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Show Ward: 3,000 Miles From Stake Offices AGANA, GUAM The Guam Branch, which has its stake headquarters 3,000 miles away in Honolulu, became a ward recently and its chapel was dedicated by Elder Ezra Taft Benson of. the Council of the Twelve. Ordained bishop of the new ward was the former branch president, Charles W. Hurst. Bishop Hurst, spiritual leader of the 470 ward members, spoke at the dedication rites held on March 10. The branch-to-war- d change took effect on March 8. Groundbreaking for the $300,000 chapel was held in August of 1968 and construction started that October. The Church got its beginning on Guam in 1944 shortly after U.S. troops took the island from the Japanese. LDS servicemen held open meetings on Guam after the U.S. occupation and as the servicemen began returning home, membership on Guam dropped to about 30 or 35 members. Some 500 The Sound Staff, from the University of Utah, sing barbershop melodies while playing musical instruments. Their Talent In 1949, the first LDS Servicemens Group was formally organized and in 1950 a branch was organized with Victor Olson as the first branch president Continued from page Assisting at the dedication was Honolulu Stake Pres. Max W. Moody. While there, they will perform mon Pavilion of Expo 70. The island of Guam, the largest and most populated of the Marianas Archipelago, has a population of about 70,000 local residents and about 40,000 military and people and their dependents. One of the most exciting groups to apon All American College Show was The Delegation, which taped a program recently. Mr. Niles called them "five super-talenspecializing in rock. Mr. non-loc- The island is about 1,300 miles southwest of Japan; 1,500 miles east of the Philippines, and 3,000 miles west, southwest of Hawaii. It is 30 miles long and 4 to Sy2 miles wide. Christianity first came to the islands in Spanish missionaries first landed on Guam with the intention of converting the Cha ,i ros who lived there and on the other 15 islands of Hie Marianas. 1668 when The islanders were hospitable at first and peaceful, but as the Spaniards brought about rapid and complete changes in the way of life, the natives turned against the intruders. The fighting that followed tation of diseases common and the infesin Europe especially the violent epidemics, almost annihilated the Chamorros. The native survivors were gathered together and taken to Guam where they were required by the Spaniards to farm and live in villages. The Marianas were then ruled from the Philippines by the Spaniards until the decline of the Spanish empire and at the end of the n War Guam was ceded to the United States. Spanish-America- The Japanese captured Guam shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and remained under Japanese domination until U.S. forces retook the island in 1944. The islands have been ruled by a governor appointed by the U.S., but this November, Guamanians will vote to elect a governor for the first time. Is Tops at BYU to try out for auditions when the ABC unit visited the Provo school. Both have been entertaining by singing for years, and said they loved entertaining. They were chosen for a spot on All American College Show. fellow students 7 at the Mor- pear ts Niles also said: "My staff and I screen close to 300 video audition tapes a week; more than half the acts could step out on any stage and hold their own right now. This BYU group is one of those. The Delegation consists of two attracDiane and Joy Farnsworth, tive coeds who made their way to BYU via Norfolk, Va., where their father is stationed with the U.S. Navy. Vocalists and dancers with the group, Diane and Joy team with Utah-bor- n Dennis Nichols, vocalist--pianis- t; Russ Bice of Nampa, Idaho, who describes himself as a combination of drummer-sof- t and lead shoe dancer-host- , bass guitarist Ralph Geddes of Pocatello, Idaho. Cop-perto- n, Most impressive, Mr. Niles said, "is the fact that, without exception, all members of The Delegation maintain excellent grades and intend to complete their education before considering any of the offers they have received to pursue careers in the world of entertainment. Another new BYU group to land on All American College Show was Inspired Versions. In program notes to Arthur Godfrey, host for the show, the script ' Tiler said : . . . Inspired versions, and don't mispronounce it, for the reason, comes from Joseph Smiths Inspired version translation of the scriptures. BYU is, of course, a Mormon school. This group plays drums, bass guitar, lead guitar and rhythm guitar. Drummer is a girl, Sandy Harrison. The lead girl vocalist is named 'Robin Hood. The spokesman is John P. Minageo. Others in the group are Dennis Despain, Vaunie Williams, Milton Glen Meady and Austin B. Judd. David I. Gardner and Rich Adams, who sing country and western, were urged by Many of the BYU performers have presented shows at Disneyland and elsewhere in southern California. In fact, while in California recently, one group put on five shows one day and seven another, and they were invited by the Paladium to perform with Lawrence Welk and his group. Mr. Welk plays at the Paladium after his television program. . Marilou Dyreng and Ron Clark, singers are other BYU students, who have appeared this season on the program. After Mr. Godfrey presented Lowell and Diane Murdock in a classical production recently, he commented on the beauty of their singing and their nice appearance. Mr. Niles said it was unusual for All American College Show to have a classical selection "since most television audiences go in for hard rock, but Lowell and Diane were exceptional. Lowell, a graduate student in music, teaches voice and coaches the BYU Opera Workshop, and his wife, Diane, s secretary for the BYU Health Center. In the first year, BYU students won top honors twice and second awards once. LDS students from BYU arent the only entertainers from Utah to appear on All American College Show, however. Shirley and Mary Stringham, students at the University of Utah, dancers, were on the program one week. Both attend the LDS Institute at the U. of U. and are active members of the Church. The Sound Staff, a quartet who sing barbershop melodies while playing musical instruments (guitars), is made up of returned missionaries. They perform in Park City and for civic groups in Utah when they arent attending classes at the University of Utah. . . James L. Ingles. The name of the group, according to the script WTiter, "is a play-owords. A 'sound group, and the staff is the music staff. Well, I guess we can brace ourselves for another flood of performers from BYU, said Eileen Chambers, secretary to AssoMr. Niles and the Jim Mahoney fo- All relations ciates, public agents American College Show. This always happens when attention is directed at the Provo college. Yes, and I expect well be ' ring from some of them in professional entertainment fields if they want to go into radio, television, nightclubs or m a s." added Mr. Niles. Many of them are as good as most of the professional groups today. : Members of the Sound Staff ax-- Kent inton, Lee Wahlgemuth, Mer'.e Linton and e 1. Wendell Niles . creator of show WEEK ENDING MARCH . ft-- 28,., 1970 CHURCH-- 15 |
