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Show Focus Ripper Continued from Page 6 to take responsibility and felt good about helping out." basic The goodness of father was especially Rippers brought home to him when he and Dorothy were struggling financially in the early years of their marriage and his father would help out. "Wed , find a $100 bill tucked into a book or envelope," he relates. When I'd try to pay him back, hed tell me to pay my kids. ' And weve done that through ; the years of pur marriage with r our kids. The oldest is now 43. They're all independent, but .were there to, help when .. needed." The Rippers', oldest son is a computer expert in Garden Grove, Calif., the. second is a sales engineer in Phoenix, Ariz., and their daughter is a . . -- -- 1 , . T teacher .in kindergarten -- Emporia, Kan. The sons are not The daughter is .married to a college professor and has two girls. Dorothy ; was raised in a Catholic boarding school, and met Bcmie when she moved to Portland to live with the parof the school nuns. ents That family had a son who was one of Bemies best friends. Bemie and Dorothy met in May of 1945, had thdr first date on July 4, and were married on Oct. jnarried. of-o- ne -- 6. - . . . Ripper was kept out of the military by a punctured . eardrum. When he was a child a "quack doctor" punctured the eardrum to relieve pressure as a remedy for an earache, he explains. Although he had an operation in 1946, he said he still has 30 percent loss of hearing in his left ear. The mayor has tried a great variety of jobs. After working in the shipyards, he drove a then city bus in Portland, Coca-Cola a at worked as a "mixer" plant. He worked in a hardware store and for a furniture company before getting his , SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17, 1990 first job, that lasted.. He was a,, route supervisor for a linen supply company in Long Beach for seven years, then worked in the oil industry for another seven years, ending up as a plant manger and warehouse superintendent. During this time he took . night courses in oil field management and chemistry at Long Beach City College. The next few years saw the Rippers getting involved in risky mining ventures. In 1959 they participated in trying to set up a manganese mill in Death Valley. When the bottom fell out of that, they were enticed to become involved in a pilot plant to reprocess tailings from an old gold mill in Bullhead City. Bullhead f City was only a "wide spot on the road and there was no Laughlin," explains the mayor, but by the time Ripper realized he had been used by a promoter for the tailing project, his family had become settled and didnt want still working in Delta. Later he. became interested, and both" were active in the campaign to elect Don Fyfe to the county commission. "He was the first Democrat elected in quite a few years," notes Ripper. Ripper says he was especially disturbed about the close connection he' perceived between the LDS Church and local politics and its a primary reason he decided to run for the dty council in 1987. hard to win the he asserts. election," Dorothy "I worked . was in there helping, working I .had a great r.. feeling of support. I wanted to increase representation. My campaign was that I will listen. I am concerned. I stressed openness and that I will let people know whats going on. The mayor says his philosophy of life is based on "live and let live." "Let everyone do his thing as long as it doesn't even-harde- impose on someone else." Ripper claims he is basically and doesn't like easy-goin- g controversy. "Im easy-goin- in g cmnncun 7 most cases, but don't like to be walked on, he reveals. "I dislike controversy. I'll take the easy way around things, but there are times when you . can't. The mayor said he is concerned about apathy and wants more people to get involved. he "I'm not "I and will listen notes. try to find the best way to go to bring things about-- 1 don't want everybody to agree with me. If they do. I'm doing something all-knowin- g," wrong." cica 9-cy- de washer has America's largest usable capacity! EXCLUSIVE dual-actio- n agitator lint filter Self-cleani- $399.99 Was $439.99 (FE 28701) water control electric dryer EXCLUSIVE easy loader door Automatic shut-of- f at drying level you preset signal to move. "The kids wanted to stay, so we said we'd try," Ripper re- $319.46 Was $339 46 (FE 68701); Natural gas $359 46 Was $379 46 (FE 78701) End-of-cycle lates. "I dug ditches, washed dishes, and did anything that was available. People in the community were helpful and we ended up staying there 13 years. The family, had a hardware store and lumber yard for several years, but it was not until Ripper started working on the power plant that the family gained any financial security. "I made three times the money we made in the hardware store," Ripper explains. the completion' of the plants at Laughlin and Page, Ripper continued to. do temporary working on After maintenance work at the Page plant. In 1982 he transferred to the new plant in Delta and retired from that in 1986. Dorothy had gotten involved in politics, trying to help reactivate the Democratic Party in Kane County, while Bemie was r tt rr-y , a s. ft. Kenmore 1 Power Miser refrigerator Textured door 8-c- u. Adjustable rollers Dyna Wh ite shelves $269.99 $11 monthly (TV 40707) v ( - The KANAB new mayor is a 'junkie at heart.' He shows some of of computer equipment he recently bought for an irresistible price at a state auction. the tra!!er-fu- !l Twin ertspers Roomy door shelves $534.87 $ 1 5 monthly (KG 69831 ) $303.88 $12 monthly Was $353 (NV 15585) "On SearsCharge (or SaarsCharge PLUS credit plan available on most purchases totaling S699 99 or more). Monthly payments shown are from Sears Charge or SearsCharge PLUS With Deferred Payment purchase, Owe wiU be a finance charge for the deferral period Actual payments depend on existing account balance Shipping included to store Electric dryer requires cord Appliances are white, colors extra Items readily available as advertised. See store for warranty details. |
