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“Common-looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.”

—Abraham Lincoln

Catching the Vision

The Young Women of the Indianapolis Indiana North Stake were encouraged to “catch the vision” at a special Young Women’s conference. The two-day conference included special workshops on self-improvement and gospel subjects, sports activities, a service project with underprivileged children, a banquet and dance, and testimony meetings.

Using the rainbow and a beaming sun as a motif for the conference, girls incorporated the design in their crafts as reminders of the conference message. Through special speakers and testimonies of the participants, the girls were encouraged to “shine” in their world.

“We grew closer together as a stake and not just as individual wards,” said Tomi Read of the Indianapolis Fourth Ward.

Pageant Schedule

Pageants are popular presentations at historical Mormon sites, particularly in the summer. The following is a list of pageants, their dates, and locations:

“Families Are Forever,” June 17–19 at the Independence Missouri Visitors’ Center.

“And It Came to Pass,” July 20–24, 27–31 at Temple Hill in Oakland, California.

“Mormon Miracle,” July 8–10, 13–17 on Temple Hill in Manti, Utah.

“America’s Witness for Christ,” July 23–24, 27–31 at Hill Cumorah, Palmyra, New York.

“City of Joseph,” August 10–14 near the Visitors’ Center in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Receives Photography Award

Dallas Howard represented Utah in the National Junior Miss Pageant where she won the national Kodak Award for a pictorial essay. Her photographs were of three pairs of hands: infant, grown, and elderly. Her poem that accompanied the photos was based on a verse from Ecclesiastes.

Dallas is a member of the Orem 55th Ward, Orem Utah Stake.

This is her poem:

It impresses me that

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl. 3:1).

A time of beginning—new, grasping, innocent, growing, me, mine, tender, small, possessive—Sunrise.

A time of reaching—expanding, sharing adventure, two, love, ours, vigor, becoming, serving, plans, time—Noonday.

A time of fulfilling—resting, experience, memories, knowing, peace, character, wise, harvest, one, but not alone—Sunset.

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9).

Preserving Family History in Song

by James Wright

While attending Brigham Young University, I had a dream that grandpa had died and I had not recorded his life story on tape. I couldn’t sit still until I had arranged to go to San Francisco and record all those stories he had told my brothers and sisters.

Ever since we were kids, I remember visiting grandpa on the weekends and listening to the stories he would tell about life in the old days and about all our relatives whom we had never met.

It was the last week of April that I finally made it to see grandpa. I remember the day well. It was then, for the first time, that I started to take grandpa’s stories seriously.

He started out by saying that he was born in Lockport, Illinois, and that his father and grandfather were both from Lockport. Great-great-grandfather was a volunteer in the Civil War. I was fascinated by the stories and was glad they were finally being preserved.

I walked away from grandpa’s apartment that day feeling I had met the real Edward Lewis Wright. He had worked hard, lived hard, and played hard. He had managed to support a wife and raise six children while working in the steel mills. As I drove back to Provo to begin a new semester at BYU, I had plenty of time to think about my interview with grandpa. Having worked as a sound engineer, I decided I would process the tape. That is, I would run it through the compressor and the equalizer to take out all the background noises. I thought I would then make copies of the interview and send one to each member of the family.

It was while I was equalizing the tape that the idea for the song came. It didn’t take long before I was doodling with my pen, playing with words and phrases, slowly putting the ideas into a poem. I wrote the words first, and then the melody came. The song was titled, “Like a Man.”

I remember playing the song to grandpa. I put his voice at the beginning and then the music faded in as his voice faded out. When dad heard it, he proclaimed it the family song, and it has remained such. I made copies of the song for most of the relatives, and everybody got a good taste of their own history.

I am now working on a whole series of songs about my family and its history. I guess the reason I wrote the song is to give, in some small way, a fitting tribute to my grandfather. I love him and am grateful he has shared his life with me. I hope I have managed to preserve his story for my future children and grandchildren.

Musicians Share Talent

As sisters, Dana and Julie Ballard share common interests and talents. They are both accomplished musicians. Dana not only plays the piano herself, she teaches lessons to beginners. She plays in recitals and plays for Church functions as well as acting as chorister or organist for several auxiliaries. At school she is in two school bands, playing the clarinet and the saxophone.

Julie also plays the piano and performs. She serves as the organist in church meetings and won the right to compete in the Canadian Music Competition.

Both girls have received only the highest marks (first class honors) for each grade exam they have taken for piano. Both are active in their ward and in seminary. They belong to the Maple Ridge Branch, Vancouver British Columbia Stake.

A Warm Welcome

The Laurel class of the Pocatello 11th Ward, Pocatello Idaho Stake, gives a warm welcome to new members of their ward. They greet them with a loaf of freshly baked bread. This act of service helps the new members get to know a few more members of the ward more quickly.

Pedal Power

The Hacienda Heights California Stake wanted an activity that would appeal to a large group of youth and would be a chance to activate both boys and girls. They chose to sponsor a bicycle motocross race.

A suitable location was found with a track consisting of jumps, sharp turns, and plenty of dirt. Under the direction of Rhett Smith, many young men spent two days getting the track prepared.

Eighty-nine youth showed up to race in age groups ranging from seven and under, eight to nine, ten to eleven, twelve to thirteen, and fourteen and over. Trophies were given in each category. Each rider had to race three times over the track during the course of the day, with those who came in first, second, and third places receiving points. Even though only the high-point winners took home the trophies, the event was termed a success because of the enthusiasm of the participants.

She’s a Star

Tresa Spaulding has a lot of people looking up to her. At 6 foot 7 inches she holds down the center position on her high school girls basketball team. Last year she led her team to both district and state championships. Besides basketball, she excels in volleyball and in swimming as well.

Tresa, 17, belongs to the Meridian 14th Ward, Meridian Idaho Stake. Besides her activity in high school sports, Tresa maintains nearly straight A grades. She is active in seminary and in her ward activities.

Quite a Businessman

Daniel L. Oscarson, of the Third Ward, St. Louis Missouri Stake, has taken second-place honors in the national DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) competition. Judging is based on a hypothetical business. Competitors must indicate how they would solve various problems presented to them. Each entrant is judged on his extemporaneous response. Daniel also placed fourth on the national level the preceding year.

Speaking Out

Two Denver, Colorado, Scouts captured first and second places in the annual regional speech contest sponsored by the Reader’s Digest and Boy Scouts of America. Guy Ferrell, Littleton Second Ward, Littleton Colorado Stake, placed first in the Explorer division. David Nanto, of the Arvada Fourth Ward, Arvada Colorado Stake, won second place in the Scouting division.

A Friend Dies

Lucile C. Reading, managing editor of the Friend magazine, died unexpectedly at her home in Centerville, Utah, on March 22, 1982.

Sister Reading loved young people and showed her love through service. She always wanted them to have the best in literature and often said that authors had to be smarter to write for children than for adults. She shared her wide knowledge of children’s literature with aspiring authors at writers’ conferences and with Church groups. Her influence in managing the Friend has helped create exciting reading for young Church members.

Many people in and out of the Church have been influenced by her compassion and unstudied wisdom. Most New Era readers grew up under her influence. She was associated with the Children’s Friend from 1963 to 1971 as a member of the General Primary Presidency. She was chosen as the managing editor of the Friend when it began in 1971 and served in this capacity until her death.

Also active in community affairs, she was at the time of her death President of the Davis County Board of Education, serving one of the largest school districts in the U.S. “Lucile was an unbelievable combination of courage and grace, delicacy and strength, vision and pragmatism,” said Brian K. Kelly, managing editor of the New Era. “She was a good friend to those who knew her and to millions more who were touched by her good works.”

Four New Temples

Plans to build temples in Boise Idaho; Denver, Colorado; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Taipei, Taiwan, were announced recently by the First Presidency. When completed, the new temples will bring to 41 the number of temples operating worldwide.

The proposed completion of all four temples will be the end of 1983 or the beginning of 1984. The Boise and Denver temples will be the 16th and 17th in the United States. The Ecuador temple will be the seventh in Latin America, and the Taiwan temple will be the fourth in Asia.

Getting to Know Older Ward Members

The Young Women of the Presto Ward, Firth Idaho Stake, found a great way to spend their free time. They organized a special project to get to know the older members of their ward.

The girls were paired up and assigned to visit two homes where older members reside, and to help the people prepare their oral histories. Appointments were made, special treats baked, and tape recorders warmed up. After the visits were made, the tapes containing the oral histories were presented to the persons interviewed. The information from the tapes was summarized for compiling into one general history.

In searching for an inventive way to present this fund of information to other members of the ward, the girls decided to write a newspaper. The paper was prepared with articles on sports, weather, schools, and entertainment from the lives of those they had interviewed. Bits and pieces of all the elderly ward members’ histories were included. As a climax to the project, the girls hosted their new friends at a special dinner.

In the Event

While you have a little extra time this summer, work with your parents to help your family become prepared for emergencies. An emergency could be as small as having the power go off, or as major as a fire or earthquake. Just a little advanced planning, including teaching everyone in the family what to do, can help save lives and avoid panic.

• Select a meeting place near your home where everyone should meet if your family has to leave your home. It can be a large tree, a street lamp, or the mailbox. If there is a fire, everyone will know where to go to be accounted for.

• Go into each room of the house and plan the escape route. Help younger brothers and sisters act out what they should do in case of a fire.

• Have dad or an adult show the family where to turn off the gas, electricity, and water. Arrange to have the proper tool for the job placed permanently near the valves. Then assign the responsibility of turning off each utility to a member of the family.

• Put all valuable papers in a single spot, such as in a single drawer or file, so they can be grabbed easily.

• Plan a meeting place near the school where children are to meet and wait to be picked up in case of an emergency.

• Make sure younger children have memorized the phone number of their parents’ work or that of a close relative or friend where they can call if necessary.

• To prepare for a power failure, place candles, matches, and a flashlight and batteries where they can be found in the dark. When a power failure occurs, turn off the furnace and unplug delicate appliances such as the television. A sudden or uneven surge when power is restored can damage these items.

This type of preparation for an emergency is relatively simple. Don’t wait for someone else to take the lead. Make emergency planning one of your summer projects.

Dana; Julie

Guy Ferrell; David Nanto