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Show Wednesday, January 30, 1991 ProvoOrem Chamber of Commerce Orem-Geneva Times Page 21 53 Orem Chamber Presidents Forged By Clyde E. Weeks A lot of history is packed into pram's past 71 years, since the town was incorporated back in 3.919. Much of this history is re- ated to the activities of the Prem Chamber of Commerce pnd its predecessor, the Provo Bench Commercial Club. Prior to the incorporation of he Town of Orem, fruit growers !bn the Bench, organized the Provo Bench Commercial Club with Britt Woodward as president presi-dent and Oscar H. Anderson as ecretary. In those days the tores and fruit stands in Orem ould be numbered on the fingers f one hand, but that didn't stop hose early day businessmen rom getting together and working work-ing for a common interest. PRESIDENT ANDERSON Ten years after Orem became 4 town, the Orem Chamber of Commerce was organized, and Oscar H. Anderson became its president for two years. Anderson Ander-son established Orem's first real estate office: Orem Real Estate in north Orem. When the time ckme for Utah's Centennial Celebration in 1947, Anderson headed up Orem's Centennial Celebration. Ivan J. Burr, long-time fruit grower, one-time mayor and school bus driver, served as Orem Chamber of Commerce president in 1931. 4 Roy E. Park, a well-known horseman and fruit grower, made his white Stetson hat a familiar sight at Chamber of Commerce activities when he was president in 1932. STANSFIELD SEARCH Orval Stansfield guided the fprtunes of the Chamber in 1933. Efforts to locate his family in decent years have been unsuccessful; unsuc-cessful; therefore, his is the only 6 Provo Chamber Presidents Had 1 I"" THOMAS A. PIERPONT 1921-22-23 By Clyde E. Weeks Prior to 1921 the Provo Com- nercial Club represented the invests in-vests of Provo businesses and )romoted the city through advertising ad-vertising and publications. The photograph which is missing from the gallery of Orem Chamber Cham-ber of Commerce presidents. Another early Chamber president served a long career as manager of the Orem plant of the Pleasant Grove Cannery. Thomas A. Jacob served in 1934. B.M. Jolley, former Orem mayor, Utah State Senator, Justice Jus-tice of the Peace, school principal and long-time civic worker, found time to serve as Chamber president in 1935-36. Thomas Cordner, former Lincoln High School librarian and local insurance underwriter, served as president in 1937. CITY COUNCILMAN Another well-known fruitgrower fruit-grower and former Orem City Councilman, James G. Stratton, served a term as president in 1938. Many graduates of the old Lincoln High School will recall J. Erval Christensen who taught business and secretarial practice. prac-tice. He served as Chamber president in 1939. Utah Hardware & Implement Imple-ment Company was operated in Orem after World War II by Vern Harker who served as Chamber president in 1940. Wesley Soulier, long-time agricultural agent for the Union Pacific Railroad, served as president presi-dent in 1941. In 1942 the reins of leadership leader-ship in the Orem Chamber of Commerce fell on the shoulders of Parlell Peterson, another Lincoln Lin-coln High School teacher. Rulon (Mooney) West was an . energetic young man who served as the Chamber's chief executive in 1943. Many years later, his daughter won the contest to pick the name of a new Orem elem-netary elem-netary school: Westmore School. In 1944 Harry Butler, a retired army officer served as club also took an active interest in laws proposed in the Utah State Legislature, and even went so far as to promote the improvement of roads in other Utah County cities. D.D. Sutton was president of the Provo Commercial Club, and regular meetings of the club were held. Nationally, the Chamber of Commerce movement move-ment was gaining prominence and the Provo club became interested inter-ested in the idea. On Tuesday, July 12, 1921, the regular business ofthe Provo Commercial Club meeting was suspended in order to hear L.W. Depuy of the American City Bureau. Depuy had come to Provo at the invitation of the Board of Directors to explain the plan of the Bureau for building an efficient Chamber of Commerce. Com-merce. VOTED TO ORGANIZE Depuy laid his plan before the Board, who after much dis president of the Chamber. He also served as secretary for several years. EARLY BUSINESSMAN A. Verd Washburn, one of Orem's earliest businessmen, served as president of the Camber Cam-ber in 1945. He brought Orem's first automobile dealership to State Street. Druggist Orville K Harris served as president in 1946. He retired in 1968, after operating his drug store in Orem for 20 years. Orem's first mortuary was opened at 500 North State Street by Lionel Fairbanks who served as Chamber president in 1947. Retirement as a J.C. Penney manager brought Fred S. Davis to Orem where he guided the Orem Chamber of Commerce in 1948. AMBITIOUS BAKER Flamboyant Bill Baker, contractor con-tractor and subdivision developer, is remembered best, perhaps, for his term as Orem Chamber president in 1949 and his pseudo-serious efforts to get the capitol of Utah moved to Orem. Mark E. Kartchner, Jr., onetime one-time clerk of the Alpine School District and fruit grower, succeeded suc-ceeded Baker as president in 1950. Next, came A.K. (Lynn) Bullock whose year as president was crowned by his success in obtaining the dealership for the Hudson automobile agency in 1951. His successor in 1952 was Richard D. Park who operated a supermarket in north Orem for a number of years, and who is now a contractor. An energetic and ambitious Orem Chamber of Commerce president was Melbourne D. Wallace, one-time BYU profes cussion over some of the fea tures, decided to employ the Bureau to assist in organizing a Chamber of Commerce in Provo. The Bureau would also provide pro-vide follow-up assistance in setting set-ting up an efficient organization to promote the civic development of Provo. Enthusiasm was high for the organization ofthe Provo Cham Valley Ambulance Service inc. DIRECT BILLINGS TO MEDICARE MEDICAID PRIVATE INSURANCE BUSINESS OFFICE: 377-7033 MEMBER: AMERICAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION NATIONAL City's Place sor and Orem businessman who was president in 1953. He also served as Mayor of Orem for two years. Yours Truly was elected Chamber president in 1954. It was an exciting and rewarding year of me. OREM BANKER Orem banker Joseph T. Smith next took the reins of the Orem Chamber of Commerce in 1955. Succeeding Orem Chamber of Commerce presidents have been: Glenn I. Robertson, 1956; H. B. Sumner, 1957-58; John Huish, 1959; Milton G. Johnson, 1960-61; Charles E. Rohbock, 1962-63; Winston M. Crawford, 1964-66; Roscoe D. Carroll, 1967-68; S. Arvid Dodge, 1969; Warren Bunting, 1970. OREM HAPPENINGS I remember the night Warren War-ren Bunting came to a meeting of the Orem City Council and proposed the idea for a "Things Are Happening In Orem" theme for the City to showcase the many new developments coming into town. His idea was adopted and for a number of years "Things Are Happening In Orem" signs were placed at the srtes of new stores, schools and other facilities under construction. construc-tion. Gilbert M. Jensen was Orem Chamber of Commerce president presi-dent in 1971; Ernest E. Evans, 1972; Ron Wilkinson, 1973; Jerry C.Washburn, 1974; James W. Brown, 1975; David J. Stone, 1976; Stanley D. Adams, 1977; DeLance W. Squire, 1978; Max R. Curtis, 1979; Richard J. Hil-lam, Hil-lam, 1980; Marjorie Larsen, 1981; Alan Booth, 1982; Roger L. Dodge, 1983; David A. Taylor, 1984; Duane Herbert, 1985. Vision and Leadership ber of Commerce which would assume both the assets and the liabilities ofthe Provo Commercial Commer-cial Club. By September, 1921, the recruiting efforts of the officers had enlisted 535 members ofthe new Provo Chamber of Commerce. Com-merce. Therefore, the membership member-ship of the Provo Commercial SERVING ALL UTAH COUNTY i Ambulance Service Non-Emergency Transfers Long Distance Transfers LICENSED PERSONNEL COMMUNITY ED. PROGRAMS in the Sun KNEW THEM ALL I have had the singular privilege of knowing all of the Orem Chamber of Commerce presidents, with the single exception ex-ception of Orval Stansfield. Should any reader know of the whereabouts of any of his family members, I would appreciate your letting me know. I would like to make contact and obtain his photograph to complete the Gallery of Presidents. With the recent merger ofthe ;. Orem Chamber of Commerce' and the Provo Chamber of Commerce, Com-merce, the long chain of Orem Chamber presidents has ended. But in their times they represented repre-sented the spirit and energy of a community and a people who were seeking their place in the sun. And I do believe history 'Shows that they found it! OSCAR H. ANDERSON 1929-30 Club met and voted to change the name to the Provo Chamber of Commerce. PRESIDENT PIERPONT T.F. Pierpont was elected president and John S. Smith was Please turn to Page 22 24 HR. AMBULANCE SERVICE 377-5226 925 N 500 W PROVO EMT AND EMTA REGISTRY |