OCR Text |
Show Times Ne' Page A10 Thursday, April 3, 2003 WKtw Orem matriarch to celebrate 90th birthday CLYDE E. WEEKS, JR. Times Correspondent Orem resident Grace Bunnell Wilkinson will observe her 90th birthday April 17. In her honor, a birthday open house will be held April 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lakeview LDS Chapel, 1700 North Geneva Rd., Provo. Wilkinson, the daughter of Thomas Joel Bunnell and Zelda Holdaway, was born in Vineyard in the pioneer home built by her grandfather, Stephen Ithamer Bunnell, Jr., in 1892, which still stands on UVSC campus in Orem. Wilkinson boasts an auspicious auspi-cious Mormon heritage. Twenty-one of her ancestors marched across the plains before the coming of the railroad rail-road in 1869. Stephen Ithamer Bunnell, Jr. and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Gammon, developed devel-oped a 60-acre farm in Vineyard. They planted orchards, gardens and many shade trees around their home. Bunnell built a traditional tradi-tional "fork and cable barn" and other essential farm buildings, including a packing pack-ing shed, and then employed local Vineyard matrons to sort and prepare their produce pro-duce for California markets. "Grandpa Bunnell built his own private race track north of the house and hired one of the first black men, ever to come to Utah, to escort a fine thoroughbred horse all the way from Kentucky," Wilkinson said. . "Old Cy lived on the farm for quite some time. Grandma used to 'clock' Old Dandy, as he pranced around the race track, with Grandpa seated proudly in his buggy." Sometime after the death of his father in 1911, Joel Bunnell took over the operation opera-tion of the Bunnell farm and house, where he and Zelda reared their eight children. Wilkinson was an honor student at Lincoln High School, editor . of the "Livewire" school newspaper and vice president of her class. She wrote both poetry and essays throughout her life until recently. After she married, the farm was subsequently sold. The Bunnell farm was later acquired, together with other large tracts of land, for the Orem campus of the Utah Technical College. She married Vivian Wilkinson on Nov. 21, 1935, and they moved into the drafty old "Mercur" home on the Wilkinson family farm on 800 West in Orem. The home had been moved from the mining town of Mercur, Utah. Since jobs were scarce during dur-ing the Depression, the cou- -, , y ; " """ ," - : ..... 1 ; ' , I . " - ..J --..--v .. :: - . i 'V ? ............ .. 1 - ' t - ! ; . : I ' $ ; I i; ' . : i I H . " I L I ; I 1 -" "illiW illfiilW Ttr i lis i t JT.t ..f., . ftrt.fllinai 11 dMfr I I MIM...n:.Llai.rtx Seated near the front porch of the "Bunnell Pioneer Home," located on UVSC's campus, are the five-generational progeny of nonagenarian Grace Wilkinson: from left, Shannon Hyatt Johnson, Danielle Butler Hyatt, Janet Wilkinson Butler, and baby Avery Johnson on lap of great-great grandmother, Grace Bunnell Wilkinson. pie and their small daughters, daugh-ters, Janet and Dixie, moved to Grass Valley, Calif, where "Viv" worked in government gold mines, honeycombed beneath the town. The family was living in Grass Valley, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. During the war, the family experienced coastal blackouts black-outs to foil enemy planes from attacking the gold mines which produced gold for the war effort. The family also saved aluminum scraps and used ration books to buy commodities. Later, the family moved back to Orem with their third daughter, Rosemary, where they lived with Viv's parents, while he built their new home on 800 West in Orem. Grace and Viv Wilkinson developed a thriving fruit farm on their four and one-half one-half acres, as they welcomed Patricia, a fourth daughter. Grace hired youngsters in the neighborhood to help with the picking and took the produce pro-duce to the packing sheds for shipment to out-of-state markets mar-kets and local fruit stands. She also canned several hundred hun-dred bottles of fruit every year. Viv worked many years at Geneva Steel, until his passing pass-ing on Aug. 31, 1968, beneath one of his beloved fruit trees. Meanwhile, as work got underway on the construction of Utah Valley State College, the Bunnell home, which had been vacant for some time, was then being used by tenant ten-ant farmers to shelter horses during cold winter months. The late Carol Reid, dean of women at the college, at Li ViLAJJOUa f S Home Auto Life Business "'Par At 1lfaa Indtcxattce TfeecU Great Auto & Jti ome Package Discounts i Immediate SR-22 Filings 2rft-D)89 www.footeinsurance.com 305 N. FREEDOM BLVD. PROVO the time, was charmed by the old home and initiated the restoration project for it. The Wilkinsons aided in the cleaning and restoration of the home. Grace Wilkinson's sister, Helen Weeks, with the cooperation coop-eration of UVSC administrators, administra-tors, Vice President Lucille Stoddard and President Kerry Romesburg, was successful suc-cessful in getting the Bunnell Pioneer Home placed on the National Register of Historic Homes of America. The City of Orem also erected a monument monu-ment at the home, designating designat-ing it as one of Orem's historic his-toric sites. For a number of years, the Bunnell Pioneer Home housed UVSC's culinary arts program, but it now stands vacant, waiting for a needed earthquake-proofing renovation. renova-tion. Wilkinson is the eldest survivor among her siblings three of whom have passed away. She has fractured her ankle, knee and hip. However, she still navigates about with the use of a cane. She loves experiencing beautiful scenery, sunsets, singing, playing the piano, watching the news on TV, keeping up with events in the newspaper and discussing politics. She treasures her ability to think independently, independent-ly, and she is not hesitant about voicing her opinions. Her sense of humor has also survived. "I get up and read the obituaries every morning, and if I'm not in them, I know I'm still alive!" she says. Campus Crusaders plari, tree for cancer surviv0r The Utah Valley State College cancer awareness club dedicated a Survivors' Tree Wednesday, April 2 in honor of those who have overcome the disease. A plaque was presented "in honor of UVSC cancer survivors, sur-vivors, past, present and future, for their courage." "I wanted a permanent tribute to people on campus who have overcome cancer or been touched by cancer," said Danielle White, president presi-dent of the Campus Crusaders. "They are our heroes. This will memorialize memorial-ize their triumphs and let them know we admire them." ' White said the tree is a symbol of growth and living on, despite trials. She lost her mother to cancer, and after her death, planted a tree in remembrance. The rising above cancer was also symbolized at the dedication dedica-tion by the releasing of balloons. Guests innl,.. UVSC Emilv m j, " Orem Brittany ft anairmerMissUt Palmer, a cancer herself. The tree was paM Pace Park, nextT McKay Events Cem noon. The Crusade asoplanningasecor,' planting m Spanish F, Arbor Day, Friday a J Miss Utah Vailed Lynne Tooke J; Srjanish FnrL- ., vcou, dulu UVS(J stt anu members 0f Campus Crusaders both attend. Everyot welcome. "I think this isa neat way to both do J thing good for the enr ment and raise awai';' for cancer," White-"Twenty White-"Twenty years froni! the tree will eneot-those eneot-those who see it to take ter care of themselves' KEYY Radio announce schedule for next week ,-iiiison, D On "Insight for Living" beginning Wednesday, April 9 and continuing through April, Chuck Swindoll will share a series of messages on "Can One Person Make a Difference." "Insight for Living" is broadcast weekdays week-days at 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. On "Truth for Life," Alistair Begg will explore the Bible book of Luke in a series of messages focused on the life of Christ. "Truth for Life" is broadcast weekdays week-days at 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Sundays at p.m. KEYY is a non-con-cial Christian radio sta: broadcasting 24 hours i to Utah Valley. It is Ioc; on the AM Band at 1; Spanish language prog ming airs Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Com. program schedules available at 374-5210 c www.keyy.com. z'-t? 14 oz. uParkE ij: Jimmy krawiRc Coors and Coors Light 12 pack bottles 6 31703 thru 33003 Flavor of the Month w fts &-S w w ias v jr . J, I' . ymm Keystone Light 18 pack cans Pepsi 12 pack VQ)Sl cans MGD & Lite ...... i .ini.ir 12 pack btls Bud & Bud Light 18 pk cans Natural Light & Natural Ice i2Pk Colse ) 12 pack" ) cans W f i . r $' 32 oz. Fountain Drink Marlboro Carton S315 Virginia Slims, Parliament . . . . . . Carton ' -1 (J Camel, Winston carton $2Q1S Salem carton S3!15 Basic Carton T13 KOOl Carton G5 Doral Carton "t Newport carton JGC15 Mustang canon CGG33 Mi land Mild Gallon b f $1.49 with Speedp& Prices good thru 33103 |