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Show The West View Page 3 Pioneer Hot Shots Work Out for Good Health | By Bonnie Thomas Through the years, women in the LDS Church’s Pioneer Stake have enjoyed play- ing basketball at the Harold B. Lee Hall, which was built to create jobs for unemployed members In the 1950s, women from the at the gym every during the Depression. a group of neighborhood 26th Ward started meeting Thursday morning for bas- -ketball. Eventually, it was expanded to encompass the entire Pioneer Stake, and women from any of the wards within the Stake were invited to participate. Basketball became part of a larger fitness program that included lap swimming, riding. aerobics, and bike | LaRille Lewis was asked to head these activities, and she did so, faithfully, for 45 years. Lewis would call all of the women each week to remind them to come, and played basketball until she was 85 years old. ee Se Sn - Before she died, Lewis passed her duties on re ioneer Hotsho ts Ellen Shell, 81, and Bonnie Robinson, 70, fight for the ball during their weekly basketball game at th e Harold B. Lee Hall. Photo by Charlotte Fife-Jepperson to Pat Watson. “She came over to my house, ketball, and asked me to take over,” says Watson, who has kept her promise of contin-uing the tradition. She is now the one who calls all of the women each week. In the early days, some of the women would bring along their young children, who played on the sidelines together and wandered around the gym, exploring every intriguing nook and cranny, while their mothers ran up and down the court. A few of these children, now grown, are the new generation of women, who come to play basketball with their own children in tow. A few regulars continue to play basketball.every Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. And, some new faces show up every now and then — and not just LDS women. All are welcome. It isa great way to exercise, catch up with friends, and engage in some friendly (and occasionally heated) competition. ~The women divide up into evenly matched teams and play half court. They always conclude the session with a hearty cheer “Rah, rah, rah, Pioneer Hotshots!” handed me the key to the gym and the bas- New Branch Manager | Energizes Chapman Library speaking patrons. He belongs to a group, called Reforma de Utah, 7%, = 7) FEGe . which promotes library resources to Spanish speakers — especially for. remote libraries. Lee says that most of the patronsof Chapman Branch are from the immediate neighborhood, and the many of those are between the ages of 11 and 13 years old. Lee has observed one neat feature unique to this Branch; it is very common high school students to see using the large tables to do homework in By Charlotte F ife-Jepperson A neighborhood’s history is often told through its’ old buildings. Sadly, many old buildings on the West Side have been torn down or left to dilapidation. And ‘if they are still standing, they are usually not serving their original function. One exception is the beautiful Chapman Branch Library, which still functions as a community library in Poplar Grove on 600 South and 900 West. Chapman Library was built in 1918, paid for in part by a local community fundraising effort. The outside front and main floor architecture is characteristic of Andrew Carnegie-funded libraries that were being built afound the world at that time. Although the library has. been preserved in its original form, it is a dynamic embraced new place, which technology, has new patrons and, as of this year, new management and staff. This year, Chapman Library has a staff of 12 dedicated people, but only a couple of them have been around for more than two years. At the helm-of this new staff is Juan Lee, who previously served as Assistant Manager of the Day Riverside Branch in Rose Park. Lee is very enthusias- the afternoon. “They aren’t just socializing,” says Lee, “they're. actually getting homework done together.’ Lee has been pondering more formal ways to support the teen students. who frequentthe library, either through tutoring or getting them involved in reading/writing groups. Librarian Melissa Juan Lee, new reads to Cameron manager of Jepperson Chapman Branch Library, Children’s Room. Photo by Charlotte Fife-Jepperson Sillitoe, shares Lee’s passion and concern for teens at the branch. She plans to engage teens in writing book reviews to be published in The West View in the near future. She also has great things to say about had the privilege to serve,” she said. She hopes that more people. place to be, but after 3:00 in the afternoon, it starts to pick up,” he in the community will utilize the Said. library in the future. “Many people don’t realize what a cool place it is to hang out in,” she said. tic in his new role as Manager of Lee and his genuine the Chapman Branch, and plans to utilize his experience and vision to create an even more vibrant and inclusive atmosphere at the Library. Coming from a small town in Lee’s favorite room in the his patrons. library is .the renovated Sillitoe has worked in many | Children’s Room, located downdifferent City Library Branches Stairs. Its colorful murals, large all over Salt Lake, but specificalfish aquarium, children’s slide, ly put in a request to work at and overall set-up provide a very Chapman Branch last summer. inviting atmosphere for children. “Chapman’s patrons are among “In the morning, it is a quiet the friendliest people I have ever Mexico, Lee speaks Spanish and relates well with his Spanish- the in the concern for They have started a Pre- school Story Time on Fridays at lla.m., and on Friday, April 30, the branch will celebrate “Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros”, a Latin American holiday, spear- headed and by poet author Pat Mora, childhood along children’s to celebrate with literacy. The staff invites parents and chil-. dren from the community to come and celebrate with them. |