40 yrs of Passage   by Pat (Patti Organ) Sullivan

 We have long ago left the comfort of our teens and high school to become citizens in our various communities, some as successful doctors and lawyers , others in business and industry,  but more importantly, our jobs were to be successful in the home, instilling responsible values in the children of the next generation.   

I feel so blessed that God’s plan for me included three years with you.  As an outsider from a different state, registration in the summer of ‘61 was no less than overwhelming.  That did not last long.  You were totally accepting,  making an unforgettable impact on my years at Bountiful. 

Remembering pep rallies, the championship basketball team, football games that were really, really cold, our parade down the streets of Bountiful (still amazed my parents agreed to let me use the family car), decorating for the  proms, crazy double dates with Vicki Seeley (Frederickson), Lane Summerhays and Lynn Payne, ski club trips (on one occasion someone did not want a great day at Solitude to end, putting snow in the gas tank and stranding us for many hours more), the frightening possibilities during the Cuban missle crisis, the day time stopped along with our hearts when our president was shot, and another when we learned our friend Marian Mills was killed, performances with the choir under the master I learned so much from, Gerald Ottley, Vesper services and our grand and lengthy graduation day (we were a huge class!), a spirit-filled Socotwa graduation trip with LaVon and Lane and a busload of friends to historic eastern church sites and the New York World’s Fair, saying tearful goodbyes to friends and facing challenges of an unknown future of college, jobs, marriage, and children, are all among the many memories that stir up my emotions even now.  I thank you for your influence and friendships in those formidable years.

 Today l face a challenge of a different kind.  Almost six years ago and only two months before our daughter’s wedding, I was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) a fatal neurological bad guy for which there is no cure. Maintaining a positive attitude in the midst of trying circumstances takes practice, but with help from our Savior, it's worth it.  This journey has only strengthened the importance of my faith, lasting friends, and loving family and an understanding that we must never take for granted anything in life.  We are here for such a very short time but I can now approach the future with a sense of calm and peace. 

May God continue to richly bless you and your families always.  Know that in thought I will be there on September 11^th.  Happy 40^th to all!