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Show Celebrate Anniversary I I I I K J U"- J ? '4' ... . - - i f ' " - ' , ' . .A ' ' , h Mr. and Mrs. George W. Worthen Feted Here Wednesday On 56th Wedding Anniversary Team mates for 56 years is the record held by Mr. and Mrs. George W. Worthen who were feted on their wedding anniversary anniver-sary Wednesday,- May 14. Mr. and Mrs. Worthen prepared and served a family dinner at their home at noon, and were honored at the home of their son, counselor Vernon Vern-on Worthen, of the St. George stake presidency, Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m. Many relatives and friends called during these hours to wish them many more years of connubial happiness. Mr. Worthen was born in Salt Lake City, January 10, 1860, a son of Samuel and Sarah Hallam Worthen. Wor-then. All men members of his family including his father, were masons and he learned this trade from his older brothers. As a young boy he worked on the L.D.S. Temple construction in St. George, on the Manti Temple, and later contributed much labor on the Dixie college gym, where he was permitted to lay the first and last rocks of the foundation, the first brick of the outer walls and the first and last adobes of the inner walls. Pie has also worked on many of the older homes. When 15 years old he worked for one month at the adobe yard in St. George at $1.00 per day in Canaan scrip which was worth 30 cents on the dollar. His family was also musically inclined and was prominent both in vocal and instrumental music. He became a member of the St. George martial band when just a boy and for the past dozen years he has kept this organization active, ac-tive, training new members each year for the patriotic events at which they are always found. He has also been active in church affairs, serving as a Sunday school teacher for more than 50 years, as an ordained stake patriarch since 1920, and has long been known as a minute-man in visiting visit-ing the sick and afflicted. Mrs. Worthen was born August 26, 1865. in St. George, a daughter of Orin N. and Ann Cannon Woodbury. Wood-bury. At the age of 15 she had her first year of school teaching experience, earning $12.00 per month and board her first year at Gunlock, then 15.00 per month the next two years at Mountain Meadows, and $25.00 the succeeding succeed-ing year at Pine Valley, teaching all the grades, and with an enrollment enroll-ment of 40 children, some nearly as old as herself. She seemed to have a natural ability at honey gathering and for more than 20 years cared for bees and extracted honey. From her, their son Vernon learned this work and now owns more than 100 hives of bees. Active also in church affairs, Mrs. Worthen served as relief society secretary for 21 years in her ward from 1904 to 1925, and has also worked in the childrens' primary and was for six years a stake genealogy leader. Gifted with her pen, Mrs. Worthen Wor-then has written many interesting sketches of pioneer industries, an article on the silk and cotton production pro-duction and manufacturing in Dixie being noted by J. P. Spencer, American Industrialist in China, who wrote her for additional information in-formation and on receipt of same in 1933 sent her a Christmas gift of an elaborately hand embroidered embroi-dered linen luncheon set which she still prizes among her personal treasures. When the news reporter called on Mr. and Mrs. Worthen last Thursday they were busily at work canning asparagus from their own lot. Though he is now 81 and she is 76 they do all of their own work and can all their yearly supply of fruits and vegetables. vege-tables. They always raise vegetables vege-tables and along with spending much time at the St. George Temple, are busy with their garden gar-den and with personal hobbies. Their home possesses many pieces of fine lace, the work of Mrs. Worthen, who has made many gifts of handwork to their children, chil-dren, all nine of whom are living and rearing their own families, and most of whom were with them for their celebration, Wednesday. |