah.  Special Olympics was very impressive with all the hugs that each of the athletes was given at the end of every event.  It was a different experience.

Job Hunt April May 1985

In the Spring of 1985 Sheri and I time to move back to Utah from Nevada.  (In Sheri's journal it says we were talking about moving as early as February.)
I discovered there may be a position opening up in Roosevelt.  Ralph had called Sheri's mom about the job.  I called Ralph and he gave me additional details.  This was in March.
We made several trips to Utah--before the job even opened officially--to look at homes and ask about job possibilities.  The job I had heard about was questionable for some time.  Someone may have wanted to transfer into it. 
I was so interested in returning to Utah I interviewed interview with the Ute Tribe with Joanne Yazzie.  Fortunately I did not get the job, as things were always a bit unstable with the tribe.  We waited nervously for some time. 
Part of the problem was a worker with mental health (which at the time was also part of the state) was thinking of moving to Family Services.  I later learned this was Rick Hendy.  He decided to stay with mental health. 
When those rumors started I did call the mental health office to ask about any job openings, but they didn't have any.  That was also a blessing because there were very negative rumors about the management at mental health. 
On one of these many trips to Utah, Sheri and I went so far as to pick a house we liked.  It was a single wide trailer over a basement.  We spent an evening on the porch and really dreamed for a while.  The price was right and it did have some room to expand. 
The job finally did come through, after some time of hoping, praying and worrying.  I interviewed for the job in May.

Trip to Roosevelt 1985: Job Interview

I had decided it was time my career should take a turn.  We had lived in Duckwater almost two years.  For memorial day, May 1985 Sheri and I traveled to Roosevelt via Logan.  In Roosevelt I interviewed for a job with Utah State Social Services.
We took things easy in Logan.  We did go on a memorial day picnic, up the canyon to Hyrum City Park.
Tuesday after Memorial Day was a business day.  I got a haircut and we headed to Roosevelt.  The job interview was more a formality as I think they had already decided to hire me.  Ralph Draper and George Glines interviewed me.  As of that day I knew I was going to Roosevelt.  I would begin working June 17, 1985.  That gave me two and a half weeks to get things in order.
Sheri and I had been in Roosevelt a few weeks earlier, and had seen a trailer we liked.  It had been sold.  We did take Wednesday and look at houses.  Tim Cox was our realtor.  We left it that we would look closer after we were in the area a couple weeks later.  We were going to move in with Sheri's parents temporarily. 

Uintah Basin: Messiah Concerts

Watching the Uintah Basin orchestra and choir http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/12/uintah-basin-orchestra-and-choir.html
reminded me of my days in the Basin.  I participated in a couple Messiah concerts during the years we lived in Roosevelt (Ballard).  They were very fun, and introduced me to some songs we had never sung before, including "Surely".  Dr. White always conducted, and we performed in the Roosevelt East Stake Center because they have a nice piped organ.  We never sang with orchestra, but we did have trumpets for "The Last Trumpet."  There would be solos every year, but I never had the courage to ask about singing a solo.  They were fun experiences.  I am a baritone, so the first year I sang bass.  However because there were few tenors, the second year I sang tenor.  There were four tenors, and we always followed another tenor.  However he had a bad cold, and several of the songs had to drop out, so I was the tenor the others were following.  Uncle Jerry sang tenor with us that year.
We made some beautiful music, and this reemphasized my love for Handel's Messiah.

Living on the Reservation: Roosevelt, Ut.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865585590/Ute-Indian-Tribe-announces-boycott-of-Roosevelt-businesses-citing-racial-profiling-by-police.html?

This article points out that this is not settled after 40 year, the jurisdictional and boundary issues of the reservation.  The area of the original reservation is checker boarded with reservation land, and non reservation land.  This is because of allotments being given to individuals, who then sold the property.  In like fashion there are enrolled Utes, and disenfranchised Utes.  So to know when you are on the reservation, and not can be very difficult.  When we lived there, a federal case granted the Ute Tribe legal jurisdiction over tribal members from Fort Duchesne to Strawberry Reservoir, and in essence said all that area was the reservation.  That means, where we lived, was on the reservation, although the land was not tribal land.  We lived in Ballard, a couple miles from Roosevelt and a rural road to the reservation.  We never had any problems with legal issues, but our baby sitters were scared once with someone being around the house.
This caused some concern, but the police handled this mostly by cross-deputization.  However, it appears the issue of jurisdiction is still boiling.

Roosevelt Neighbors

When we moved to Ballard, there was only one family that lived close to us.  They were our neighbors for about a year.  Their children were just a older than ours, as Natalia was not born until we had lived there a few months.

Leslie and Penny Reece Carl Jennifer and Leslie

Jennifer

Carl

Our First Christmas Pageant: 1985

1985 was the first year we had a baby in the annual Christmas Pageant.  Now days we usually do this with just our family and those who happen to visit.  It is true, my traditional role is that of the donkey, and Sheri's is to read.  We seem to find a baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph.  This first year we were with family in Hyrum.  This is Christmas 1985, Sheri and I's third Christmas, but Natalia's first.  Natalia is baby Jesus.  Mary and Joseph are Geneve and Joey.  Dustin, Amber and Katherine are shepherds. 

Meeting Sheri, my Wife of Almost 30 Years and Our First Date

When I was attending graduate school, I did a field placement in  Roosevelt, Utah.  I was 25 at the time.  I lived in a community with no friends.  The first week I attended church, Roosevelt First Ward, Bishop Gale invited to his home for dinner.  He had two children, his son Brad, who was about my age and also unmarried, and also a daughter.  His daughter had a bandage on her leg due to a bad knee, which if my memory is good was a skiing accident. The Gales owned an office supply store.
I decided to pursue a friendship with Brad, and visited him at their store.  There was a woman their behind the counter.  I assumed it was Brad's younger sister, so I asked her, "How is your leg?"  As it was not Brad's sister, but Sheri, who worked there, she had no idea what I was talking about.  I survived my embarrassment and got her name.  I also discovered that she lived in Roosevelt, where my placement supervisor lived.  That next week, I discovered what I could about her family, and Monte Bolton, my supervisor thought she was waiting for a missionary.  I mustered up my courage, and when I called her again asked an awkward question, "Do you date?"  I was lucky enough that she accepted my invitation for a date, a picnic.
I prepared lunch for the picnic.  Sheri says one of the items I had was government cheese.  I also made sandwiches.  Sheri, who is good with dates says it was April 9, 1983.  I didn't know the area very well, but was confident there would be a place for a good picnic.  We drove from her house to Altamont.  We couldn't find any picnic tables.  I had brought a blanket which we spread on a patch of grass by the rodeo grounds.  The air was nippy, and there was a pretty good breeze blowing.  We got through our lunch, but couldn't really get comfortable with the wind so didn't stay long.
We went back to Sheri's house, and she tried to recapture the dignity of our date by inviting me to go horse riding with her.  She caught the horse and we rode double on it, me behind her as I was not a horseman.  I had  an irrational fear of horses, based on a man we met in Argentina, whose hand and arm were deformed.  We were told it was because he had been bitten by a horse.  Sheri's horse wasn't big enough to do such damage, but it was a bit nippy and a bit feisty.  Sheri could tell I was incompetent around a horse. 

My Life in Theater: Amahl and the Night Visitors

I have been in Amahl and the Night Visitors twice.  First was my freshman year at Utah State University.  I was a shepherd.  The shepherd song was very hard to learn, especially remembering all those names and foods as we came to honor the kings.

While living in Eastern Utah I was again in this production.  This time it was a bi-stake production of the stakes in Roosevelt.  We performed at the high school.  This time I had the roll of one of the Kings, Melchior, the baritone.  It was fun.  Betty Griffin directed.  We had a very good cast. 

My History in Theater: Star of Justice

I was in the very first two years of the Outlaw Trail Festival.  Both years we portrayed "Star of Justice" with a few changes.  The first year I sang the cows and sheep song, but the second year this was a women's song, and I sang the hat song.  The first year I was a "good guy" and the second year I portrayed two parts, an outlaw, Bob Meeks, and a towns person.  These pictures are from the Vernal Express the second year.

That is me behind the fire with a mustache

Jake (Phil Walton) and Sadie's (Karen Bullock's) hands

Sheriff Pope and Kate (Dennis Hatch and Marci Dyck)

 My recording of their song, at least as I remember it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyzSzZ78Duo

That's me again on the right of the square as we sing "Star of Justice"

Chris Mikesell as Butch Cassidy

 The second year I was in charge of the fires.  I had to light the campfire.  It had chemicals to become a big fire quickly.  We also had a blanket in a bucket of water for the end of the scene and to douse the fire.  I Was also in charge of lighting the torches for the mob, lynching scene.
The show was directed by Nels Carlson.  http://whilhelmsthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/05/nels-carlson.html It was written by Sheila Wheeler and music by Wayne and Julie Millet.  The executive director was Alta Winward

 I had a couple of important parts.  As I town person I had a fight with Doug Griffin, blaming him for taking my hat.  Right after the fight I sang the song, "A Man Without a Hat."  I use to be so winded from the fight, the singing would give me a head ache.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvnTB7zCfnQ (A Man Without a Hat)
My other important part was holding the horses for the bank robbery, and singing "Brother's Keeper" around the camp fire as we schemed.

It was a fun outdoor production.  We had guns, and learned the hard way, blanks are not totally safe.  We had horses and wagons.  I was never one for riding horses, but I did for the theater.  I rode quite a bit getting use to the horse.  Chris Piner, who played Sundance, talked about making the horses go fast with a good kick with the spurs.  It was a scene where he and Butch robbed the Montpelier Bank.  I held the horses for them while they went in. They come out for our get-away.  I used the spurs.  I did this only once, because I almost fell off the horse.  My horse would follow theirs going fast anyway.

Native American Gatherings: Round Dance

There is a pow wow in town and I am determined not to miss it.  My dad took me to some pow wows at Utah State, and attending is part of who I am.  I have lived on a couple reservations, Duckwater Shoshone and Uinta Ouray Ute, and have worked with Native American people.  I have attended these functions before, and in fact help put one on a couple of years in Nevada.  We called it the Duckwater Spring Festival and it was held in May.  It was really too early in the year to have consistent good weather, and so they still hold the same event, but later in the year.

Indian Dance is beautiful, and significant.  The Bear Dance was a traditional Spring dance which commemorated the bear, but also was a mating dance.  Of course thee is war dance and fancy dance.  I particularly like round dance, which is a coming together dance.  We had the whole community participate in Duckwater one time.  It was very powerful.  I also did round dance with the youth.  It was just as powerful.

Round Dance

I took some of the kids to West Valley Pow Wow a year ago.  The beat of the drum is intoxicating.  And so I am going tomorrow, even If I have to go alone.  It is 11 to 11, so I suspect I can find a couple hours.  Hit the link for details.

Nels Carlson

I was looking at the Obits in the USU Alumni magazine, and noticed Nels Carlson had passed away.  Nels was Mr. Theater at the USU extension in the Uintah Basin.  He knew everything about theater, from the technical aspect, to the acting to the producing.  http://obitsutah.com/show_obit.php?id=3845  http://www.ubstandard.com/stories/Carlson-remembered-for-service-to-others,8658

I first met Nels when I was in the USU production of "Man of la Mancha." Nels, in addition to being the producer, portrayed the captain of the guard.  He was always such a professional.  He introduced the idea of staying in character and saying "line" when you need your line.  That was a good method to memorize the lines, but also to build the character of your role.

I did several more productions with Nels.  He was the director of the "Star of Justice" for the first years of the Outlaw Trail Festival.  He took a script that had never been produced before, and turned it into a show.  He also designed and put together the stage and scenery.  I still have a picture of the scene as he designed it, which hangs in me bedroom.

I helped Nels with building set.  I was the person that didn't know what he was doing, that Nels would show how to do a few things.  My worse experience with Nels was when I was taking down lights, and dropped one from the apple picker.  It broke the lens, but Nels didn't yell at me.  I did enough yelling at myself. 

He shared with me a movie script he had written.  It was written in the movie kind of a way and told the story of a man with cancer, who is "kidnapped" by his friend, a Native American to go see the grandfather, medicine man who could cure him.  It had the traditional chase scenes and everything, and finally getting to where they needed to be.

On one occasion we had a church social, and Nels came and did a one-man show.  Nels sang "Paper Dream" from "Saturday's Warrior."  This was one of his favorite songs.  He also did a scene from Shakespeare, I think "Macbeth" of a crazy door keeper.  I can still hear him, "Knock, knock, knock."