BYU Honor Dinner

 On November 19, 2019, the BYU Therapeutic Recreatin held an Honor Banquet - the TR program is not going to be offered any longer in Provo - but at BYU-Idaho.  Harold was one of 8 former faculty members to be honored and given a nice plaque recogniziing his contributions to the program.  At the left is Mark Widmer, Neil Lundberg, Ashley Bowen, Trish Jensen Obo, Clark Thorestsen, Harold Smith, Raymond Zabriskie, and Keith Barney. 

 Each of those being honored gave short remarks - most along the lines of Therapeutic Recreation is divinely inspired - helping others to have a better life.  Dr. Thorestsen began the BYU program in 1971 ... He told a story illustrating the quality of TR students .  One young lady was serving her TR internship at a nursing home.  One of the older men told her he was needing some help - - his hair needed shampooing, he needed a clean shirt, he needed a bath.  She cheerfully did all those things for him. After that he climbed into his bed and laid down and said.  Thank you so much, now I can go home....and he died!  Harold was going to speak briefly about something else but when Dr. Thorestsen was there he felt more inclined to honor him and the long life of serving others.  Dr. T said with his cane that in the temple he tells them he is a 'cannanite'!

 It was really nice to be in the Alumni House - not the one my Dad worked in for years, but nice anyway. 

 Some of the faculty and staff and students who were in attendence - last group to graduate from BYU in TR - the new name of the department is Experience Design and Managment - EXDM - sounds like a medicine to me!!  They are housed in the Marriott School of Managment, sigh.

Dr. T. had a stroke about 5 years ago, his wife Colleen asked about my brother Craig said he was a special person to her - me too!  Trish Jensen Obo told us about her Baptist Bible she read as a child in NC - the words of the Savior were printed in red.  They all told us how to 'treat' each other!  That was the impact of TR in her life.  Some of the others told about how they didn't 'find' TR - it found them! Lovely evening, delicious food and wonderful surroundings.