Picto Diary - 16 to 25 October 2023 - Richard and Claudia Bushman

Above: Iron Canyon, Park City, UT. 18 October 2023.

Above: Rail Trail, Wanship, UT. 18 October 2023.

Out and about on the Duc.

Three-mile round trip walk.

Above: Payday Drive. Park City, UT. 18 October 2023.

Driving home.

Above: Russ Roberts (lower frame), Hoover Fellow on Zoom from Shalem College, Jerusalem, Israel. 19 October 2023.

Roberts, on a teaching assignment, zooms to Hoover Institution insiders about his in Israel presence during the 07 October 2023 surprise attack by Hamas resulting in the death of 1200 Israeli civilians. Top frame is moderator Bill Whelan, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow.

In contrast to many so-called elite institutions' "on the one hand... on the other hand" statements about the Hamas raid on Israel, Hoover Institution took an appropriately unambiguous stand in support of Israel as a victim of heinous, barbarous attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians.

Above: Richard Lyman Bushman, Harmon Building, Brigham Young University, 19 October 2023.

Richard Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, is main speaker at a dinner event hosted by The Monk (Dan Jorgensen) and his wife Elaine. Dan and Elaine had invited Dan's BYU college class of 1963 and missionaries who served in the Milan, Italy mission under Dan and Elaine's mission presidency (1971 to 1973), to hear Richard Bushman speak about his latest book, "Joseph Smith's Gold Plates." Margaret and I were among a few additional personal friends, not part of the college class or returned missionaries, invited to the dinner.

At the end of the evening, I was able to have Richard Bushman autograph my copy of "Joseph Smith's Gold Plates." I reminded Dr. Bushman that he was our LDS Bishop while we were studying at Harvard Business School (HBS) from 1969 to 1971. He didn't say he remembered me... why should he have? We had had no contact with him since our time at HBS the early 1970's. I told him that my father was Weldon J. Taylor, Dean of the College of Business at BYU from 1969 to 1975. Dr. Bushman said he knew my dad and considered him a very successful educator with a strong professorial presence.

In his remarks, Dr. Bushman reviewed the important points of his new book. and noted that he was a better person for having stayed true to the LDS religion. His wife, Claudia Bushman also spoke. Among others she highlighted the importance of keeping a diary. "If you didn't write it down, it didn't happen."

I didn't take the opportunity to remind Dr. Bushman of my once rendering my testimony at a late 1970 Fast and Testimony meeting in the Cambridge, MA "marrieds" LDS ward while he was serving as Bishop. Several ward members gave testimony to the blessings deriving from paying a full tithing to the Church (10% of increase). I decided to volunteer my own testimony on tithing. I stood, received the roving mike, and said, "I paid my tithing and I just got drafted." It was the time of the Vietnam War and many young men in the congregation had to face the prospect of being conscripted into the US military. My somewhat irreverent testimony on tithing brought the meeting house down with laughter. Years later, adherents who were at that meeting would remind me, always with a chuckle, of my "I got drafted" testimony. As it happened, I subsequently failed my draft physical exam due to varicose veins and, so, did not serve in the US military.

Above: Elaine Jorgensen, Ephraim, UT. 19 October 2023.

For health reasons, Elaine was not able to attend the dinner function in person. Her Zoom presence, however, was happily noted. Every bit the evening's hostess, Elaine gave words of welcome to her guests consisting of approximately two hundred attendees.

Above: Bishop with Janie Vance Brown (cousin) and husband, Jerry Brown. Harmon Building, Brigham Young University. Provo, UT. 19 October 2023.

Jerry served an LDS mission in Italy. The Monk was his mission president. Hence, the Browns' attendance at the Jorgensen's dinner event. Janie is daughter to Mom's sister Betty DeWitt Vance and her husband Marion Vance.

Above: Mojave Desert Tortoise. Toe Trail. Ivins, UT 22 October 2023.

Tortoise sighted on my three-mile loop walk on the Toe Trail.

Above: Mt. Timpanogas, Sundance Resort, Utah County, UT. 23 October 2023.

TIMDT and Mwah (sic) stopped for lunch at Foundry Grill on way back to Park City from Ivins. Mojave Utah and Wasatch Utah on the same day!

Sundance has new ownership. Not sure if that fact correlates to the Foundry Grill's dirty windows, cobwebs on the sills, and dried catsup on the table.

Above: Park City High School Jazz Band. Eccles Center, Park City, UT. 24 October 2023.

Very classy event. First rate Ellington/Baise jazz with young musicians in formal attire. Concert was a fitting example of my frequently expressed maxim that 25% of American kids are better than ever. I played trombone at this age could not have hoped at the time to be included in an ensemble as good as this one. Oh... and did I mention? They have a pretty good drummer.

Above. Zions Bank. Park City, UT. 25 October 2023.

Image from Wasatch Bagel. Sailor's warning?