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Show ' Times Newspaper Wednesday, January 5, 2000 Page 3 The zo Orem Mayors I knew and admired Bv CLYDE F- WFFKS. J3. Orem-GenevA Times PartZO. After successfully surviving the threatened onslrights of massive electrical failures, devastating computer breakdowns, scary television dysfunctions and massive traffic pile-ups, the City of Orem has emerged unscathed from the Y2K specter, energized to meet the many challenges of the Year 2000 with anticipation and hope: with anticipation that the passion for Peace may yet engulf the world; ; and with hope that hunger will be ; abolished at home and abroad. J Here, in the City of Orem, is 1 being manifest an astonishing j fruition of a once-small rural community, spawned on an arid bench land, covered by sagebrush .and inhabited by rattlesnakes, jack -rabbits and coyotes. Courageous settlers risked their all to put down their roots here, and prove up on their homesteads " "in the face of overwhelming odds. ; '. ; Water- that magical ingredient ! without which life is impossible--;has made the desert blossom as the '.'tost, where earnest men have channeled the earth to carry it to ;the brink of their greatest need. -' This, then, has been the history of Orem-the place where the first settlers, one hundred and forty ! years ago, challenged the elements and survived. X One hundred forty years later, Isome 90,000 people call the City of Orern their home in this "momentous Year 2000. The challenges are much different, today, than they were then, when a wagon load of barrels filled with water from Utah Lake, and a few hundred strawberry and ever bearing raspberry plants spelled the difference between success and failure for Thomas and Mary Ann Cordner, as they became the . first permanent residents on the bench. Obtained from friends in Provo, they transplanted the plants to their farm on the bench. The berries thrived and a ready market was found in Provo, where a number of city employees, government workers and railroad hands received cash for their labors. By 1885 Newell Knight Sr. planted the first peach trees on the bench, followed by Newell Knight, Jr., John H. Stratton and his father. Apples, pears, cherries, apricots and prunes soon joined peaches as substantial cash crops on the bench, and by 1938, more than 500 train carloads of fruit were shipped from Orem. World War II and its accompanying industrial behemoth, embodied in the Geneva Steel Plant, changed forever Orem's agricultural persona, and transformed it into a growing prime residential community, which attracted thousands of new residents, every year. . A combination of a highly educated citizenry and unprecedented technological advances, then, came together in the City of Orem to place it on the cutting edge cf the Information Age, even as it evolved into what has been called "Utah's Silicon Valley." Throughout its eighty-year OUT mmOM T1CKIT tYTM UTAHI tm Mranet Tlckaa W tt 7M4T77 ca Ota OpM OMr V3 Ho Mm MM Galaxy Qut trt'rf Th TcW1l Mt Riply ( Any GivM Sunday n Skftirtcnniol Mai (re) ShMrtUitkiN) Anu and tba Kiog p-i$ H GrM Milt jo fcySJ, t0imOmm For period ol 12-2223 -12309 Ik Ps a sus n tew fcr ft ! 2 Let ?6j nJ A J Jerry Washburn, Orem City Mayor . history as a Utah municipality, the City of Orem has been blessed with a remarkable aggregation of men and women who have been both appointed and elected to direct the affairs of its city government. From Orem Town Board PresidentMayor Lawrence J. Snow in 1919, to W. Chris Yandow in 1999, 19 men and women have served at the helm of Orem City government. During that same period of time, nearly a hundred men and women have served as members of the Orem Town Board of Trustees or Orem City Council. In my lifetime I have known all of the Orem Mayors, and all of the members of the Boards of Trustees and City Councils, with the exception of eight Trustees. The year 1919 marks the completion of Orem's first 80 years as a municipality. Although certain events might have determined a different course of history, the City of Orem now finds itself beginning the Year 2000 with its newly-elected 20th Mayor and two newly-elected members of the Orem City Council. JERRY C. WASHBURN The challenges which are faced by Mayor Jerry C. Washburn and the newly reconstituted Orem City Council in the year 2000, are as daunting as were those faced by any city administration in recent For extra copies of the Millennial Issue stop by the Orem-Geneva Times office at 538 South State in Orem. E3 Offering classes for students age 3 - adult Wonderful Performance Opportunites! Oar girls have performed at Utah Jazz half time, Disneyland Hawaii Dance Fest, Carnival Cruise Ship & more! Dance under the Png 1 fl ( J I 1 Q history. In this growing metropolis, which also continues to expand in its cultural diversity, how shall Orem's finite resources, such as undeveloped land, culinary water and financial assets, best be used to enhance the quality of life for all of those who live in this community? 1. How shall Orem's diminishing bank of undeveloped land be protected from rampant exploitation by interests, more interested in speculation, than in complementary projects that enhance community goals and values? 2. How to maximize community involvement in community programs, so as to capitalize on the best thinking and participation of Orem's citizens? 3. How to best balance retail, industrial and technological growth with residential development, so as to minimize its impact on neighborhoods and on established employment generators? 4. In both planning and in executing the many programs and developments which the new century will bring, what kinds of ethical considerations should be delineated for city policy-makers, which will serve to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing the outcome of crucial decisions? The year was 1951 in Orem. A.Verd Washburn, who had opened his Washburn Motors at 783 North State Street in 1921, was showing some of his customers pictures of - the new KaiserFrazerHenry J automobiles for which he had just received the Orem dealership. The post-World War II newly-designed newly-designed vehicles looked beautiful--just like autos of the future! I liked what I saw, and traded in my 1949 Ford to Verd Washburn and bought a sleef&lue t95t.Kiiser: one of the fifltsuch cars sold in Orem. Later, Verd's son, Alvin Washburn, opened his own auto repair garage at 1635 South State Street. Some years later, Alvin Washburn acquired the dealership for the newly-introduced Isuzu line 225-1340 1 sue join us for direction of Cristina n Jazz, Hip Technique, Tumbling, -5 of cars, which became popular Around 1965, Alvin's son, Jerry, joined the car business, later acquiring the Nissan car dealership and building a modern new facility at 200 East 1200 South Street. Would you buy a new or used car from that man? Obviously, many people would, and did buy cars from him. And, when it came time to vote for him, as Mayor of Orem, a lot of people did that, too. That car dealership was built on my uncle Wilford Larsen's former 10-acre fruit farm. Jerry Washburn, over the years built his car dealerships into some of Orem's most successful businesses. Would you buy a new or used car from this man? Obviously, many people would, and did buy cars from him. And, when it came time to vote for him, as Mayor of Orem, a lot of people did that, also. Five years ago, the dynamics of the automotive industry in Utah enabled Jerry Washburn to sell his Orem automobile dealerships, and accept a call by his church to serve as president of the L.D.S.Mission in San Diego, California. Returning to Orem after three years, he was named as chairman of the ad hoc committee on Neighborhood Organizations, whose recommendations the Orem City Council implemented last .-iyear. - . y Following the tragic death of Mayor Joseph A. Nelson, last year, Jerry Washburn was urged by many citizens to become a candidate for Mayor of Orem. Drawing overwhelming support in both the primary and the final election, Washburn was sworn in as Mayor of Orem on January 3, 2000, to serve a two-year term. Having retired from the business world at the relatively young age of 55, Jerry Washburn finds himself in the unique position of being elected to a part-time position as Mayor, in which he can now give the necessary time to Orem and fulfill all the duties of Mayor. Jerry's grandfather, A. Verd January Pack Pageants Phis Hop, Tap, Ballet, ; Me W QFF Pointe, Creative movement 488 West 1 400 North - Orem 224-8738 Call for more details. Washburn, set notable pattern of community service for him, as he served as a member of the Orem Town Board of Trustees from 1930 through 1933. Jerry, himself, may have been, unconsciously, looking forward to his present municipal asssignment, since he was educated in the Orem public schools. He graduated from Orem High School, and also graduated from Brigham Young University, with a degree in Political Science. As a native of Orem, Jerry Washburn has seen this community grow from an agricultural town of some 8,500 people to a moderate-sized moderate-sized metropolis, nearing 90,000 people. During his entire adult life, he has been involved in Orem civic affairs. As an outgrowth of that experience, he has become concerned about our quality of life in Orem: 1. We must preserve and enhance the quality of life of each citizen and family. Neighborhoods must be insulated from unnecessary, unplanned commercial encroachment. We must support our public safety departments in crime prevention. Parks and recreation facilities must be more fully developed. We must preserve green space. State Street must be beautified. Existing business must be supported. 2. We must solve problems at the grass roots level through better dialogue between the city and its citizens. We must give vision, training and support to our citizens. Neighborhoods provide opportunities to identify human asset capabilities. They foster Shield International signs pact with Fowlke and Associates Shield International, an educational educa-tional resource firm headquartered headquar-tered in Orem, has finalized a services agreement with William Fowlke of Fowlke & Associates. Fowlke will add to Shield's offering, of-fering, conducting workshops in the prevention of theft by employees, em-ployees, preventing violence in the workplace and in crisis management. man-agement. Fowlke is a criminal justice professional and is a graduate form the FBI National Academy. He has served the State of Utah for over 22 years in key leadership leader-ship roles as chief of enforcement and criminal investigation, deputy warden and director of staff training for prisons, and most recently as deputy regional administrator for adult probation and parole. Shield International markets educational materials and presents pre-sents workshops to law enforcement, enforce-ment, private security companies and educators. enrollment! Director of the Year! tuition with this ad! j new enrollment only j jljartce leadership training, and they enhance the feeling of harmony in community-based service. 3. We must anticipate and manage the effects of growth through better planning and infrastructure development. We must ensure safer neighborhoods through better-lighted and safer streets, and through better traffic management. We must refine and follow our strategic and general plan. Some people have said Jerry Washburn is truly "a man for the Millenium." He is diplomatic, and has the executive experience to bring people together in difficult situations and to solve problems in harmony. He has had the advantage of being an independent businessman, and understands budgeting, cost controls and employee relations. He has the ability to see the big picture in decision-making. He is able to gather and process complete information, and can help others in that process. Above all, I believe Jerry Washburn loves Orem and wants to do what is best for the good of the city. With the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the City of Orem in the new millennium, I believe Mayor Jerry Washburn's best years are yet ahead of him, as he guides the city and its people into the new world of the future. Jerry C. Washburn is the 20,h Mayor of Orem whom I know and admire! NEXT WEEK: The 20 Mayors of Orem Questar completes $25 million stock-purchase phase Questar Corp. (NYSE:STR) has completed the first $25 million mil-lion phase of a $50 million stock-repurchase stock-repurchase program, the company com-pany announced. Questar has purchased approximately ap-proximately 1.5 million shares of its common stock on the open market - about 2 of the outstanding out-standing shares - since the two-year two-year repurchase program commenced com-menced in April, 1999. R.D. Cash, Questar chairman, president and chief executive officer, of-ficer, said "By virtually any traditional tra-ditional measure, Questar stock represents an excellent value at current prices." He said the repurchase re-purchase program is being financed fi-nanced with the company's strong cash flows and sales of nonstrategic stock holdings that have appreciated significantly in 1999. J. fct month's ! Center i 3R COPY 1 |
