It is nice to have a school system that provides education without restricting "Schooling".

The Juab School system in Nephi, Utah has always been great. They never let education get in the way of schooling! Even in the 1960's, students were permitted to publish their own set of school news. If you didn't get your copy of the Feb. 19, 1965 edition of "The Wasp", we have it, but sorry, no photos of Terry Lowther; Judy Jackson and Nancy Mangelson, who were the Sweetheart Ball royalty.

America will always have hero's, but it isn't often we have them in the movies and in real life.

Gary Cooper played the role of a strong, silent hero in the movies, but one in real life as well. For ten years, he suffered from cancer and fought it valiantly without complaining and without the public knowing. He died in May, 1961, at the age of 60. Another such hero is John Wayne. After filming Fort Apache and other westerns, General Douglas MacArthur addressed John Wayne saying "Young man, you represent the cavalry office more than any man in uniform". The Duke was born as a 13 pound whopper, in Iowa, as Marion Morrison. As a kid, his best friend was his dog named "Duke". He received a football scholarship to USC, and as a student, started in the movie business as an extra doing stunts. Even in Utah, one of his quotes remains popular...."I never trust a man that doesn't drink". John Wayne was a devoted family man, raising two sets of kids. His third wife, Pilan, requested the word "obey" be dropped from their marriage vows. Wayne consented, saying "None of the others ever obeyed me anyway". President Reagan recalled when Wayne and Jimmy Stewart attended his second inauguration as governor of California, during the height of the Vietnam War. "They encountered a crowd of demonstrators under the banner of the Vietcong flag," Reagan remembered "Jimmy had just lost a son in Vietnam. Duke excused himself for a moment and walked into the crowd. In a quick moment there was no Vietcong flag". On another occasion, during a protest, a man was dishonoring the American flag, when Wayne "duked" the guy. Nearby police officer's refused to cite John Wayne, who stood up for America. During the mid 1960's, while John Wayne was flying to a military base to film "Green Beret", the Duke sat next to a Nephi, Utah Airman named Weston Jones. John Wayne knew Utah and respected our military. In their three hour chat, John Wayne seemed to know more about Nephi and Utah then the local Jones boy. After getting off the plane, John Wayne held the media and the North Carolina Governor at bay, until Airman Jones got off the plane at which point Wayne bid Jones farewell, telling him to return home safety. Out of 171 films, John Wayne died in only eight. To some of us, he will live forever.

It seems that many people no longer have trust in the media for truthful news so have to go to the King of Tweeter.

Because of what appears to be in your face exploitation, I haven't watched the TV news for about forty years. However, I have the time to read all newspapers I can get a hold of. I can be more selective in what I choose to read, then do my own research before making a judgment or protesting. However, I was somewhat taken back when I read the headlines in Utah's Deseret News. Most of the headlines made sense such as "U.S. Steel, China sign $1 billion mining deal" and "Storm sinks 3 ships, drops snow on Riviera." With the protests going on-justified or not, I thought it may be over the edge when it declared "Protesters face U.S. deportation". My news today is real news, but real deceptive, perhaps like anything we read or see on the TV news. The Deseret News I was reading was printed in 1979. And yes, there was good news back then, such as hamburgers selling for three for a dollar and gas at 52 cents a gallon. Just be careful how you read "news". It may not always be the real truth.

Boy, what a circus! First the good news, then the bad news and today it's good news again!

The first good news came via The Times News in that May 27, 1965 edition. The second largest circus in America was coming to Nephi, Utah and with real live Elephants. Local kids had to go to both performances for the one day event. The bad news was brought to us earlier this month by the Salt Lake Tribune which reported the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus were closing after 146 years of bringing delight and education to kids and adults. Various reasons were listed among which were groups thought the Elephants were not treated right, but the Courts determined the allegations were unfounded and awarded the Circus owners $25 million to be paid by the complainers. Other people thought that video games had taken the place of the circus. Regardless, it was a thrill to see animals that most folks would not otherwise see, so here is the good news again. In today's Daily Herald, it shows there is another circus appearing in Orem for the next couple nights, so here is your chance to see colorful, colossal clowns and other wild animals!

When does royal bliss come to the Royal Bliss! I think I found out last night when I attended their concert.

Friday in Nephi, Utah was slow last night, so I asked the clerk at Taco Time if they still dragged main. The teeny bopper told me that people quit that sort of thing decades ago. While awaiting my two soft bean burritos I observed a large RV pulling a trailer  up Track Street, then turning toward the Salt Creek Sports Lounge. The large "Royal Bliss" sign didn't give me a clue who they were, so I had to follow. It appeared they got stuck going up the incline to the lounge, so I pulled over to watch that entertainment. It was apparent the driver had never backed up a hay wagon, as it got stuck backing up. I giggled at them, then drove south on the frontage road, waving at the band members who got out to consider their options. I soon felt guilty and returned to see if I could help but they had made it up to the lounge. The incline was pure ice. I went home and googled their name, only to find out they were doing a concert at the lounge. I had no choice but to put on my new John Deere cap and go to their concert to apologize for laughing at them. Although I didn't ID any of the 180 plus people that attended, it appeared the average age was 40 to 45 years younger than me. Their music was not my cup of tea, but the youngins loved them. I walked about then thought I better head home to watch a brand new re-run of the Lawrence Welk show. The Venue is very impressive, however, and hope more concerts return. One thing that history teaches us-is that some things never change. The use of Alcohol can often make people funny, especially on a dance floor!

Is there life after......................Life after being a Coach at Juab High School!

If you ever attended Juab High School in Nephi, Utah, the main question all students ponder.....can we beat North Sanpete and take State this year? But what about the Coaches....their questions may be... will they have a life after being a coach. In 1959 and 1960 the basketball coach was a local guy named Marcus Garrett and he led the School to two consecutive State Championships in Basketball, and it was thought nobody could live up to those high expectations. So just for fun, I did a seek, find and chat with former basketball coach Kelvin Clayton, and yes, at age 81, he is very much alive and kicking, living in Orem. After his time at Juab he went on to the Illinois Education system; back to Utah with Ogden, then the Utah office of Education. Like all good teachers, he received the "Golden Apple Award". He served for 8 years on the Orem City Council and holds the record for getting the most votes without really trying. But dang it to heck, I wished he would have told me he had been an LDS Bishop before I used those curse words. Although Juab folks think highly of football and basketball, he wanted to point out he led Juab to two consecutive Tennis State Championships and remembered the names of the kids on the teams. Needless to say Kelvin Clayton did well in life, and still likes to keep physically active with hunting, fishing, hiking and biking, and staying in touch with Jimmie Ockey, a life long friend.

Time for a little Back to the Future! From the 6th grade of 1959 at Central School in Nephi, Utah.

Oh we had dreams back then. Some of them came true, while others of us are still pursing them....at a slower rate. The names listed on the back are did so with my 6th grade mentality. The names start with teacher-Dwain Bracken and goes to the right, then with the second row it starts from the right and goes left; then drops down and goes from left to right again. Missing on the day of the picture is Gloria Gustin. Indications are that I was not a good speller back then, and not sure howell two muchy batter now. Sorry about that.