April 2009 Newsletter

A report of March’s event:

SUP Chapter Meeting-Hurricane Mesa Presentation

18 March 2009

This meeting turned out to be a fabulous event. It was well attended, with 74 people in attendance. Many of those who came had worked on the Hurricane Mesa Project at one point or another. Many others had just heard about the project as it progressed, but had never been to the site. All came out of curiosity and a desire to understand what had taken place up on the mesa.

The panel consisted of Clayton Beatty-Field Operations, Kelly Spendlove-Construction, Data Reduction & Electronics, Del Mont Wallace-Photography, with Antone Bringhurst-Data Reduction and Moderator.

This meeting was very informative, and resulted in 70 participants attending the trek held on the 28^th of March. For many, it was the first time they had ever been on site. Our presenter was Chris Woodbury, one of four people who now work at the site. That fact is quite phenomenal when you think that there were 200 workers in the beginning, one hundred on site at a time. Some, who had worked there, experienced disappointment as they saw that much of what they had worked on had changed.

The track itself was imposing to say the least. It was two miles long and straight as an arrow. We saw some of the sleds that were used, and much of the equipment that is needed to make this project functional. The information gained from this test site has been the means of saving the lives of hundreds of Air Force pilots who have had to bail out. Much thanks to Larry LeBaron, Chris Woodbury and others for this wonderful event!

April’s Meeting: This month’s event should prove to be interesting. When did you begin to take an interest in the history of your roots? Every year our chapter sponsors an essay contest to help young people develop an interest in their roots early. It involves all of the 4^th grade students in the area. We have three schools who participate. Each participant has an opportunity to do a research paper or essay on one of his or her ancestors. They are judged by impartial judges, and 15 winners are chosen. Wes Christiansen from the board has put this event together.

We used to hold this event at the school, and only the participants, their parents, and teachers were invited. These turned out to be so fun and interesting that we thought you might like seeing with your own eyes, and hearing with your own ears the joy that has come into the lives of these young people as they come to know their ancestors. Several of the winners will read their short essays to the group, and then will be honored by the chapter.

This will be held April 15^th, at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. It will be pot-luck. Because the children and their parents will be there, we will have a large group to feed. We are asking you to make larger portions of what you bring. The chapter will be providing the main course, so we ask that you bring either a large salad, or a large dessert.                         

                        

                        

 

      

                               

 

                               

                                

 Special Note: We as a board of the Hurricane Valley SUP are trying to find ways we can be more frugal with the funds of our chapter. In order to keep the chapter informed of what has happened, and what will be happening, we send out a monthly newsletter. The funding for this project is quite expensive, but is necessary if our membership is to be informed. We have found a much more efficient way to get the newsletter out to you, and feel that most of you have the means to get the newsletter in that fashion. It will save the chapter several hundred dollars each year, and so have decided to expand into the future of communication. We recognize that not all members have a computer and the internet, and so those will still receive this information in the mail. However, those who have the internet, we will be sending the newsletter to you in a much improved way. To do this, we need two things from you. 1. Your e-mail address, 2. If you have the internet. Your e-mail will be used in one of two ways. When the newsletter has been put on-line, then we will generate an e-mail telling you so. If you don’t have e-mail we can’t tell you that. For a couple of months, those with e-mails will not only get the notification, but will also get the newsletter by e-mail. It will come as an attachment, and also in the regular e-mail text. That form will leave much to be desired. Once you have been e-mailed, you can then go on-line to: www.hvsup.org and there view not only the newsletter, but some of the history of Hurricane, view some old pictures of the community, and eventually the history of the SUP in Hurricane. You will be able to tell others about us, and they can get on line and if they desire join us by signing up over the internet. I believe you will find that our website is very functional for what we are wanting, and that you will enjoy it. As you can see, we are trying to get our calendar completed so you can plan for the whole year. Please look at these dates and put them on your calendar. There are some months that still have to have the date scheduled. We will get these dates to you as soon as possible. Come join us for a fun time.