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Show page A4 Tuesday, January 14, Davis County Clipper 1997 in Our opinion Winds, sub-freezin- g temperatures, spark Utahns can-d- spirit o It's cold. How cold is it? Cold enough to you fill in the blank. As county residents spent Saturday and Sunday digging out of winter, opportunities for frayed nerves and angry words increased. But news reports were not filled with stories of anger, they were filled with stories of good Samaritans. Nearly 4,000 skiers were trapped by an avalanche in Little Cottonwood Canyon overnight Saturday in less than favorable conditions. But inn keepers rose to the occasion giving the skiers a warm place to stay and plenty of food. Fearless bus drivers braved the elements to take some children down the treacherous hill where anxious parents awaited their arrival. When it was all over, none of die hapless skiers were injured and each had a new respect for the fickle Utah weather. As the winds how led during the night and the snow continued Sunday, the need for special services increased and the crews were equal to the task. 'As most people stayed bundled up inside near the fire, hundreds of special service workers were on the job keeping their cities going. Power outages were soon resolved with the efforts of Utah Power and Light Crews. Snowplow drivers in each city brav ed the elements to keep roads passable. And on Monday, despite temperatures which with the wind-chi- ll factor dipped near 50 degrees below zero, letter carriers were on the job making sure the mail was delivered on time. Hospital crews delivered babies, ambulance crews arrived at accident scenes, and law enforcement officers patrolled the streets offering assistance to stranded motorists. What could have been a disastrous weekend became an almost picture perfect blueprint on how to deal with adversity. The can-d- o spirit did not stop with men and women on the job. Stories of random acts of kindness in neighborhoods were plentiful. If your back is aching today, youre probably one of those neighbors who went the extra driveway this w eekend. High winds carried with them entirely new opportunities for service and neighborhood crews pitched in with chain saws to help clear fallen trees out of doorways and driveways. Even the notoriously discourteous Utah drivers received a pat on the back by an traffic pilot who remarked Monday morning that in spite of the hazardous driving conditions there were very few fender benders. Tve got to hand it to the commuters. They are actually driving speeds that conditions allow," he said. The actions of Utahns during this weekends weather construction nightmare, gives us confidence that when begins, the freeway will not become a parking lot. If we did it before, we can do it again.. .cant we? Hope springs eternal. Basketball fans: Lets cut Jazz some slack! Your parents probably told you to avoid offending people by discussing religion or politics. But for many journalists, religion and politics are relatively safe compared to sports. If an editor receives ten complaints in a given week, it's a sure or the reporting, the page position of a football or basketball game. An incorrect spelling of Lithuania or Newt draws a yawn but misspell the name of a high school tackle and the tele- phone lines get busier than an LDS ward casserole outing. While working for a daily newspaper in the mid-- 1 960' s, I once compared the lethargic Rescue Dog Missing A Rocks Rescue Mountain Dog. Lome, a old. black and tan German Shepherd is missing. Dog owner Mary A gunshot was heard and Lottie has not been seen since. No blood was found. Rescue Dog teams Lottie went out of have combed the area for several days without success. If you have any information about Lottie please contact the sight. Clipper, Flood was hiking near Eagle wood Golf Course Jan. 7, and 296-551- wants to dump Jerry Sloan. But it's disconcerting to me that these fans have lost perspective. It hasn't been that long ago that the Jazz were as ignored and pitied as a Davis County Democrat. Their NBA games at the Salt Palace drew fewer fans than a Bountiful High a cappella concert. More people on a knowing that there are 42.832 potential applicants in case he bet that seven of those 10 complaints will revolve around the performance of a Highland quarterback to the residents of Forest Lawn. From the complaints that poured in. you would have thought I'd tossed a pipe bomb in Temple Square. not through an 8 game NBA schedule. But while the Jazz didn't beat many teams in those early years, they did beat the odds. They survived and even prospered and one sign of this prosperity is that the coffee shop crowd is now highly critical of the team's effort. Last week the coffee shop crowd deemed that the Utah Jazz were bums. The coffee shop boys knew all along that the Jazz would collapse. ..They knew that Greg Ostertag should be shearing sheep on a Kansas farm rather than guarding opposing centers. ..They knew that Howard Eisley and Chris Morris should be hawking concessions rather than putting on a uniform. ..They knew that John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek were was reminded last week of this interest in sports by listening to the chatter at the local coffee shop. While the coffee shop is hardly the font of all wisdom, it does reflect the interests and concerns of Utahns. And what Utah was concerned about last week was the Utah Ja zz. This should be comforting to Larry Miller. He should rest easy I knew the name of Congressional District tive than the name of ward. The only Big the First representaa Jazz for- Dog" they knew was the Doberman across the street. An assist was something Boy Scouts gave old ladies. It was not uncommon for the minor league hockey team to attract more paying customers than the Jazz. And indeed the Jazz were not a very good team. If the Jazz were to win anything in the early 980's, it would come through Ed McMahon, w aiting list for the retirement center. Granted, the Jazz have not been playing well; as I write this column, the Jazz have just dropped another road game to the lowly Toronto Raptors. But the problem isn't with the Jazz; its with the delirious expectations of the Utah fans. Not long ago, the fans would have held a ticker-tap- e parade down Main Street if the Jazz had clobbered Sacramento. Now the fans grumble if the Jazz don't sw eep the Lakers. Get a grip! Of the 29 teams in the NBA, the Jazz still have the eighth best record, and at home, only two of the 29 NBA teams have had more success. When the its usually on the road thats nothing particularly Jazz lose, but strange. As of Friday, only eight of the 29 teams have a winning record away from their home court. The Utah Jazz are a fairly talented team. They arent as good as the Chicago Bulls, but no other team is either. Like most good teams in the NBA, the Jazz win at home and struggle on the road. Like most good NBA teams, they put together winning streaks (like they did in November and early December); like most good NBA teams, they lose some games they should have won. The smart fan would appreciate what he has; Utah basketball fans have been dealt a pretty fair hand with two future Hall of Famers and one of the most successful teams of the past 10 years. It could be much worse. The basketball fans in Denver, San Francisco, New Jersey or Philadelphia would love to be in a position of berating a team that has won of its games. long-sufferi- two-thir- Theyd love to trade their bums for ours. in Your Opinion Thanks to hundreds who helped create Bountiful centennial ball Editor: During seasons of giving and thanksgiving, our hearts turn toward people of the past and present who have shared with us their lives and their gifts. We are particularly grateful for all who created, presented, and attended The Bountiful Harvest Celebration Of Families And Centennial Ball. As we continue to mail messages of appreciation, we realize that we could never thank or even know all who served. And so today we write this let- ter, first to publicly express our appreciation to Gail Stahle and Judy Jensen of the Davis County Clipper without whose support and concern we could not have gathered the crowd who enjoyed this historic event at the near-capaci- ty Bountiful High School Field House. Once again we ask the assistance of the Davis County Clipper this time in helping us to express our gratitude to all who served in any way to during this Centennial event. Helen Keller has said, The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. We appreciate the mighty shoves and tiny pushes of countless people who have given their Bountiful Gifts since the founding of The Bountiful Gift Committee in 1992 and who gave before that time and who will continue the tradition of We especially thank the 11 Bountiful Gift Committee Area Chairmen for this the Bountiful Harvest Celebration Of g. Families And Centennial Ball, and we express appreciation to the 137 Area and Neighborhood Chair (whose names were published by the Clipper) who sold tickets. W'e are grateful for the professional work freely given by Okla Bette Lifferth and her ir Eggett and for the gracious efforts of their large committee who planned and served the light buffet. We thank Colleen Parker who ele- gantly decorated the foyer and tables. Bonnie Hobbs, Sheila Price, and Woods Cross High School students literally saved the day (and evening) as they provided and con- structed the stage. BGC Area Chair Clare and Ila Bishop were in charge of decorations, and Lois Williams of Rice and Strand chaired the decorations committee. Leslie Crockett, Annette Marston, Bruce Crowther and many others also helped to transform the BHS fieldhouse into a beautiful, vibrant center of celebration. With care and perseverance Brian Gubler of William Tell Productions formatted our printed program and secured the generous help of The Copy Place in Centerville to produce it for us. Stage ManagerDirector Sheri Cole and her family stepped forward to keep the program running smoothly despite technical chalpower outlenges and a five-hoage. We thank local businesses for their generous donations; Albertsons, for providing all of the Happy Birthday Utah cake, Winegars of North Salt Lake for providing the meat. Great Harvest Bread of Bountiful for donating all of the rolls, and Tom Tollman of Designs and Signs for donating the 17 First Family posters, The Bountiful Gift banner, and more. We appreciate others who contributed: Food 4 Less and Smith's Food and Drug of Bountiful, Dicks Market and Target Super Store of Centerville, and Reid Rowland Photography of Bountiful. We thank Carr Stationery, Temple View Book and Tape, and Barnes Banking Company for their help in ticket distribution, and we express our gratitude to Barnes bank manager, Jeffrey Stringham, who serves as treasurer of the Bountiful Gift Committee and who with his g staff offered expert record-keepin- and accounting services. Bountiful High Principal Rulon Homer, Assistant Principal Rick Astle, and Head Custodian Don Sides of Bountiful High gave their enthusiastic support for this large undertaking. We thank them and the Davis County School District for their help. The Cresmark Orchestra provided superb music as people of the Bountiful area danced together and lingered until midnight. We value the interest and support of Ross Youngberg and Davis County Centennial Committee who asked us to chair this event, and we appreciate the generous help of the City of Bountiful who cosponsored this celebration. To the countless others who served and to all who came, we say thank you. But especially do we express our deep appreciation to. those who participated on the program; To Leo and Florence Memmott who arranged for several groups of Utah square dancers to entertainment, to provide Llder Robert E. Wells of the pre-sho- w Quorum of the Seven of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints who offered the invocation, to Mayor John Cushing who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, to Tina Hammer and the BHS marching band, to soloist Mindy McDermott, to the Robin Murray and the BHS Mandonelles, and to Jean Madsen and the representatives of 17 of Bountiful's first families. We appreciate the six Utah families who freely gave their time and talent to tell our Centennial Celebration message in song and dance and instrumental music. Our gratitude to The Gottfredsons, The Lunds, The Wilkinsons, The Brewsters, The Cole Collection, and The Goodman Family. As many of you know, following their Bountiful performance. The Goodmans traveled to Rome to attend the United Nations World Food Summit. Because I was a media representative to the UN and NGO Forum, I was in Rome and lived with the Goodmans for eight days. We share their sorrow in the passing of David 12, Peter 11, and LeAnne 10, but rejoice in the familys strength and courage. Without hesitation, their mission and their message move forward. More than before, we know how precious is each moment each person in our lives. More than before, we strive to do our part and to follow the Savior whose birthday we celebrate. g May our Bountiful Gift-givin- continue. And during this and every season, may all our gifts remind us of Him. Sincerely Elaine S. McKay, President Bountiful Gift Committee |