Working graveyards at Sinclair in SLC

 After graduating from USU in 1981, I was accepted to graduate school in social work at the University of Utah.  During that summer I moved in with my father in Salt lake City, and worked two jobs; Sinclair and Utah Boys Ranch.  I worked graveyards at the Sinclair gas station on the corner of West Temple and Sixth South.  It was right off the freeway in two directions--so a prime location.  This was before they had electronic credit cards, so you had to check every credit car with a book.  One time I got a bonus for discovering a credit card that had been cancelled.  

One night after working at the Boys Ranch all day, going to Dad's and falling asleep, and then going to Sinclair, I was very tired.  An officer pulled me over as I arrived at Sinclair thinking I was drunk; I wasn't.

I met my first prostitute here.  The gas station was next to a hotel so one time some guy left his number so I passed it on to her.

One morning a police officer came and visited me about a robbery that took place across the street.  He asked if I had seen anything.  I hadn't.  But that was motivation for me to quit; so I did.

Employee Honors at EMQ (Now Uplift) Crisis Counseling

I actually received a few of these during my almost ten years with EMQ Crisis.  I worked there on-call while I worked for County Mental Health full time.  The best one was when it came with a coupon for two meals at the Elephant Bar.

Employee of the Month Letter

As part of Virginia Street Project I was honored as employee of the month for  Santa Clara County.  Our program was honored, so they gave placards to all of us.  Her is a letter from the County Executive.

Duckwater Shoshone Tribal School: Basketball Coach

My first year in Duckwater I helped out by coaching the basketball team for the K-8 schoold.  This was a joint team with kids from both the Duckwater County School and the Duckwater Tribal School.  We practiced in the Tribal gym.  We played Lund twice, Ely Junior High  School once, and a parochial school in Ely.  We played close in a couple games, but Ely Junior High really skunked us.  We improved through  the year however.  Some of the he kids on the  team were Chris and Stephen Powers, Willie Blackeye, Willie Morago Amy Halstead and Kathy Hanks.
We did have some problems with playing in a disciplined style and getting into s set pattern, but as we set more realistic goals during the year we felt OK about the way things turned out.  We especially had problems with pressure and controlling the ball.  We lacked a good guard or a way to break a press.  The second year I was in Duckwater their were less kids of playing age and less interest so we didn't field a team.

Duckwater Recognition Award

Duckwater May 30, 1985: In Duckwater the tribe had an annual recognition dinner to honor their employees and tribal members.  I remember the first year I was there at the awards ceremony hoping maybe one of the awards would come my way.  It didn't.
However my second year the tribe did present me with a certificate of appreciation.  Jerry Millett, the Tribal Chairman, present me with the award.  Ironically it came on the same day I resigned to take employment in Utah.
My journal notes, "The Tribe honored me with a certificate of appreciation the same day I announced my resignation.  They had planned it previously"
I felt the award was well earned.  I really feel I did my best in my employment in Duckwater.  At times it took thinking of creative ways of making use of myself--but for the most part I kept busy, and hopefully I had an influence of good.

Duckwater: Spring Festival May 17-19, 1985

When I worked for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, we decided to start holding a yearly festival.  Virginia Sanchez, Kathleen Graham and I particularly made it part of our job functions to put together the festival.  This was a big task, and involved lots of fund raising.  I kept soda and candy in a drawer at work for people to come and purchase for fund raising.  Virginia, who worked with the school focused on the youth activities, and Kathleen and I focused more on the adult activities. 
   The festival started with a traditional dance Friday night.  We had a big bonfire going and a couple people to play drums.  This included Danny Millett.  Danny Millett was a tribal elder.  He also had a wash board type board he would use to make the sound of a bear sharpening his claws for the bear dance.  The dancing included a couple of community wide round dances.  We could have had more energy, but we had a very fun time.
   Saturday was very busy of course.  It started with an early morning chuck wagon breakfast.  Sheri and I helped with the food.
   There had been several shelters constructed poles and pine boughs and people could set up under them to sell craft items, like a bazaar.

Danny and Lillian Millett

   We had several activities planned for Saturday.  The school put on the traditional youth hand game tournament.  The kids from Duckwater didn't do very well.  The school principle ran some children's games and gave out prizes.
   I put together, and participated in a horse shoe pitching tournament.  I did OK for a few rounds but really didn't last very long in the tourney.   We also organized arm wrestling and pool tournaments.  We were also going to do a ping pong tournament but there wasn't enough interest. 
   The big event of the day was the big pot luck and barbecue.  The tribe sponsored the meat which was a beef cooked under ground.  It was excellent.  Mitch Maes was in charge of the roasting of the meat. 
   After the meal we had a Western dance, while others continued to play hand game and card all night.  These were gambling games played by the adults.  Sheri and I enjoyed the dance for a while, but we retired early compared to most as festivities continued all night.
   There was a breakfast the next day, but Sheri and I didn't help with this. 
   Sunday we didn't have church until the afternoon to allow things to calm down, and for the festivities to be picked up.
    I wrote a paragraph in my journal at the time.  "The Spring Festival went very well and it wasn't too much of a pain as I thought it was going to be.  It was pretty fun in fact, except for breakfast which I was preparing by myself for a while."
Duckwater still has an annual event, although it is held later in the year.  May the weather can still be nippy in Duckwater.

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.

Duckwater Shoshon Tribe: Resignation 1985

May 30, 1985 I went back to work after traveling to Utah.  I had accepting a job with Utah State Social Services in Roosevelt.  About the first thing I did after getting back to work was to type a resignation letter.
As I was typing it Mary Lou Gomes, my supervisor, looked at it and said "Oh, no."  I remember my emotions that day were really mixed.  I was happy about the new job, moving back to Utah; but also had some strange feelings about leaving.  It was really happiness, but also a feeling of sadness on top of that; a feeling I was letting people down.  On top of that was a bitter-sweet feeling about having to say goodbye to so many people.

Vance Douglas and our Boxing Bout at the Turkey Farm

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hjnews/obituary.aspx?n=randy-vance-douglass&pid=167464326

Vance Douglas passed away this month.  Back when we were both in Junior High School, we both worked at turkey farm.  It was a job that paid one dollar per hour, but it was work.  We fed turkeys, cleaned the turkey pens, gathered eggs, washed feeders, or what ever job we were assigned to.  Sometimes we road a tractor to the pens farther away.  There were also vaccination and de-beaking days.  Those days were hard work.
But back to Vance.  Vincent Olagie was was the Mexican foreman.  One time he had the idea of organizing boxing matches.  I was involved in several, and held my own. These were bare-fisted bouts, no gloves here.  One day Vincent pitted me against Vance.  We were both about the same size, and pretty evenly matched.  I must admit I think Vance got the better of me, but Vance called it a draw.  I never had such a bloody nose in my life, but I was still boxing with the blood dripping down my face.  However Vance gave me credit for one blow I inflicted, however I actually was embarrassed by the blow.  I went for Vance's face and missed, hitting him in the neck.  I guess it was a pretty good blow, but I didn't want to hit him in the neck.  That seemed sort of like hitting below the belt. 
The boxing bout had nothing to do with animosity, but fun, mostly the boss' at our expense. 

Me the Roofer

The summer before I graduated form USU, 1980, I went to Salt Lake to work with my Dad. school, my dad hired me to help him with his roof.  He was remodeling his home in Salt Lake City, and I spent much of he summer with him, when I wasn't busy with work in Hyrum. 
I had never done anything like this, but my Dad showed me how to use the shingling hammer, and move the supports as I needed to. 

 My Dad put in that front window, but the first window was defective, so he and I had to exchange it and put in another window.  We also remodeled inside, enlarging the bathroom, and moving the kitchen to make another bedroom.

That is me way up there

Duckwater Round Dance

When I worked for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, I learned there was great power in the round dance.  The step is relatively easy, so this is a dance in which I participated.  But the power of the dance is in a large group forming hands and dancing.  One time I danced with the school children; and on another occasion the entire community participated in the dance.  The music and the step seem to increase feelings of camaraderie.  The times when I participated, everyone held hands and the circle was complete.  This video gives some idea of the music and the step.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT55U8q3kOE

Virginia Street Project

Halloween party, Ginny Cutler, ??, Nikki Chrisman, me

Mark, Jeremy, Charity and Natalia at the same party

Stockton Ave, where VSP use to be

in front of DTMHC Me, Ginny, Karen Wrinkle, Dr. K, Nikke, ??,Alexis Horozon, Kelly Laur, ??, Gary Goldberg, Art Lhowe

employee of the month VSP

VSP and board of supervisors (Ron Gonzalez, Rod Diridon, Mike Honda)

When I started working for Santa Clara County, I worked for Virginia Street Project, an intensive case management program.  The idea behind the program was to work intensively with mentally ill clients who had been in the hospital multiple times.  There was a reserch project comparing this project to other case management programs Community 'Companions and Downtown Mental Health.  The research provided evidence the intensive program kept people out of the hospital, and saved the county money in the long run.  However it was a very intensive project, with and average of 15 clients per worker. We had psych techs and occupational therapist, in addition clinicians and psychiatrist.

When I started with the county, we were located on Stockton Ave.  They had been on Virginia Street before this.  After about six months we moved to the Downtown Mental Health, as security was a problem.  It was a warehouse, with no rear exit. 

As a result we were given more and more cases.  The developer of the model visited with us, and was saddened that his model was almost non-existent.  Virginia Street Project was folded into Downtown Mental Health as part of a reorganization process. 

Our boss, who was very much invested in the project, passed away shortly before the program folded.  She had a relapse of cancer and didn't survive.  Kelly Laur and I sang at her funeral.

As a side note, Kelly signed for my hours when I got my clinical liscensure.  Nikke had been my supervisor, but as she passed away, was unable to sign.