by Jerry Johnson

The September dinner meeting was held in Gunlock, Utah at Eagle Mountain Ranch owned by Hyrum and Gail Smith.  The Smith’s donated the steak dinners, so all monies raised for the dinner could to go towards scholarships for local graduating high school seniors. This year we exceeded all expectations taking in nearly $10,500, including individual scholarship donations. 

Kay Brinkerhoff shared stories of his great grandmother, Rebecca Hawkes, and her husband who were so faithful in answering the calls from Brigham Young to settle different areas of Deseret that she never was able to have a real home with a stove until late in life when they finallysettled in Glendale, Utah.  

The main speaker for the evening was prominent retired doctor, Craig Booth, who shared some of the developments in the field of medicine.  When he opened his practice in St George, he was the sixth doctor here. Today there are 374 doctors practicing medicine in St. George.

Prior to Louis Pasteur, 30% of newborns died, but with his microscope they discovered germs which resulted in the development of clean drinking water and the preventive measure of childhood shots, and today the shots we receive to maintain our health.  Another story he told was the practice of women giving birth staying in the hospital to recuperate.  40% of them died in that childbirth program.  It was discovered that the doctors just wiping their hands on a cloth between patients was transferring germs. 

Today we see the practice of doctors vigorously washing their hands as they work with different patients.  He also spoke of other developments such as the advent of arthroscopic operations instead of the invasive scalpel.  It was a very interesting and pleasant evening.