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Show Thursday, October 16, 2008 AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN Page 3 ram iron Mm n 10) owes to be on fife ii r t v r f v.. f n ' 4 1 I I t V I . t rs i i i s tlj1; t CRAIG DILGERDaily Herald 85-year-old Max De St. Jeor continues to work full time delivering auto parts with CarQucst in American Fork. Michael Jigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF Orem man Max De St. Jeor has been working for 65 plus years and at 85'years of age, the World War II veteran and mechanic (who has driven just about every Ford car in the company's history) his-tory) doesn't see any end in sight. In excellent physical shape, De St. Jeor briefly retired at age 72 from a 45-year career as an auto mechanic and service manager at the Ford dealership in Provo. But a year of two later he rejoined the workforce when a friend asked him to help him out with his welding business. He currently cur-rently is employed full time as a parts delivery man for CarQuest in American Fork. He dispenses with lunch breaks. "No, I don't have to work. I don't owe anybody a dime," De St. Jeor said. "I can't sit around." Last month, De St. Jeor was honored by Experience Works, a national organization that salutes elderly employees and employers employ-ers who have distinguished themselves. He and his family were flown out to Washington, D.C., where De St. Jeor received the organization's Prime Time Award, among 50 other older employees, each representing their state. I le met Utah Congressman Jim Matheson, toured the White I louse for a second time, and for the first time, got to visit the National Na-tional World War II Memorial. "They just treated you like royalty," roy-alty," De St. Jeor said. A son, Don De St. Jeor, had secretly nominated him for the recognition and joined him on his adventure to the nation's capital. "It was quite a deal," he said. "I was quite impressed." Born to a Provo farming family fam-ily in 1923. De St. Jeor was fifth of seven children. Early on he developed de-veloped a fascination with automobiles auto-mobiles and all thing mechanical the first car he ever drove was a Ford Model T. A 1929 Model A Ford was the first car he owned. Just last February, he purchased a Ford Focus. "I decided I needed a birthday present," he said. After graduating from Provo High School and working briefly at a local furniture store, De St. Jeor and a friend enrolled in an aircraft mechanic school in Salt Lake City before traveling to Gilifornia to work for the Doug las aircraft company. In April of 194'5, the two pals enlisted in the Army Air Corps. De St. Jeor became be-came an aircraft mechanic at the famed 8th Air Force's Base Air Depot No. 2 in Warton, England, a massive beehive of Allied military mili-tary aviation activity. There he worked on everything every-thing from P-51 Mustang fighters to B-24 and B-17 bombers. He also experienced sorrow. De St. Jeor recalls that on a particularly dark and foreboding day a B-24 was coming into BAD 2 for a landing when it mysteriously mysteri-ously crashed in a fiery explosion explo-sion in the town square, killed at least 36 children and their teach- ers. A friend of his was one of many American pallbearers at a mass funeral for the children. "There was nothing wrong with the aircraft. It was just trying try-ing to land in a terrible storm," he said. "This crash, it was tragic." Around that time he also began be-gan getting his letters returned to him that he had mailed to his older brother who was serving with the 3rd Division infantry in Italy. The envelopes were marked "Deceased." That was how he learned his brother had been killed in the ferocious fighting fight-ing near Anzio. After the war, De St. Jeor married his wife Betty, an identical identi-cal twin he had been introduced to by the husband of his wife's sister. Together they had five children, four of whom live in Utah County. Betty De St. Jeor died three years ago. "It's tough, but I've got such great kids," he said. Since the war, De St. Jeor has been active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and has served as VFW Post 8376's commander for the past 25 years. The post was instrumental in establishing the Orem Veterans Memorial at the Orem City Cemetery. He also regularly attends BAD 2 veterans reunions across the country and in 2003, played host to the annual gathering in Salt Like City. But through it all, De St. Jeor has continued to work, something some-thing he believes has kept him relatively young and happy. "Seeing so many buddies retire, re-tire, they watch TV and break down. Of course, there are mornings when the alarm clock goes off and I say 'Do I really need this?" he said with a smile. Academy of Sciences teacher returns to the classroom Michael Rigert NORTH COUNTY STAFF John Ashman, a new faculty member at Utah County Academy Acad-emy of Sciences, has gone full circle. A native of Orange County, Calif., he attended Brigham Young University and played offensive tackle on the BYU football team. He met his wife, Marinda, a volleyball player for the Cougars, before leaving school early to pursue a construction con-struction career. He did that for 10 years before going to work for a building supply company. Two years ago, he decided it was time to return to BYU, complete his degree and take life in a new direction. Marinda Marin-da is a professor at Utah Valley Val-ley University and he decided education and teaching was the place he wanted to be. "I like working with people," he said. "I saw an opportunity to spend some summers with the kids and do something I enjoyed." In 2006, he became the instructor in-structor for a "student success" course at UVU that teaches incoming in-coming freshmen about college life and how to acquire good study habits. It included sections sec-tions on note taking, tests, and improving reading skills at the collegiate level. This fall, he began teaching the course at UCAS, a required class for sophomores. Because most students at UCAS are already highly motivated to study and succeed, the course is an opportunity for them to make minor adjustments and take another perspective on self-improvement, he said. "It gives them a lot of different differ-ent tools," Ashman said. Included in the course are initial ini-tial assessments students make of themselves through Taylor Hartman's "The Color Code: A New Way to See Yourself, Your Relationships, and Life," that helps people understand different personality types and how to better get along with friends, parents and teachers. "I'm yellow, which is very outgoing, and that's how I teach," Ashman said. "We're all wired a little different and if you understand those it's easier to work things out." In addition to teaching three student success courses, he also teaches physical education in the afternoon to students in grades 10-12. Rather than give lectures, Ashman prefers to do hands-on activities, such as involving students stu-dents in role play exercises. "I try to have a good time," he said. "I like my students to have a good time." Because most UCAS students are overachievers and expect to do well, that makes Ashman's job more fun and easier. He Mr. Ashman's Favorites Book: anything by John Grisham Movie: "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Gladiator" TV program: ESPN's Sports-Center Sports-Center Food: Mexican Sports teams: Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Raiders and BYU sports added that the school's administration admin-istration goes out of its way to help faculty members and them the resources and assistance they need for quality teaching. "It's not like atypical school," he said. Ashman, his wife and their five children, ages 6-14, live in Sandy. !" .... ; . f --'--. ... - i iL j- V f I ' .. . Si MICHAEL RIGERTNorth County John Ashman is a new faculty member at Utah County Academy of Sciences. He teaches a student success course and physical education classes. Mae t&GGDGflaD (Mods ff 2S Afffecft i p I 1 j1 I VaN Jeff Ingersoll 1. Don't Panic. Don't make irrational, emotion-driven financial decisions that could negatively impact your life. Let the storm pass. 2. 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