National Encampment: "Community Above Self"
Sep
20
to Sep 22

National Encampment: "Community Above Self"

  • Cedar City West Stake Center (map)
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REGISTER NOW for the 2018 National Encampment of the National Society of Sons of Utah Pioneers!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FLYER


Contact: Harold Shirley 435-586-8442, Kent Hugh 435-704-1805, or Darrell Krueger 435-531-04 68 for more information


  • Election announcement of President-Elect, and swearing in. 
  • Great Speakers!
    • Kent Broadbent
    • Mary Ellen Edmunds
  • Fascinating Tours!
    • The Markagunt Plateau, including Cedar Canyon, Duck Creek, Cedar Breaks, Brian Head, and Parowan Canyon.  Full-day guided bus tour highlighting history of Cedar Breaks and Utah Parks Lodge, CCC improvements, sawmill & Old Sorrell that made SUU possible, movie set locations, Brian Head, Parowan Cemetery and incomparable scenery.
    • Cedar City History Highlights, including Frontier Homestead State Park, Main Street and Rock Church, Old Iron Town, the Iron Mines, the Old Spanish Trail Highlights and the Cedar City Cemetary.  This half-day tour highlight the settling of Cedar City: Old Iron Town, the iron mines, the State Park, and the historic Rock Church.
    • Parowan - Mother Town of Southern Utah, including the Old Rock Church Museum, the Parowan Historic Cemetery, the Jesse Smith home, the Priddy Meeks cabin, and Heritage Park.  This half-day tour visits the Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum in Parowan’s Old Rock Church, the cemetery, and historic homes of this oldest southern Utah town.
    • Southern Utah University & Shakespeare Square, including the SUU Museum of Art, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the SUU campus and Centurium, and statues galore! This half-day tour explores Cedar City's culture, visiting the world-famous Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Southern Utah Museum of Art, SUU’s beautiful campus with southern Utah’s most famous horse Old Sorrell.
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2018 Scholarship Fundraiser
Sep
18
6:00 PM18:00

2018 Scholarship Fundraiser

Our annual Scholarship Fundraising dinner will be held Wednesday September 12 this year. (Note that it has been changed from our traditional Tuesday to Wednesday to accommodate our speaker.)

The location will be at the fabulous Holmstead Ranch, owned by Monte Holm located near Baker Reservoir. 

Our speaker will be Elder D. Glen Esplin. Elder Esplin, a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints served with his wife, Helen, at the St. George Temple Visitors’ Center and historical sites. His topic will be “The Tabernacle and The Temple – Why Were They Important to the Early Settlers?” 

The meals and facilities have been donated so that all the dinner fees can go towards the scholarship fund. In addition we encourage those who are able to help sponsor the individual scholarships by contributing $250 or more.

Directions to the Holmstead Ranch: 

Travel north on SR-18 through Veyo. Just past mile marker 24 take the Baker Dam turnoff and follow the paved road east about 2 miles to the ranch. We will have additional signs and arrows on the road. Although the road is paved there are some narrow turns so drive slowly and with caution.

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August Trek to Castle Dale
Aug
7
to Aug 8

August Trek to Castle Dale

DATE CONFIRMED:  AUGUST 7-9

Our August activity will be an overnight trek to Castle Dale to see the Castle Valley Pageant and possibly the world famous Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, which is nearby.  No reservations or fee is required for the pageant but as it will be an overnight activity motel reservations will be needed. 

Nearby Motels:

  • Village Inn Motel, 375 E Main St, Castle Dale UT 84513  (435) 650-5773 (small motel, limited room availability)
  • National 9 Inn, 50 S 700 East, Wellington UT (435) 637-7980
  • Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 925 Westwood Blvd, Price UT  (435) 637-7700
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June Chapter Meeting & Dinner: "My Father's Highway"
Jun
19
5:30 PM17:30

June Chapter Meeting & Dinner: "My Father's Highway"

The June Meeting is our 2018 Annual Membership Drive! 

Invite a friend!


At the June 19 dinner meeting we will enjoy a short message about the purposes of the Sons of Utah Pioneers, followed by the presentation and discussion of a film called “My Father’s Highway.”

The DVD is a documentary about the construction of  I-15  through the Virgin River Gorge. It is the epic story of an impossible road built on an improbable route and the people who   overcame every obstacle, even death, to make sure it happened. It is an amazing part of Dixie’s history. 

Invite your friends to come join us. 

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May Chapter Meeting & Dinner: Search for Bountiful
May
15
5:30 PM17:30

May Chapter Meeting & Dinner: Search for Bountiful

WHERE:  Washington Rec Center, 350 Community Center Drive, Washington UT

WHEN:  Tuesday, May 15th, 5:30pm mixer, 6:00 dinner meeting

COST: $14 for dinner.  Pay at the event, or in advance

Our speakers for the May 15 dinner meeting will be Mark and Scott Gubler, who will be discussing the fascinating search for Nephi’s Bountiful as recorded in the Book of Mormon. They and a cadre of 23 scientists, archaeologists, and other inter-disciplinary researchers have made several visits to what many agree is the best candidate for the city Bountiful in Oman at Khor Kharfot. 

The Gubler's have two major hypotheses:

  1. Khor Kharfot is Nephi’s Bountiful and
  2. There is an Israelite sanctuary there built with the sacred geometry found in Solomon’s Temple. The search area is a one mile stretch of beach littered with archeological relics.

They are trying to reconstruct how this land may have looked 2600 years ago and what relics might still be left. The project is being financed by private contributions.  For more information on this amazing project, go to http://www.discovernephisbountifulblog.com

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May
12
1:00 PM13:00

National SUP Historic Symposium in Salt Lake City

Register Online!

If our exciting and successful “Southern Utah History Symposium,” co-sponsored by our chapter and the Hurricane chapter, has whetted our appetites for more of the same, get ready for another one on May 12 sponsored by the SUP National Headquarters. 

Stability in a World of Change 

The National SUP symposium is themed “Stability in a World of Change” and will feature five presenters, dinner, and a keynote address.  

Click Here for a detailed Flyer!

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Jack and Rosemary Wixom

Salt Lake City Temple President and Matron will be the keynote speakers.

The event will be held at the Canyon Rim Stake Center, 3051 South 2900 East, Salt Lake City.

Presenters include:

  • Kenneth Alford and Devan Jensen - Militiamen William Stowell and the Utah Wars 1857-1858
  • Alma Allred – Coming forth of the Church Out of the Political Wilderness
  • William G. Hartley - Transportation Changes in the West
  • Jerry Houck Examples of a Living Church.

Register online!

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April Scholarship Presentations, Chapter Meeting & Dinner
Apr
17
5:30 PM17:30

April Scholarship Presentations, Chapter Meeting & Dinner

  • Washington City Recreation Center (map)
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  • 5:30 pm Social Mixer
  • 6:00 pm Dinner & Scholarship presentations

Note: Sunday dress is appropriate for this event.

Our annual presentation of scholarships to high school seniors will take place on April 17  when students, parents, and counselors join us at our dinner meeting. One of two meetings each year where we dress in "Sunday best ', this is the culmination of our fund-raising efforts for the year. Individual donations from a number of chapter members along with money raised through the Fall dinner at Hyrum and Gail Smith’s Gunlock ranch are combined to provide up to nine scholarships. 

Scholarship winners from Pine View, Dixie, Desert Hills, Snow Canyon, Enterprise, Millcreek, and the Success Academy will each give a short statement prior to receiving their award along with a specially prepared medallion.

Many thanks to Cheryl Ann and Roy Taylor, who head up the scholarship essay program and awards ceremony. Thanks as well to Dean Terry, Hyrum Smith, Charlie Clayton, and Sid Atkin on the Fundraising committee and the many generous donors.

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Pioneer Moments in Time: Regional History Symposium
Mar
3
1:00 PM13:00

Pioneer Moments in Time: Regional History Symposium

Cost:

  • Symposium and Dinner: $25 per person
  • Dinner Only: $20 per person
  • Symposium Only $15 per person

Registration for this event must be completed by February 27, 2018!

Schedule

1:00 pm - Donald Hinton: The Rising Tide of Mormonism in Red China

Dr. Donald Ray Hinton was born in Hurricane, Utah and married to Ada Lu Fuller.  They have 6 children and "almost" 25 grandchildren.  He served a mission to Hong Kong as a young man and as mission president there in 2000-2003.  Dr. Hinton received his Ph.D. in Interpersonal Communication and Oral Interpretation from Southern Illinois University; was professor of Communication and coach of the Dixie College/Dixie State University Forensic Squad for 25 years, and served as 6 years as Department Chair, and 11 years as Dean, including a short time as Acting Vice-President of Academics.

2:00 pm - Jim Rhoades: There's Gold in Them Thar Hills

James A. Rhoades is married to his wife Kathy.  Together they have 8 children and 22 grandchildren.  He is the great-great-grandson of Thomas Rhoades who was the "gold connection" between the Ute nation and Brigham Young.  He is a former Seminary Teacher and renowned guest speaker at EFY and Youth for Freedom and works as a Life Coach.

3:00 pm - Wayne Hinton: Mountain Meadows Massacre (A New Look)

Dr. Wayne Hinton grew up in Hurricane, Utah and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Utah State University, with a Ph.D. in history from BYU.  He served as chairman of the History Department for 18 of his 38 years of teaching at Southern Utah University.  He has authored many books and articles and received many awards.  He has served as stake president and is a former president of the Cedar Chapter of the SUP.

4:00 pm - Monte Holm: From Lost Boy to Mission President

Monte Holm is married to his wife Lisa and has 6 children and 16 grandchildren.  They currently reside at the Holmstead Ranch north of St. George.  He learned early the value of hard work, and at a very young age became financially independent.  He is the co-founder of World Financial Group of the U.S. and Canada.  He co-authored the Legacy Planner with Hyrum Smith.  He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Dixie State University and served as president of the South Carolina Columbia Mission.

5:30 pm - Hyrum Smith: Th purpose of the Year 1830

Hyrum W. Smith is a distinguished author, speaker, and businessman.  He is the co-founder and former CEO of Franklin Covey and has spent over three decades empowering people to effectively govern their personal and professional lives.  He combines wit and enthusiasm with a gift for communicating compelling principles that incite lasting personal change.  He is married to his wife Gail and have 6 children (5 living) and 20 grandchildren (18 living)

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February Chapter Meeting & Dinner features Lynn Clark Brunson
Feb
20
5:30 PM17:30

February Chapter Meeting & Dinner features Lynn Clark Brunson

  • Washington City Recreation Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Lynne Clark Brunson will speak at our February 20 dinner meeting. She will address the topic of “The Contributions of Pioneer Women.”

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Lynne is..

a photographer, artist, musician, actress, therapist, historian, and author

A native of Farmington, New Mexico, she graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music and art.  She moved to Southern Utah in the 1960's and raised five children while operating the Lynne Clark Photography Studio.  Lynne also has a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and has had a private practice since 1990.

Lynne has also been a high school choral music teacher, has taught art and photography at Dixie College, taught Gospel Doctrine, and is a past member of both the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Southern Utah Heritage Choir.  

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Lynne is also the author of Images of Faith, a 400-page pictorial history covering 150 years of St. George, Utah. It includes 1200 photographs from the Lynne Clark Historical Photograph Collection - which contains over 20,000 images. 

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Richard G. Whitehead, interim president at Southern Virginia University, to speak at November Chapter Meeting
Nov
21
5:30 PM17:30

Richard G. Whitehead, interim president at Southern Virginia University, to speak at November Chapter Meeting

  • Washington County Recreation Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

All dinner meetings at the Washington Community Center.  Meet and Great 5:30 pm, Dinner6:00 pm $14 per person

Dr. Richard G Whitehead was born and raised in St. George, Utah, and was a graduate of Dixie High School, Dixie College and Brigham Young University. In 1970, he graduated from Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska and then completed an oral surgery internship at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He then returned to St. George where he practiced dentistry and oral surgery for 26 years. Dr. Whitehead, a fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantology, was one of the pioneers in the field of dental implants and transplants in Southwestern Utah and is credited to have placed some of the first dental implants in the state. In 2001, the Utah Dental Association presented him with their Distinguished Service Award.

He has been active in community affairs in St. George serving on the City Council, as president of the Rotary Club and as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1995, the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce recognized him as Man of the Year. He was a found­ing member of the board of directors of Strata Corporation and the Heritage Arts Foundation (Tuacahn) and a member of Zions Bank Southern Utah Region Advisory Board. A strong believer in education, Dr. Whitehead is an emeritus member of the Creighton University School of Dentistry Advisory Board. He is past president of the Dixie College Foundation, the Alumni Association, co-founder and member of the Dixie College National Advisory Council and former member of the Dixie College Board of Trustees. In 1971, he became actively involved in raising funds for Dixie College. Until 1988, he volunteered his time and then was hired on a part time basis to chair the Dixie College Capital Campaign.

In 1993, he became a full time employee of Dixie College still practicing dentistry one day a week. In 1997, he left dentistry to devote his total attention to Dixie College where he served as the executive director of institutional advancement. During his tenure at Dixie, he headed efforts that raised in excess of $30 million. On May 5, 2000, at Dixie College’s commencement exercises the Utah State Board of Regents awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. He, his wife Launa and their six children are all graduates of Dixie State College. Richard currently serves as interim president at Southern Virginia University.

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Dr. Doug Alder to Speak About His New Book “Dixie Saints”
Oct
17
5:30 PM17:30

Dr. Doug Alder to Speak About His New Book “Dixie Saints”

  • Washington County Recreation Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Local author, historian, and former Dixie College President Doug Alder will be our speaker at the Cotton Mission Chapter dinner meeting on Tuesday, October 17 at 5:30pm. Dinner is $14 per person.

Alder was president of Dixie College in its pre-university days from 1986-1993 and is a past president of the Mormon History Association. He co-authored “A History of Washington County” with former St. George Mayor Karl Brooks in the 1990s and recently compiled a number of addresses from the lecture series named for Brooks’ historian mother, Juanita Brooks, in a book called “Honoring Juanita Brooks.” He is also the author of “A Century of Dixie State College of Utah” and the co-author of “All That Was Promised: The History of the St. George Temple.

DixieSaints.jpg

His new book “Dixie Saints”  deals with social history of southern Utah and is gleaned from 425 interviews with common southern Utah people, instead of historical figures. Rather thanfollowing the political perspective, the narrative in this book focuses on the everyday lives, interests, and activities of farmers, ranchers, teachers and otherswho built up our community in its early years.  

The book draws from 425 interviews, recorded on about 650 audio tapes, beginning in 1968. The interviews focused on the “third generation” of Dixie Saints, mostly born in years between 1890 and 1910. The interviewer, Fielding Harris conducted the interviews, financed by Melvin Blomquist. Transcribing of the tapes was not finished until many years later in 2013. That is when Alder began delving into ways to make the stories into a book.

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September Dinner Meeting & Scholarship Fundraiser
Sep
19
5:30 PM17:30

September Dinner Meeting & Scholarship Fundraiser

Our dinner meeting on September 19 will be our annual fundraiser for the scholarship awards. Once again it will be held at the beautiful Eagle Mountain Ranch in Gunlock, which is owned by Gail and Hyrum Smith. After the dinner, colorful St. George resident and prominent doctor, Dr. Craig Booth will speak to us. 

A fifth-generation resident of St. George, Craig is a graduate of Dixie High, Dixie Junior College,  the University of Utah, and the University of Utah Medical School. After a two-year residency at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital, he returned to S…

A fifth-generation resident of St. George, Craig is a graduate of Dixie High, Dixie Junior College,  the University of Utah, and the University of Utah Medical School. After a two-year residency at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital, he returned to St. George where he served the community as a  general practitioner, delivering over 2,500 babies and 200 gall bladders and affectionately earning him the nickname “Doc Booth.” He later became the first medical director of Dixie Regional Medical Center and president of the medical staff,  retiring in 2016. Craig served on the Dixie Regional Medical Center’s governing board for 20 years and the Intermountain Healthcare board for three years.  He was a founding member of The Village Bank and the St. George Exchange Club.

Craig served a two-year mission in the North Central States for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He and his wife, Maureen, later served as president of the Arizona Phoenix Mission from 2002-05. They have five children (all graduates of Dixie College) and lots of  grandchildren. 

Directions to the Smith home: 150 West 1400 North Gunlock, UT. The ranch is located on Gunlock Road about 2 miles North of the town of Gunlock. 

Directions to the Smith home: 150 West 1400 North Gunlock, UT. The ranch is located on Gunlock Road about 2 miles North of the town of Gunlock. 

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2017 National Convention
Sep
14
to Sep 16

2017 National Convention

  • LDS Church Building (map)
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Glenn Rawson to Speak at National Convention

Register now for the Sons of Utah Pioneers annual National Convention to be hosted by the Centerville Chapter September 14-16, 2017. With the theme “Bulding Pioneer Strength for Tomorrow” the convention will include speaker Glenn Rawson and special tours to the following places:

  • Echo Canyon and pioneer sites; 
  • Antelope Island;
  • LDS Church History Museum; and
  • Hill Aerospace Museum. 

For questions contact Alden Richins 801-296-1794. 

To Register

Click HERE to download the registration form.  Mail registration form to: Centerville SUP, PO Box 1252 Centerville UT 84104

 

Convention Schedule:

Thursday, Sept 14

  • 1:30-5:30pm  Registration at Convention Center
  • 6:00pm Opening Ceremonies, dinner & entertainment

Friday, Sept 15

  • 8:00-noon Registration
  • 8:30am Morning Tours depart from Convention Center
  • 12:30pm Lunch at Convention Center (all-day tours will have lunch during excursion)
  • 1:30pm Afternoon Tours depart
  • 6:30pm Dinner & entertainment

Saturday, Sept 16

  • 8:00-9:00am Registration
  • 8:00-9:00am National Board Breakfast
  • 9:30-11:00am National Business Meeting
  • 9:30-11:00am Spouses Meeting
  • 11:15-11:45am Centerville Chapter Presentation
  • 12:00pm Closing Convention Banquet and Keynote Speaker Glenn Rawson, host of Joseph Smith Papers
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August Dinner Meeting
Aug
15
5:30 PM17:30

August Dinner Meeting

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Our August 15th Dinner Meeting features guest speaker Dennis Holland, older brother to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. 

S. Dennis Holland (left) with an actor in the California Living History production of "More Precious than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion".

S. Dennis Holland (left) with an actor in the California Living History production of "More Precious than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion".

Dennis was born and raised in St. George, Utah. His great great grandparents were among the first wagons into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake with Brigham Young and were called by Brigham Young to settle St. George and what is now Carson City, Nevada. Growing up in St George and having this ancestral heritage has given him his love of LDS pioneer history.

An alumnus of Dixie College, he enjoyed a successful career as a pharmacist before retiring and beginning many years of service to the church and western history. He has served as LDS director of Public Affairs, and as mission president of the California Living History Church Service Mission. 

He is author of the book, “Sierra Saints” A Brief history of the Mormons in Western El Dorado County from 1847 to 1997, and was involved in the production of the video produced by the LDS  church, “More Precious Than Gold, Contributions of the Mormon Battalion,” which was a gift from the LDS Church to the State of California for the Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Discovery of Gold in California. He was part of the delegation that presented it to then Governor Pete Wilson. 

Dennis was also a driving force for the building of the popular interactive Mormon Battalion Historic Site Visitor’s Center in Old Town San Diego. 

REMEMBER:  You can now pay for our Dinner Meetings online!

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