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Show y History of Valentine's Day Told Please turn to page B-- 2 & . Vol. 3 No. 6 Thursday, February 12, 1981 20 Cents Single Copy Liedee Speed Limit Gets Reduced The speed limit on Lindon's State Street (U-8- has been lowered from 50 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour after city officials called the road a 'death strip' and demanded a reduced speed. At last week's council meeting, state officials from the Department of Transportation reluctantly agreed to lower the speed limit. "When we lowered the speed limit n a comminity similar to Lindon, Jiotorists actually increased their Highway Commissioner Wayne Winters. "We don't think a lowered speed limit is the answer to your long-rang- e problems. At best, it is only a short-ter- solution." Winters told the council that the DOT will lower the speed limit for a trial period of six months or one year to see if the reduced speed limit can be enforced. Don Willet, whose son, kin-dergarten pupil Brandon was killed just before Christmas while crossing the highway after school, was one of the many residents who attended the meeting to ask that the speed limit be lowered. "Here in Lindon we have ex-tenuating circumstances," said Willet. "We have a park on the highway, and sometimes school children walk home. Our Brandon happened to walk home from school for the first time - and now we'll have to live with his accident for the rest of our lives." Brandon was one of six fatalities on Lindon's State Street during the last six years - a series of accidents the DOT says has no apparent pattern. Lindon Elementary School Prin-cipal Herb Gilbert told DOT officials that even though schoolchildren who live across the highway from school . are bused, the situation is still dangerous. "We have 160 children who live on the west side of the highway from the school," said Gilbert. "When warm weather comes, it will be even harder to get all the children to ride the bus home. That is what happened to little Brandon. "Continuity is an important concept in education, and that's what is needed in Lindon," Gilbert continued. "If the speed limit is 40 miles per hour in Pleasant Grove and Orem, let's make it 40 miles per hour in Lindon, too." I believe the majbntyoF people will adhere to the speed limit." DOT Safety Engineer Jim Nagley told the council that speed requirements are determined by how fast the 30th percentile of drivers usually travel. He also said if surveys show that more than 15 percent of all motorists travel faster than the posted speed limit, then this is not a reasonable speed as determined by state law. That means the posted speed limit would have to be raised, he said. ' Winters told the council that he will nevertheless recommend lowering spefid 4imiTlecause of the com-munity's strong sentiment to do so. New traffic signs should be in-stalled during the next two weeks. Briefly: BYU Players Speak To Boys Last Thursday at Grovecrest's annual Father and Son's night, a very special experience was instore as guest speakers for the evening were Jim McMahon and Bill Davis from BYU's championship football team. The boys and their dads saw a film entitled "Commitment to Ex-cellence" that ended by showing famous McMahon to Clay Brown touchdown pass that won the Holiday Bowl for BYU this year. Then quarterback McMahon and receiver Davis spoke to them about the hard-wor- k, scarifice and dediction it takes to be successful. The boys were en-couraged to start young and work hard for their sports goals. A drawing was held for an autographed football and two BYU Then McMahon and Davis patiently signed autographs and refreshments were served. Com-ments seem to indicate this was a great Father and Son's night. Old Bell School History Tells of Construction, Use , - .v. JtijinuJfHiiin; tl.iiathllinitt t litlriii.JVn were relieved by the building of a third room on the east. J.L. Harvey, school trustee who supervised con-struction, kept an account book from whose pages much interesting data regarding building procedure, cost, and payment of teachers can be gleaned. From this account book it appears that when funds from tuition did not come in soon enough to meet current (Continued on Page 2) i i The old Bell School in the early By LUCILE H. WALKER and HAROLD S. WALKER In April, 1852, Pleasant Grove was made School District No. 5. It in-cluded all the territory from a point about half-wa- y between American Fork and Pleasant Grove south to the Provo City Corporation lines. Construction of a school house 'began at once. It stood just north of where the Union Pacific railroad now crosses highway 91 as it leads out of town west. It was made of adobe. George Clark, Samuel S. White and Thorit Peck, who had marched with the Mormon Battalion through New Mexico, had been quite impressed with the adobe huts they'd seen and 'had' learned how' td 'make iheni ac-cording to Howard R. Driggs in !' 'Timpanogos Town. ' ' The adobes were carried by William M. Frampton and were laid up by masons from Salt Lake. A Mr. Lapworth mixed the mortar. Stephen Farnsworth was the carpenter. Since the men of the settlement hauled and isawed the logs, made the adobes and furniture the building cost very little in cash. ' g Oiled paper served as glass for the windows; benches and desks were made of slabs with legs fitted into holes in each end. On extremely cold days one group of pupils stood near (the fireplace to recite their lessons --while the other groups studied at the .desks. The school was opened in December 1852. ' In 1853, following instructions from Brigham Young, the settlers built a fort and moved from their homes into the enclosure for better protection From the Indians. Now it was necessary to move the schoolhouse. through concerted action this was accomplished in one day. Adobes and logs were taken down lid hauled to a lot within the potecting walls of the fort, on property just south of the old Mayhew house, now about 200 South Main. The building faced the street, with a door Opening on the south wall, A bowery i3f branches was built, and together the school and bowery were used for ihurch, school, and recreation. By iShis time the town population num-bered 290. In 1860 the schoolhouse burned Jown. Until another could be built, r school was held in the meeting house, .1 fine structure that had been erected ' n 1855. For a while, school was held in private homes. ili About 1864 the adobes were taken from the burned school to a lot nearer the center of the fort, and there a one-roo- m building was begun. There is disagreement among the old settlers as to the date of its completion, but we have record of "Uncle Alva Farn-sworth" as he was called, teaching there in 1864. This new school building, made in part from adobes salvaged from the second school, was designed by Henry Greenhalgh, an English architect who had settled in Pleasant Grove. The arched ceiling, and floor with sand between the sleepers for sound deadening, gave the room excellent accoustic qualities, and made it especially good for entertainments. It had a stage across the east end, with curtains that could be hung for programs and dramatics. So it became a community center as well as school. It is the west wing of the building now used as a relic hall by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, and stands on the north side of Pioneer Memorial Park, created by that organization in 1946. In 1880 another room was added to the schoolhouse (now the middle room). It was arranged with a stage in the addition, and sliding doors opening into the west room, where the audience was seated. William H. Adams, assisted by his son Joseph H., laid the adobes. Knud Swenson, school trustee, was overseer of the construction of the new room. In his diary he tells of the successful exercises held there when the new structure was dedicated December 8, 1880. Parents and children filled the room to over-flowing. A fine program was presented. From a small belfry on top of the room hung a large bell which called the scholars to school. It also acted as a community fire alarm. This building in later years came to be known as the "Old Bell School." After the completion of this ad-dition, the first four grades met in the west room while the addition housed the upper classes. Rose Brown Hayes, who taught in the west room, told how she had as many as 76 small pupils during the winter months but at-tendance was fewer in the fall and spring when farm work required the help of the older children. About 1888, the crowded conditions .. (S i 6 "t '.. xv A LAOTIAN COUPLE, Chou Ly and his wife, spoke at a recent Kiwanis meeting PG Police Seek Abuse Suspect A description of a man believed to be in his 20's has been released by Pleasant Grove police following an incident of reported forcible sexual abuse. Police officers said that a five-year-b-was picked up by a man in the Battlecreed Park area. He was returned about one-ha- lf hour later to a drag strip at Pleasant Grove High School, officials explained. The boy said the man had sideburns, funny lips, was about five feet six inches tall, skinny, and wore a brown coat with a fur collar and denim trousers, officers reported. The suspect was said to be driving an average-siz- e, green, older model car which has two doors. The police department asks people who might know anyone who fits this description or the car to contact the police department. Police also warned parents to ask their children to beware of a vehicle fitting this description. i Museum Receives Contribution J y- - , I - t. --1 JfL 7 &' - ' - - nif rihririf 'f niiin in A drive is in progress to raise funds to repair the D.U.P. Pioneer Museum building known as "The Old Bell School House." A grant was received recently making $4,500 of federal funds available for this purpose, provided matching funds are raised locally. This money is granted specifically to be used for needed repairs on the outside of the building, and cannot be used for any restoration or expansion on the inside which is hoped can be accomplished later. This grant and matching funds will be stretched to the utmost to stucco the outside, reinforce the foundation where needed, and to repair the roof with new shingles. With these repairs completed, and more interest being shown in the old building, it is hoped further funds will be forthcoming for more work on the inside. The drive is spearheaded by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. They hope to have the ALTA HONE, Chariman of D.U.P. Museum committee receives check from John Y. Swenson to start drive to raise funds for the restoration of Pioneer Museum. Eldon Johnson, right, volunteer helper looks on. preciation for the pioneer heritage which has meant so much to Pleasant Grove, but membership" of the group is small and they will appreciate any help voluntarily given. Contributions may be sent to Alta Hone, Chairman, 319 East State Road. PI. Grove, or to any of the D.U.P. Captains, Ruth E. Swenson, Manila; Maymetta Johnson, Battlecreek; Thelma Freeman, PI. Grove. support of everyone in the community with money or labor. There will be an effort made to contact all clubs, schools, business houses, and also as many individuals as possible. Letters will be sent to former residents of Pleasant Grove who might wish to honor their pioneer ancestry by contributing to this cause. The D.U.P. ladies are trying their best to offer everyone the opportunity to show ap- - Suspect Arrested In Truck Theft Pleasant Grove police officers have taken a suspect into custody following an investigation into the theft of a $60,000 truck from Richard Miller Trucking, 990 S. Main in Pleasant Grove. The truck which was stolen on Jan. 21 was recovered in El Paso, Tex., police officers said. The Pleasant Grove police department is working closely with the FBI in this, in-vestigation, The cargo on the truck, valued at $11,000, has not been recovered, police officials, said. The name of the suspect has not yet been released. Laotian Couple Address Kiwanis A Laotian man said in last week's Kiwanis Club meeting that he and his family had come "from the stone age," as he and his wife detailed the fear and anxiety they felt after escaping from their war-tor- n homeland, making their way to the United States. Chou Ly and his wife Py Mona are members of the proud Hmong tribe, which has been embroiled for years in a desperate jungle war against communist militants of an unstable government. They have made their way to Utah from Laos, where they immediately joined the LDS church because of its similarity to Hmong ideas and traditions. They have been organized into the Hmong branch of the Orem West Stake by President Henry W. Rock under the direction of the LDS church's First Presidency. Chou Ly pronounced (Chu Lee), a leader of the Laotian refugees, has been called as branch president of the group of about 90 members. Chou Ly was the leader of about 1700 Laotians which he brought into Thailand, traveling many miles through the jungles with many hard-ships. His history is piquant, often heartbreaking. At the Kiwanis meeting he detailed many of his experiences. "One of the southeast Asian countries which was destroyed by the communists is Laos," Chou Ly said, "-- lost to the communists in a psychological war. The Laotian communists dominated the whole country in 1975. So the population tried to evacuate to Thailand". Chou Ly was responsible for the first group or people who left and headed for Thailand. "I left my country, my father's land, my house, animals and my friends. Tears dropped from my eyes and I said my last goodbye. My lovely dogs looked at me very sad and knew that I was going to leave them forever, but they couldn't say anything to me, just lick my legs. My chickens crowed and clucked to me their last songs of goodbye. I said goodbye to my house where I slept. I also said goodbye to the mountains near my home where every morning I heard the songs sung by a multitude of beautiful birds," Chou Ly said. "I put a gun, a bag of rice, a blanket, one box of medicine, some money and miscellaneous material on my shoulders and back. I held my little five-year-o-ld daughter in my arms, as did everyone that could," he added. "We then began the walk over mountains and across rivers following a small path to an unknown destination. It was a long, long trip. " "We built a small hut at night covered with banana leaves. We used bamboo to cook the rice. After our meal we slept on the ground and burned wood for light," Chou Ly said. "In the beginning things weren't too bad. The first week went well. But by the second week we ran out of food, no more rice, no villages, and it was raining hard. Our people became tired and the children could not walk. Many old people died." "Hard walking and drinking too much water caused the people to get diarrhea and fever, we were constantly being bitten by mosquitos and blood-suckers- ." "The children cried and wanted to go back to our homeland. These hardships made be sad and un-decided as to what to do," he added. "Food was so very scarce we were forced to search for roots, plants or leaves in order to feed our children and ourselves. Fortunately, during the third week we found a Thai village where we could buy food." "We tried for a week to get into Thailand, but the governor would not help the refugee peoplej They tried to send us back to Laos. By many implorations they finally let us build a camp," Chou Ly said. "We stayed two months in the camp, unknown by any agency of the United Nations. The rains came and the sun was hot. We ran out of food, medicine, and clothes. Our money was all used up arid our precious materials all were gone. "Two terrible and miserable months were, spent in the camp. God finally sent the United Nations agencies to visit us. They later gave us food, clothing, and medicine. This gave us strength to be alive and waiting for an interview which would allow )js to come to the United States. "This terrorized and treacherous trip made me and my family very sad, but it was a very good experience for myself in this life." Chou Ly noted. Py Mona went through the hardships of bearing a son while traveling through the jungles. (Continued onPage2T |