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118 Badges

Jon Ogao completed all 118 merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America. He earned his Eagle Award at 14 and has received both his On My Honor and Duty to God awards. When asked how he managed to earn so many badges, he said he did it by setting goals and achieving them.

Jon is a member of the Parkland Ward, Puyallup Washington South Stake. He has served as president of his deacons and teachers quorums and as assistant to the president of his priests quorum.

Brothers Excel

The Garner brothers of Rupert, Idaho, have excelled in several areas the past year.

Ben Garner, 12, was named Grand Award winner in the state for all age divisions for the Keep Idaho Green poster contest. He was presented a plaque for his poster, which used an original slogan. In addition, he received the only certificate awarded for excellence in painting.

Matt Garner, 14, took first place in the state in his division for his essay on “What Our Country’s Flag Means to Me.” Matt also received his Eagle badge and took third place in his weight division in wrestling in the district tournament. Matt had been the piano accompanist for his school choirs and was named the best overall choir member. Shortly after receiving these awards, Matt was killed in a tragic accident when he was hit while riding his bicycle.

East Meets West

Stephanie Bahlmann of Spokane, Washington, had the opportunity to study in Japan for 5 1/2 weeks. She was one of two high school students selected by the Sister City Committee in Spokane to go to Nishinomiya on a student exchange scholarship. She lived with a Japanese family and attended school. Her hosts’ daughter came to live with the Bahlmanns following Stephanie’s visit.

Stephanie is a senior and active in her school’s Girls’ Federation, Spanish Club, and Junior Achievers. She attended early-morning seminary and is the Laurel president in the Spokane First Ward, Spokane Washington Stake.

Montana Miss

Darla Webster of the Billings Second Ward, Billings Montana East Stake is active in her school, ward, and community. Darla is on the stake youth advisory council and is first counselor in her Laurel class.

Darla is a student-body officer in her high school and serves on the teen board for a local department store. She also was named as Miss Montana Teen All-American.

Fleet of Foot

Michael Scott, 14, is fast for his age. In fact, he is one of the ten fastest boys his age in the 3,000-meter run in the world.

Michael has accumulated an impressive string of first-place finishes. After winning first place in the 3,000-meter run in the California Junior Olympics and at the West Coast Relays, he entered the Oregon Internationals held at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Six countries participated. With over 50 young men in Michael’s age group, he placed tenth with a time of 10:03. His new goal is to improve his time so he can qualify for the 1988 Olympics.

Michael is a teacher in the Selma Ward, Hanford California Stake.

All-Around Talent

Stacie Barraclough of Riverton, Wyoming, has participated on three top state teams for her high school. Riverton High School took the state triple crown in volleyball, basketball, and track. Stacie was on all three teams.

Stacie was voted as an All-American hurdler. She set new state individual or team records for the four running events she was allowed to enter.

But Stacie’s talents do not end in sports. She is a student-body officer. She plays the piano and sings with a specialty singing group. As a student, she ranks in the top 2 percent of her class and is a member of the National Honor Society. She enjoys art and serving on the yearbook staff.

Stacie has been president of both her Beehive and Mia Maid classes and attends early-morning seminary.

State Champ

Tod Workman of Eagar, Arizona, has many achievements in sports to his credit. In wrestling he was Arizona state champion for his three years of high school. He was selected as outstanding wrestler at state for two years and was picked as outstanding wrestler by his team twice. In his state wrestling competitions, he set several state records and placed second and third on several more. Tod also holds all the wrestling records at his school except quickest pin, although he was close with one in 11 seconds.

Tod enjoyed working in school government as student-body president. He was voted outstanding senior boy and student of the year.

Tod has been active in Scouting and in his ward. He is an Eagle Scout, has served as deacons and teachers quorum president, and was first assistant to the president of his priests quorum. He is presently serving a mission in Argentina.

Outstanding Students

Five students from the Jacksonville and Little Rock Arkansas stakes have been selected to participate in the Fifth Annual Arkansas Governor’s School for the Gifted and Talented.

Carleton Wing and Tim Whitney from the North Little Rock Ward are attending the school in drama and social sciences respectively. Eric Sharp of the Conway Ward and David Johns of the Magnolia Ward are both in mathematics, and Marsha Kulbeth of the Monticello Branch is in choral music. Selection is based on test scores, teachers’ recommendations, grades, personal accomplishments, and exceptional aptitude in one area of study.

The school lasts for 4 1/2 weeks with two class periods each day in one area of study.

Dads Wanted

Big “wanted” posters were used as invitations for a super evening activity for the Young Women of the Hyrum Utah Stake and their dads. The event, which by request will be an annual event, was set to a western theme with over 350 in attendance.

A dinner of Navajo tacos and all the toppings was served. Then after a short program, the chairs and tables were shoved aside and the dancing began. Everyone had a great time learning to square dance and picking up a little bit of the western swing.

The girls were excited to have their fathers as escorts, and the evening was termed a great success with comments like, “This evening has been fabulous. I’ve never had such a good time.”

Book Review

I Can’t Stop Smiling
(Parliament Press $5.95)
Love Poems by Carol Lynn Pearson

Well-known poet Carol Lynn Pearson captures thoughts and feelings about being in love—delightful, thrilling, wonderful, baffling, intense, poignant, painful, and all sensations of this enchanted state.

Lower Tuition

Tuition at Ricks College will be reduced by 20 percent beginning the fall of 1985. The new tuition is $550 per semester. Previously, tuition of $685 per semester had been approved for the 1985–86 school year.

“This decision by our Board of Trustees will save our students and their families almost $300 annually,” said Bruce C. Hafen, president of Ricks College.

According to Henry B. Eyring, Commissioner of Education, the decision to lower tuition is consistent with the mission of Ricks College. “One of the important roles Ricks plays is to offer educational opportunities to those with special financial or academic needs, in addition to its traditionally strong academic role.”

The change makes tuition at Ricks about 75 percent of the tuition at its sister institution, Brigham Young University. “The new ratio between tuitions at Ricks and BYU is more consistent with the typical ratio between two-year and four-year colleges across the country,” said President Hafen.

Girl Guide

Jennifer Arbuthnot, a 13-year-old Beehive in the Calgary Fourth Ward, Calgary Alberta Stake, has earned her Canada Cord, the highest achievement which can be reached in Canadian Girl Guides. It is the equivalent of the Canadian Chief Scout Award or the Eagle badge.

The Canada Cord involves completing at least 30 challenges and activities in each of five areas: camping, community, home, outdoors, and world.

Lightning Survivor

Collin Davis, a teacher in the Midvale First Ward, Midvale Utah Stake, is one of few people who can say they have survived a direct lightning strike. The experience taught Collin a great lesson in treasuring life and strengthened his faith that his Heavenly Father watches over him. Here is part of Collin’s story in his own words:

“I had gone over to Midvale Middle School to help coach a Little League football team. The evening was wet, rainy with thunder and lightning. I was on the field surrounded by 15 anxious little football players, going through the normal drills. We had been out there for approximately 20 minutes, and I was soaking wet from top to bottom.

“Without warning, a light flashed and cracked over my head. The sound was terrifying, and the force threw the boys to the ground. A lightning bolt struck me on the back of my head, traveled down the middle of my back and down my right leg and foot. The boys said I lit up like an electric man, that even my eyes glowed. It left a burn down my back. My baseball hat and my clothes were torn off me, and ashes remained where they had been burned.

“My best friend, John, said he kept telling me to ‘roll over and cry, roll over and cry,’ but I did not respond. A man on the field turned me over and stated that I was dead. I had no heartbeat or pulse, and I was not breathing. Immediately a coach began CPR on me and with the help of others continued to work until the paramedics arrived. They shocked my heart to get it to beat normally. Then they put me on life support systems and took me to the hospital.”

Collin recovered more quickly than anyone expected, although he experienced tremendous pain. At first he couldn’t walk, but now he is walking and doing some jogging. He had played football and run track in school and hopes to be able to participate in sports again.

Collin says he learned some things from the experience. He said, “I learned you can’t choose when you die. It might be today, tomorrow, next week, or in years. You can’t put things off until tomorrow, but do all you can do today. It also taught me or at least left no doubt in my mind that God really does watch over us.”

All-Around Cowboy

Steven Sherwood of the Snowflake Second Ward, Snowflake Arizona Stake, received the All-Around trophy, a hand-tooled saddle, for winning in three divisions—team roping, calf roping, and ribbon roping—in the Arizona Junior Rodeo.

Steve is now serving a mission in the San Jose California Mission, Spanish-speaking.

Police Explorer

by Casey Null

Sharon Dangl, 16, of Huntington Beach, California, has always been interested in police work. One day her mother walked into the local police station to report a stolen wallet and walked out with an application for the Police Explorers, which she promptly gave to Sharon.

After passing the rigorous requirements and an oral review, Sharon attended the Police Academy at Camp Pendleton, California. She was trained to search for clues and has assisted police teams working on major crimes in her area. She feels that her experience with the Police Explorers has helped her consider what kind of career she would like to pursue in the future.

Sharon is a member of the Huntington Beach Sixth Ward, Huntington Beach California North Stake.

Likes to Run

Elena Gee, a member of the Potomac Ward, Washington D.C. Stake, will be a participant as a member of the United States team in the World Deaf Olympics to be held in Los Angeles the summer of 1985. Elena, a senior at the Maryland School for the Deaf, won a silver medal in the 800-meter run at the World Deaf Olympic Trials in Austin, Texas, qualifying her for the United States team.

Elena serves as Laurel class secretary and plays on the ward basketball team, which has taken the biregional championship two years in a row.

Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.

—William Makepeace Thackeray

Ben Garner; Matt Garner