OCR Text |
Show V' ' i mm n - - -,, ..,, nn,,,,,,!, . . ' m i 1 Vernal Express Wednesday, July 23, 2008 B11 ill : n i j : i I i J i . , : ' - ! I - " ' i ' . '. i Ju, " , ! 1 " 1 : v - i ' -r ... . 4 I ' . - , . J " J-A , i L - X : , . y.. i , Nurse Kathryn Kidd is helping patient Kyson Powell return to his room after X-rays were taken. Kidd is an LPN and is working on her RN degree with the help of the hospital's scholarship program. Hospital nursing staff staffed by Kevin Askby Express Publisher There are no nursing job. openings at Ashley Regional and administrators want to keep it that way. "We have recruiters representing repre-senting nurses looking for jobs calling us all the time and we tell them that we do not have any openings," explained Mark Holyoak, Chief Clinical Officer. . "The recruiters are very surprised sur-prised that we aren't experience the severe nursing shortage seen nationwide. In fact we tell them that we raise our own and it is working out very well." Holyoak described the working work-ing environment at the hospital where nurses are treated fairly, the working environment is good and nurses get to work in a small town facility where they Wall named grand marshal for Vernal Pioneer Day parade Duane Wall of Vernal has been given the honor of serving as grand marshal for this year's 24th of July Pioneer Day parade. Duane was born July 24, 1927 in Dry Fork to Henry Wilford Wall and Alice Adams. He is the oldest of seven children, chil-dren, and attended Alterra High School, where he ran track and played basketball. He often tells of all the shots he made from center court. His father would often say, "I have a son about the size of a telephone wire, but not quite so heavy set", and "When he wants to shade himself he lays under a barbwire fence". Duane was known for his thin, 6-foot 6-inch 6-inch stature, or as he says "5-foot , 18." He graduated from Alterra High in 1946. He attempted to enlist in the Army during World War II, but was rejected because of his height. After marrying Valenna Rae Gardiner in 1950 however, he was drafted and sent to Korea from 1952 to 1954. He filled the position of a U.S. Army motor pool sergeant while a corporal, and was well known for his meticulous me-ticulous care of equipment in his unit. The unit often called for volunteers vol-unteers to make ammunition and supply runs to the front line miles forward, and Duane was popular as a driver for those runs, as he always made it back safely. He was known for his ingenious recovery re-covery of damaged vehicles, once driving a deuce and a half truck several miles after its gas tank had been destroyed. After receiving receiv-ing his orders to come home, he was promoted to sergeant, but told his commanding officer to keep the stripes, "They don't look good on civilian clothes." He and his wife Valenna adopted their daughter Anita while serving in Fort Duchesne on one of the several missions Duane has completed for the LDS church. He always wanted a big family, and in 1973 after his wife Valenna died, he married Vudrus Burghardt. With the marriage, he immediately had six more children, and the family has now grown to 28 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren. Duane and Vadrus have served several LDS Missions, the last in Vladivostok, Russia. Although Duune was 73 years old when thoy left, they were very successful, and as the mission president noted, 16 converts had been taught lessons or attended know and feel responsible for the patients. "With all this they don't want to go anywhere else," said Holyoak. Currently 105 nurses are employed at the hospital. "There was a time that we recruited nurses from outside the area, but now we are happy to find people who want to live here and then train them," said Holyoak. "In fact, when we find the right person we will offer scholarships to help with the schooling. And once we get these people working at the hospital, they usually stay." Ashley Regional usually budgets bud-gets $36,000 a year for scholarships, scholar-ships, but this year they will spend over $72,000 as scholarship scholar-ship funds will be spent on three current RN's with bachelor's degrees who will go on and get H V , home evening in their apartment. apart-ment. They still correspond with those members in Russia. He once, worked building a jail in Colorado with his friends Kermit Harrison and Ferris Gardiner, Gar-diner, and was made a supervisor while working on the Flaming Gorge Dam. He went into oilfield work, rough necking, driving truck, and doing service work, including working for Dresser Magcobar as a supervisor covering cover-ing seven states for almost 18 years. He is well known in the valley val-ley for his inventive electrical, carpentry, plumbing, and mechanic me-chanic skills, and most recently for building storage sheds for Turner Lumber. He is known for helping people all over the basin with household projects, and has built numerous quilt stands for women in the area, as well as scores of simple household stools, lockers for young men and many furniture projects. His construction construc-tion of pre-fabricated mud houses while at Magcobar became an industry standard. He stays in contact with his first wife's sisters, Billie, Sharon and Rita, and is known for his playful flirtation with all the ladies. About this time of year, he tells all he meets "The whole state of Utah celebrates my birthday. They even have a parade for me". Thisyear the Pioneer Day Parade honors Duane Weill of Vernal, who on the 24th of July will celebrate his 81st birthday, and as he also often says, "Every day is a good day!" l.m. V- V Pa 4 ' V I ' r . t. I' Cv w f I ' Work! 'xprsss 64 North VornnI Aueiuie Vernal, Utflh .435-7B9-3511 www.vernal.com their master's. "We want R"Ns who can teach and that is why we are helping them get their master's degree," said Holyoak. The nursing program will be helped with the building of the new UBATCUSU classroom building presently under construction con-struction in Vernal. One half of the second floor will be dedicated to the nursing program with a lab, simulators, patient beds and classrooms. &tm ill ii mimm miiii imi f t vera" Beech selected to serve Hatch in Washington, D.C. Cameron M. Beech of Vernal was selected to be an intern this summer in the office of Senator Orrin G. Hatch in Washington, D.C. The opportunity was made possible through the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University Uni-versity of Utah, where Beech is studying political science and sociology. "The faculty at the Hinckley Institute asked me to serve the senator this summer as an intern," Beech says. "Theintern-ship "Theintern-ship began in May and will end in August, a whirlwind experience." experi-ence." Through his work in the senator's office, beech has had the chance to interact with constituents. con-stituents. It has broadened his perspective on national politics and placed him in the heart of the Washington political scene in the heat of a presidential election. "I was really excited to be selected for an internship with Senator Hatch," Beech said. "I've studied politics through my college career, and it made sense to work for Utah's senior senator and apply the things that I have learned in the classroom." Each semester, Hatch selects interns from Utah from the dozens of students who apply for the office's few openings. Schools recommend a group of applicants to the internship program based on their grade point average, extra-curricular activities and other accomplishments, accomplish-ments, then Hatch makes the final cut. Students may also apply on their own using Hatch's Web site: hatch.senate.gov. (Click on "Teachers and Students," then "Internships.") "Cameron is a welcome member mem-ber of my D.C. team," Hatch said. "Interns can bring an enthusiasm en-thusiasm and energy to the work in our nation's capital that is a real asset to my responsibilities for Utahns. They help keep my i n rp o n n P r7 M h u h ( s r, i in it ii ili) p ai ""'IWBJMtriMD office running smoothly, and they learn a lot along the way that will help them in college and in their future careers." "Most of my responsibility requires doing judicial research for the senator," explains Beech, a lifelong follower of politics. "But, I also conduct capitol tours for constituents." At the University of Utah, Beech maintains a 3.92 GPA and is Honors student. In his studies, he places a particular emphasis on national politics and international interna-tional relations. Beech believes it is important to be informed and involved in the political process. He plans on attending law school after graduation. A graduate of Uintah High :V ... ;t I . : ; . fi v r - t t ; 1 , M I r, i it K "J - i , ! . . -. . - i ! (. . . ,-: t Cameron Beech in Washington, 1-: V .... I n School in 2005, Beech's political vocation started early as student body president and Utah DECA president. He attributes much of his political interest to the time he spent at Uintah HS and too, to his grandfather who always encouraged him to be politically informed. "The opportunity to live in Washington, D.C, and work for Senator Hatch has given me a clearer perspective on the federal government," Beech said. "I'm sure that my experiences here will help me through the rest of my college education and later in my career." Cameron is the son of Mike and Donna Beech and the grandson grand-son of Dave and Linda Jolley. D.C. Bis |