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Show Page A6 Thursday, September 29, 1988 Park Record Judge Kilby rules in favpr of Park City's progress and growth by SENA TAYLOR Record staff writer The ground outside the door of the Summit County Services Building is scattered with white rice. Strange place to be showering newlyweds, you might say to yourself. But not really. Weddings happen occasionally in the building, where Justice of the Peace Larry Kilby works. "Marrying people is the most fun job I have," says Kilby, whose more common tasks are handling traffic violations and cases of criminal mischief, illegal possession posses-sion of alcohol and controlled substances, disorderly conduct etc. He also oversees a few animal control con-trol and small claims cases as judge of Park City's ''people's court." Kilby is one of about 170 Justices of the Peace in the state, and because they are all elected to office, of-fice, he says the job "is technically on loan to me." . JP courts make Judges available to the public for immediate court appearances to handle cases up to Gass B misdemeanors. They are courts of limited jurisdiction, and although they have the lowest level of jurisdiction, they have all the powers of their higher counterparts, counter-parts, according to Kilby. The office is somewhat new to Kilby, who has held it the past two years. But his father, James, was Park City's JP for 22 years before that, finally deciding to retire a couple of years ago. . The younger Kilby had little difficulty dif-ficulty coming into the job because it was so entrenched in his family. "I have known most of the JPs from around here, and my exposure ex-posure to the job goes back to the early days." A lot of other things besides the court are also entrenched in Kilby's family history, from Utah politics to the birth of the ski industry here. Kilby's roots in the Park City area stem from the late 1800s, when his grandfather, Chris Rasmussen, journeyed to Utah from Copenhagen, Denmark. His grandmother was from Norway, and the two met in Utah on pilgrimages to the state for the LDS Church. After marrying, they established a homestead in an area now across the interstate from Jeremy Ranch, in between the Hi Ute Ranch and Pinebrook. "At that time the Jeremy Ranch was huge," said Kilby, noting that it encompassed this end of Summit County to the Morgan County line, as well as Summit Park and Pinebrook. Kilby's grandfather made a deal to purchase 640 acres from Eaton Jeremy, the big landowner, and part of that area was the site of the Ecker Hill ski jump. Kilby is proud of his family's role as a promoter of the ski industry. "My grandfather Rasmussen always said that Park City reminded remind-ed him of the skiing in Norway, and he predicted in 1900 that it would someday be world-famous for skiing. ski-ing. Kilby said his grandfather "was a real supporter of sports," fixing , athletic shoes and equipment for high school students and helping to restaurant business in the 1920s, making meals for workers on the D & RG Railroad," said Kilby. It was called the Well Come Inn, and the Kilby family came to know a lot of people who regularly stopped to eat and chat. His parents continued the restaurant after his grandmother passed away. Kilby was born in heber City on March 30, 1948, a day many locals remember as "the big one" as far as snow storms go. "It was one of the biggest blizzards, so I always " say that until my birthday passes, spring hasn't arrived." He was born in Heber because that's where the doctor was, and his father told and ended ud graduating with one of the smallest classes ever, totalling totall-ing about 22 students. At that time there was a total of 192 students in the entire district, and only one bus was used to pick up students on the outskirts of town. In fact, Kilby.said just 12 out-of-towners used to get off the bus at the high school when he rode it. Kilby was a member of the football foot-ball team, and remembers the goal line at the top of the field was level with the cross bar of the goal post at the bottom of the field. So the big strategy at every game was to make sure the home team was the one running downhill during the fourth quarter of every game. - He also remembers that it was during his freshman year in high ' school that the town started its rebuilding effort. "I've seen the town change for the good, because it used to be that graduates had very few options," said Kilby. "Boys could go into, mining, which was the only employment here, they could go to college if they could afford to, or they could enter the military or leave town," said Kilby. "And if you were a girl, 'I've seen he town change for the good, because it used to be that graduates had very few options. Boys could go into mining, which was the only employment here, they could go to college if they could afford to, or they could enter the military or leave town. And if you were a girl, you could either continue your education; or stay in town and hope you married mar-ried someone who was working in town. But now parents know their children can stay if they desire.' Larry Kilby Justice of the Peace erect the scaffolding for one of the jumps near Ecker Hill. While he says "a lot of people deserve credit" for bringing the ski industry in-dustry to the state, "it was my grandfather's dream to see it evolve." The Kilby family was unable to hold on to the original 640 acres it bought from Jeremy, because his grandfather's health left him unable to work. But 240 acres remained re-mained in the family, and part of it became the site of a roadside cafe that became a familiar site to travelers between Summit County and Salt Lake City. "My grandmother started in the him he had to put chains on the tires of the car to get the expectant mother there. After Kilby was born, his parents built a ski lift behind their home on Kilby Road. But for three years-1948, 1950 and 1951-fate had it that it did not snow, so the lift was sold to the owners of Timp Haven, or what it now known as Sundance, and it was the first lift there. As Kilby was growing up, he attended at-tended the Marsac School until seventh and eighth grades, when he went to Cosgriff, a Salt Lake City parochial school. But for high school he returned to Park City, r - J' 1 l " ' Ti Larry Kilby took oyer the helm of Park City's Justice of the Peace after his lather's 22-year stint at the job. vou could either continue your education, or staytn town and hope you married some me who was working in town. Ait now parents know their childre i can stay if they desire." i " ' Kilby said when le was a kid, "I'd say, 'I'm froir Park City, , Utah,' and people ould ask back, Where is Park CitJ, Utah? Then I'd tell them it wasby Salt Lake City. Ci-ty. Now people froa Salt Lake City say it's by Park Cittl" ..... . VIIL.. Atil All in aii, lUiDy uinns uie changes have been food because the town has stayedalive. "Hindsight "Hind-sight is always 20-20;" he says, "but the people whowooed the mining min-ing company to doinj; this ski resort thing were dejperate to save their town and their obs so that people could live hen. They were excited about the recognition but they didn't know whdt they had gotten got-ten started," Kilby says an unusial trait about Park City is its'mag(cal attraction." attrac-tion." He says, "It alyays appears that people here feud and fight amongst themselves tintil they have a common goal, put then they can rise to the occasion unlike any other people I have ever met." After Kilby graduated from high school he attended theUniversity of Utah, and tried out tor the football foot-ball team. But the coach wouldn't . let him on because plajers had to agree not to ski, and h had already purchased his season pass. That first fall quarter he said he was kind of a nobody at the university, univer-sity, but when ski seasoi started, and he became an instructor, bis college peers began to recognize him for his skiing talenti. "Pretty soon my ski instructor's jacket became more prestigious than any letter jacket on campus," he said, because skiing in Utah was really starting to take hold. Kilby went into the military shortly thereafter, and upon returning return-ing married Kathleen Murnin, also a longtime Parkite. The two have three children: Karen, 15, and twins Lisa and Keith, wh are 14. Noting that they are little over a year apart in age, Kilby said "the kids kept us busy for a while, and they still do now that they're all teenagers." i Kilby looks back to the past as fondly as he looks into the future. "My daughter, Karen, wiB graduate in 1991, and that will be 50 years after my mother graduated from Park City High School, too," he says. i It wouldn't be surprising if Kilbys were still graduating from Park High 50 years from now. r (fa? CRitoxx, SH(8Q G0DD QEK5 QxsGfiffl (M)crj0Q3Xi GREAT AFFORDABLE FAMILY HOME This 3 bedroom. 1.75 bath. 1900 sq. ft. home located on a quiet cul-de-sac has a huge fully fenced yard and outdoor hot tub. Stone fireplace in family room, a fireplace in the living room, and wood burning stove in master bedroom. While you are warm and toasty inside, others will be noticing the newly stained exterior of the home. The price of $ 1 1 7.500 makes this a great buy! Dawn Hodge 649-5474 less Reid 649-9037 tf lift .Up. -..'is 4 i fu i IK II .. I ' " f 'Hp FOR THOSE WHO WANT IT ALL! Scenic wooded setting, great views, walk to ski lifts. Hot tub in glass solarium, swimming pool, woodburning fireplace and much, much more in this freshly remodeled 4 bedroom condo in upper Deer Valley. Come see this beauty. $339,000. Call Today! lerry Obert 649-6684 START YOUR DAY RIGHT1 Comfortable two bedroom plus loft, two bath. 1 1 20 sq. ft. condo with views of ski runs and scenic mountains. This property Is next to a pond complete with ducks, present owners have replaced and upgraded many items throughout this unit Including linoleum, carpeting, wallpaper, vertical levelor blinds and more. Unfurnished price is $54,000. Dawn Hodge 649-5474 JESS REID VheAL ESTATE Park City, UT. 84060 1910 Prospector Avenue 649-3000 Or at bur office location at The Resort Center E EXTREME AZARD A high fire hazard exists throughout the Park City Fire District. In the wildland subdivision areas, such as Summit Park, Timberline and parts of Hidden Cove and Pinebrook, an EXTREME FIRE HAZARD now exists due to the low moisture content in trees and vegetation. Residents throughout the district can help reduce their fire risk by adhering to the following recommendations: 1 . Establish a vegetation free fire break around your house or property by removing any all dead or dry weeds, brush or trees that would contribute to fire spread. 2. Remove dead or dry tree branches from lower portions of trees 8' to 10' above ground level. 3. Remove tree branches that overhang any portion of your house. i 4. Maintain spark arresters on all chimney and stovepipe flues, openings cannot be larger than 12" and must be constructed of iron, steel or heavy wire mesh. , ; 5. Maintain a minimum 20' clearance between your chimney or stovepipe flue and any vegetation of trees. 6. It is strongly recommended fireplace woodstove use be . limited or, stopped completely while the extreme hazard Is in , effect. ! This extreme condition will be in effect until further notice and additional restrictions may be imposed if the dry weather continues. For further information you may contact the Park City Fire District at 649-6942 |