Picto Diary - 18 July 2018 - College Prez? Not.
Above: Snow College. Ephraim, UT. 18 July 2018.
Obscure historical footnote.
In 2009, egged on by my scheming, devious friend, The Monk, I threw my hat into the ring in a misbegotten attempt to become President of Snow College. The Monk was on Snow's board of trustees and had made a significant contribution to the college's endowment.
I made it to the final cut of five. TIMDT and Mwah (sic) spent a day in Ephraim interviewing with key Snow College administrators, faculty, and the Utah Higher Education System Board of Trustees.
The decision was narrowed down to Mwah (sic) and another guy. Trustee deliberations went on for three hours into the early evening. The other guy was supposed to be a slam dunk...he and his supporters had pre politic-ed (sic) the end game (good for him and bad on us...it's a legitimate part of the game).
In the end, the other guy got the job..in hindsight, a good thing for him, Snow, and TIMDT/Mwah (sic).
Why did I do this? I was an iconoclastic, dark horse entry to be sure. But, I was raised by a college educator. My Dad was a Harvard Business School and NYU PhD educated Dean of BYU's college of business from 1965 to 1980. I had an MBA, and several successful experiences managing financial institutions with as large a budget as Snow's, in one case, American Savings of Florida, a publicly traded company. Serendipity has frequently been a factor in my life journey. So why not?
The process was fun and interesting. And, there's no credit given for sitting on the sidelines!
Snow College is somewhat of a black sheep amongst Utah's institutions of higher learning. It's located off the beaten track in beleaguered, turkey farming, Sanpete County on Utah's US 89 corridor.
Ephraim, originally a center of Danish Mormon convert settlement in the 1850's, like most of the rest of Utah's US 89 corridor, has missed out on the economic boom experienced in the last three decades by the Wasatch Front and Washington County.
Snow College doesn't let its outlier status slow it down. Originally a two year junior college, Snow has succeeded in building successful four year programs...music for one.
Meet hypercompetent fine arts dean Vance Larson and you'll know you've met the energy source behind the success of Snow College's music program.
Circa 2007 Snow entered into a partnership with Julliard that lasted for nine years. There were faculty exchanges and Julliard coordinated summer workshops in Ephraim.
Julliard, under it's new (2016) leader, Winton Marsalis, has charted a new course, that doesn't include Snow, but many of the old Julliard faculty still come to run summer workshops at Snow. That's why I'm here today. I'm chaperoning my 12 year old grandson, Bud, an attendee at Snow's summer Jazz Workshop. NYC based Jazz drummer great, Carl Allen, runs the drum segment of the workshop.
Most of the jazz workshop participants are older than Bud. But, Bud was admitted provided he had an adult to take him overnight. I'm sharing those chaperone duties with his Mom. Ephraim is 130 miles south of Park City, where FeeBee and Mwah (sic) live.
Snow two year graduates are highly desired by Utah's four year institutions. Snow students graduate Utah four year programs disproportionally high in their graduating class.
The price is right at Snow. Tuition levels are low, compared to other Utah options, and a student will be taught by a tenured professor who loves teaching and not by an under qualified graduate assistant.
Snow College has a perennially top ten nationally ranked junior college football program.
I enjoy being back in Ephraim after not having been back for eight years or so. Off the beaten track or not, Ephraim, with its "Mormon Pioneer Wide" streets, is clean and well manicured...as is the Snow campus...testimony to the strong community values deriving from its aspirational pioneer heritage.
Above: Maverick, Ephraim, UT. 18 July 2018.
LSDM
West Virginia
Ephraim Land
The Bishop
Topic du jour: The embarrassment of Mitt Romney.
Note: West Virginia (outspoken, 80; looks 70) came from West Virginia to Sanpete County, Utah 40 years ago to build pipelines for Questar Gas. He and wife raised three daughters, each now married, each living nearby.
Ephraim Land, said of his friend, "he married a cute Mormon girl who he succeeded in corrupting to the core."
West Virginia said, "I'd a gotten outta here long ago...I just couldn't afford it." — at Maverik Adventure's First Stop.
Above: Mom's Cafe, Salina, UT. 18 July 2018.
Iconic Utah restaurant.
Despite mashed potatoes being real (not out of a box), best deplorable food since Jerry's, Lake View, OR, May 2018. — at Mom's cafe.
Above: Duc. Sevier County, UT. 18 July 2018.
Gooseberry Road from I-70 to Fish Lake, Sevier County, UT.
Niotche - Lost Creek Divide. 10.5 K feet.
Riding high and cool. Here 77 degrees. Valley below (5.5 K feet), 100 degrees. — at Gooseberry.
Above: Mt. Terrill, 11.5K feet. Duc sits here at 10.5 K feet. Gooseberry Road, Sevier County, UT. 18 July 2018.
3rd highest peak on Wasatch Plateau. — at Fish Lake National Forest.
Above: LaWayne Hatch and Bishop. Koosharem Cafe. Koosharem, UT. 18 July 2018.
For Karen (born Koosharem).
LaWayne Hatch, 80, life long resident of Koosharem, but for eight years in '60's, when he went to SLC to work at Kennecott.
LaWayne doesn't remember kool, krazy, Koosharem kid Karen G. but says there's a lot he doesn't remember about those days. Post script: I later found out from Karen's husband, Spook, that I'd given LaWayne and some of the other knowledgeable, and justifiably confused, locals at the Koosharem Cafe, a wrong maiden name for Karen. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll stop by and set the record straight.
Above: Duc, pork sausage at Barrett's Foodtown. Salina, UT. 18 July 2018.
Annual purchase of 2 lbs Barrett's pork sausage (Utah's best), packed in dry ice. — at Barrett's Foodtown
Above: Musinia Peak (Mary's Nipple), South Central Wasatch Plateau. Sanpete County, UT. 11K feet.
...and the Duc, on US 89, near Gunnison, UT. — inGunnison, Utah.
Above: SnoCap Lanes. Ephraim, UT. 18 July 2018.
Not content with 12 hours of music instruction Bud had to go bowling. He also consumed a drink, fries and cheeseburger ..notwithstanding 6:00 PM, work shop dinner. Grandpa is fading, but, holding on for the team. — at SnoCap Lanes.
Above: Bud and jazz drumming great Carl Allen, his teacher at Snow College Jazz Workshop. Willow Creek Hotel, Ephraim, UT. 18 July 2018.
Allen headed the jazz program at Julliard School of Music, New York City, from 2008 to 2013.
What an opportunity for these kids to learn from the greats way out here in Sanpete County, UT, New York City's reciprocal.
Kudos to Snow's performing arts dean, Vance Larson, for leading the charge on this great pedagogical accomplishment... — at Willow Creek Inn.
Addendum:
Love that castle! As you say, when resale is not a concern. 😃😃😃
Comic Mom,
Park City, UT
That and; exhaust fumes.
Panama,
Los Angeles, CA
After riding from PC to Wisconsin and back on the GS, wind and wind power is in abundance in Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming. Possibly a better long term investment than coal futures?
Steve,
Park City, UT
Electricity cost per kilowatt hour:
Utah 8.72 (cents)
Nat'l Ave. 10.27
Steve,
Other than the desert pies, what does Mom’s, Salina, have going for it?
Ahn Rhree,
Larkspur, CA
Longevity in business operation. Basic deplorable food in an era were fru fru starts to grate.