Oral History Program Raelene Critchlow Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 25 January 2024 Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Raelene Critchlow Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 25 January 2024 Copyright © 2025 by Weber State University, Stewart Library Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. The working files, original recording, and archival copies are housed in the University Archives. Project Description The WSU Storytelling Festival was implemented by the Friends of the Stewart Library in 1992. The library sponsored and managed the annual festival until 1998, when the festival was moved to the Department of Teacher Education, with the Library continuing as a sponsor. The three-day festival entails storytellers from all over the nation, including youth storytellers. The events are made up of workshops and presentations, a fund-raising banquet, and a wrap-up of wonderful stories from gifted performers. This interesting collection includes oral history interviews with visiting storytellers, discussing how they became interested in storytelling and where they receive their inspiration. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management This work is the property of the Weber State University, Stewart Library Oral History Program. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Critchlow, Raelene, an oral history by Lorrie Rands, 25 January 2024, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Raelene Brian Critchlow at her home in Kaysville, Utah with Lorrie Rands on January 25, 2024. Raelene talks about her childhood in Ogden and her attending Weber State College. She also shares her memories of the creation of and her work with the WSU Storytelling Festival. Also present is Kandice Harris. Note: Active listening, transitions in dialogue (such as “um,” “so” “you know,” etc.), and false starts in conversations are not included in transcription for ease of reading. All additions to transcript noted with brackets. LR: All right. Today is January 25, 2024. We are in the home of Raelene Critchlow, and we are doing an oral history interview with her for the Weber State University Storytelling Festival. My name is Lorrie Rands conducting, and Kandice Harris is on the camera as well. Thank you so much for your willingness to sit down and talk with us, I’m really grateful. Let's just jump in with when and where you were born? RC: I was born in Star Valley in Afton, Wyoming, Lincoln County. I lived in Freedom for a while. It was called Freedom because one side of the street was in Wyoming, the other side of the street was Idaho. The post office was in Wyoming, so it was Freedom, Wyoming. LR: Okay, and when were you born? RC: I was born October 29, 1933. LR: Okay. I know that you probably don't remember a whole lot about growing up during the Depression. Do you have any memories of that at all? 1 RC: Yes. We didn't have money. We saved pop bottles for two cents; you could turn them in. I remember when electric lights came, we saved those little plugs, thinking they were nickels. They weren't any good, but it was exciting when we had electricity. Running water didn't come for quite a while. We were frugal. Mother always said, "Be sure you clean your plate and don't take more than you think you can eat." I remember life was good. I loved climbing the tree; I had my own tree. I loved the relatives. Freedom was a little farming community and that was your social life. I remember going to school before we had buses. We got in the back of a truck with a wagon cover so that if the weather wasn't too good, we didn't get wet. There were two classes in each room. I loved school, I loved learning, we always had to put our hands on the desk so that the teacher could see that they were clean. We always said the Pledge of Allegiance and I always kind of got a little tingling when we said it. I loved to sing the patriotic song “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” My father was a schoolteacher, and so I got to start school a little earlier than some of the others. I was the youngest one in the class and the shortest. The only thing I didn't like about school was the boys chasing me and always wanting to kiss me, that really bothered me. But I loved the jump rope, hopscotch, jacks and all those other games we played. If you got in trouble, we did have a chair you had to go sit on. The blackboards would slide up and down. That's where you hung your coat and put your lunch. The blackboard would come down and you'd use it for the school lesson. But if the boys were misbehaving, up 2 went the blackboard, in went the student, down came the blackboard. So, some of those things wouldn't work now at all. In the third grade, we moved from Logan where my father finished his degree at the AC (Agricultural College) in Logan, that’s what we it called then. LR: Utah State University, okay. RC: That was a good experience. I went to school at the Whittier Training School where teachers came and started their teaching. I remember the things that they did. We planted a garden once, so we could see how things grow. Then we took care of it, harvested it and then the teacher brought little squares of bread and butter. We had radishes, green onions, and the milk that you always got. I think that's where I learned to like to play in the dirt with plants. You know, there's something peaceful about it to me. LR: How long were you in Logan? RC: Just until the third grade. I guess we moved during third grade to Ogden. I was in Logan from probably second and part of third grade. LR: Okay, so you were only in Logan for maybe not even a couple of years. Okay. So, when you moved to Ogden, where did you move to? RC: We moved to 2855 Quincy, and I went to Quincy Elementary. I was a little surprised because everyone was doing cursive writing. I said, "I don't know how to do that." The teacher said, "Well, just look at it and copy." I didn't ever really get very good at penmanship, but I loved being in third grade. I remember a good educator she was a real promoter of teaching and educating children. We really 3 thought a lot of her. I went to Lewis Junior High and then I went to Ogden High School. LR: Okay. Where was Lewis Junior High? RC: It was on 28th Street just above Washington Boulevard. I was involved in student government. I was school secretary in elementary, junior high, high school, and even at Weber College. It was kind of fun. LR: What year did you graduate from high school? RC: 1951. LR: So, while you were in high school, what were some of the activities that you would do? RC: Well, I was involved with the yearbook, it was called “The Classicum.” My father was the advisor. We really had wonderful yearbooks and won national awards. That was a fun thing to do. I was interested in being a secretary. Most of my education was in that field. I would have loved to have been in music. My fifthgrade music teacher scared me in class one day. I was supposed to be in the school play and sing. She wore her hair in a big bun around her head and carried her violin bow. She would walk down the rows tapping the rhythm on the desks with her violin bow and listen to us sing. She stopped by me and while tapping the desk said, "Louder! Louder, louder. I don't know how you're ever going to sing with that teeny tiny voice." That stopped my music career. So, I realize how important it is to make children feel they can do anything they want to do if they try hard enough. I should have, but I just carried the music when my husband sang. 4 LR: So was your father— RC: His name was Elmer Sommers. S-O-M-M-E-R-S, do you know him? LR: No, we were just trying to figure out your maiden name so we could look you up at Weber College and we could not figure it out. So now we're just like, “Okay, there it is.” You said he was an educator? RC: Yes. LR: Was he a teacher at Ogden High? RC: Yes. KH: What did he teach? RC: American History, American Problems, Commercial Law. He was faculty chairman and editorial advisor for the school yearbook. They won many awards for their published yearbooks. KH: What was it like working with your dad? RC: He was great. I had him for one class, and we got along just fine. He always left his big black student record book on the dining room table where he corrected school papers. But I never did look at it because I thought, “Well, that's his classes roll book. I don't want to see if I'm going to get an A or not.” I did get A's. LR: Was he at every school you attended? RC: No, but in Wyoming he taught at various schools and towns. I was a just baby when he taught all grades in a one-room schoolhouse. He was also the principal and the janitor. He would get up early and go make a fire in the stove to warm the room before the students arrived. After he graduated, he taught briefly at Central 5 Junior High and then accepted a teaching position at the beautiful new Ogden High School. LR: Okay. You said you took a class where your dad taught. Was that strange to be in the classroom with your dad teaching? RC: No, not really. He was very gentle, but he was a good teacher. I enjoyed it. We had several students at the high school then that their parents were teachers. So, it wasn't a unique thing. LR: That makes sense. So, what prompted you to do a student government? RC: I guess it was the encouragement of friends who said, "Will you run? We're going to vote for you.” There weren’t many other things that felt I was talented to do, but I could be helpful if needed. LR: Is there a memory that stands out of your time at Ogden High? RC: Yes, I was speaking to the student body, and I couldn't see the audience. I saw a little stool there, and I just said, "I think I'll stand on this little stool." So, I stood on it and I could see everyone. A little embarrassing, but it did help me out. I was involved in assemblies, and I went to the DAR, the Daughters of the American Revolution. I also was selected to go to Girls State at Utah State University. That was where we learned government. Let's see, I was in the pep club and involved in all the school activities. LR: What would you do for fun around town? You know, when you weren't in school. Where would you and your girlfriends go and just be? RC: Well, I guess a lot of the times we just drove down and parked on Main Street and watched people. That's what we did for some of our dates too. 6 LR: Okay. Was it just Main Street or would you pick like 25th Street? RC: No, we didn't go down 25th Street. That was the bad street in Ogden at that time. We always locked the doors, but it was fun just watching the activities. One thing I really liked was when they brought the Symphony to Ogden. I loved to hear that music. I guess they were called Community Concerts. That was always fun. I was involved in all the basketball games. I just loved growing up. I loved high school. Later, when I would get in groups and they would talk about school, not many enjoyed their high school years. I thought it was great. I felt like the end of the world had come when I graduated, “What am I going to do now?” LR: Were you encouraged to obtain an education, to further your education? RC: Yes, I was planning to go to college. I didn't get a scholarship. I think it was a coach who said, "Raelene’s had enough honors..." I don't know what you would call it, opportunities or accolades. But he said, “We're not giving her a scholarship.” So, I didn't get a scholarship to Weber, but I went to Weber anyway. LR: When did you start going to Weber? RC: Let's see, I graduated in 1951, so I must've started in ‘51. LR: That fall? Okay. What was, because that was when it was still a college, right? Weber College. What was the campus like when you first started? RC: Well, we had the gymnasium. I can't remember what we called it. We also had several annex buildings from the city, used as our classrooms. We had the Moench building. KH: Oh, she was at the Jefferson campus the last year before they moved. LR: Oh, so you were downtown? 7 RC: Yes, we were downtown. LR: Okay. I was envisioning you up here. KH: Oh, so you went, you're talking about the Weber Gymnasium. RC: Yeah. KH: That building's so pretty. RC: You know the gymnasium? I can't remember what we called it. KH: In all the catalogs it was just called the Weber Gymnasium. I don't know if it had a name. We had the Moench building then. We had the TUB, the Temporary Union Building. That was where we had the bookstore. And the little fountain shop. RC: And the fountain shop. Jerry was the gal there. She was the life of the TUB. It was kind of our gathering place. I guess that's why it was called the Union Building. Farrell Shepherd was over it, and years later, he and I shared grandchildren. LR: I just think that's so cool that you were down there at the Jefferson campus. RC: Yeah, that's what they call it now, the Jefferson campus? It was a fun place to be. LR: So, it moved— RC: Let's see, I was a freshman the year we all got in buses and drove South out of Ogden along Harrison and broke ground for the new campus. LR: Oh, okay. So, you were there when they broke ground. Was there a ceremony? RC: Oh, yeah. It was right where that brick wall is now. It was way out of town. We thought, “How are we ever going to get to school, clear out there?” Fred Ball was the student body president. Years later, he became head of the Salt Lake City 8 Chamber of Commerce. He was a good guy. I don't remember any violence, crime, or community unrest. It seemed like that was a peaceful time in my life. KH: I know the students helped with the landscaping, so did you go help with the landscaping? RC: I didn't. I got married before I graduated from that two-year college. LR: Oh, okay. While you were at Weber, what were you studying? RC: Let's see. I think I was kind of in required classes. I was thinking about being a teacher or secretary. LR: Okay, you said that you got married before you graduated. When did you meet your husband? RC: Well, I met him in the hall of one of the annex buildings. I was walking backwards talking to four close girlfriends. I hadn’t noticed a handsome guy talking to a fellow I had previously dated. They were cousins. When I married the handsome guy, my boyfriend became my cousin in-law. LR: Okay. So, Doug is— RC: Doug Brian was my husband. LR: Did you ever finish your two-year degree? RC: No, the Dean of Women said I was foolish to get married and not graduate from Weber College. Doug taught small arms repair at Fort Ord and wasn't going overseas. He said, "I'm going to be here. Why don't we get married?" So, we did, with my parents’ approval. LR: Okay. You said he was stationed at Fort Ord? Is that where you went to eventually? 9 RC: That's where we lived. LR: Okay, and where's Fort Ord? RC: Fort Ord is in California. We actually lived in Pacific Grove. Fort Ord is close to Monterrey. Now, I don't think Fort Ord is there anymore, but that's where my first baby was born. When they brought her to me, the front of her T-shirt said, “Property of the U.S. Government, Fort Ord.” I thought, “Uh-uh, she's mine.” KH: Could I backtrack a little bit? At Weber College, you were the student body secretary. Could you talk a little bit about what that was like? RC: That was a great experience and Val Lofgreen, who went to Ogden High with me, was the student body president. Jane Powell was from Weber High. I was happy to get acquainted with Jane, a very talented gal. I was the secretary; we oversaw student activities. I remember being the homecoming queen. The captain of the football team, as well as the whole team sponsored me. Anyway, he was planning that I would go to the dance with him but I said, "No, I can't, I'm engaged." He was so mad. My dad was my escort. I enjoyed Weber College. I was voted the AMS, Associated Men's Student Queen. It's when they had queens for everything. They had social clubs, and I was in Otyokwa. I think there were five women clubs; I had friends in all of them. KH: So, what are some of the activities that Otyokwa would do? RC: Otyokwa sponsored a greased pig race for the student body. We did assemblies and club activities. All clubs participated. I remember the men's clubs. One time they had the cow milking contest and some club boys drove out to North Ogden and got a cow, put it in the truck to bring to Weber. One of the Excelsior boys got 10 in that truck and milked the cow on the way in. So, when the milking contest started there was no milk left to come from the cow. There was a lot of those kinds of pranks. Doug was the baseball pitcher and worked with Coach Milt Mecham. We went to all the sporting events, and I even have a picture of me sitting on the front row seat with what was his name? Our president. KH: Oh, Henry Dixon? RC: No, this was Aldous Dixon. Here's our picture. KH: I know that picture. I love that picture. LR: Which one are you? RC: This one. LR: Oh, you’re right up front. RC: Yes, by President Dixon. This is Jane, she was vice president. This is Val, he was the student body president, this is me, and this was my girlfriend, Carol Lee Anderson. We sat on bleachers for football and basketball games. We went to all the games, a fun memory of college. KH: Who were some of your favorite professors? RC: Oh, I had Orson Young. KH: He's the biology professor. RC: He's the one that told me this point on my ear was Darwin's tubercle. I just hated my pointed ear because in high school I was teased. Some students would say, “Every day is fairy day for me.” I kept my ears covered. I remember Walter Buss was also a science professor. LR: So, you never went to the Harrison Campus? 11 RC: No, I was always on the Jefferson Campus. KH: Did you have Leland Monson? He was an English professor. RC: Oh, yes. English. Yes. He was great. KH: Let's see. Jennings Olson, I think he taught philosophy. RC: He did. I didn't ever have him. KH: Sorry, I'm looking at the 1952 yearbook. RC: Oh, well, then that would be helpful. KH: Did you ever take a class from Fred Rabe? He taught photography. RC: Yes, I did, with Don Budge, the basketball star. KH: Was it Clarice Hall that was the Dean of Women? RC: No, she wasn’t. KH: There's also Marva Gregory. RC: Oh, yes. I didn't have her, but she was also an English teacher. KH: What was your favorite class to take at Weber? Do you remember? RC: I liked them all. I liked Leland Monson; he was a very good teacher. They were all good, but I spent more time with the teachers at Ogden High, so I knew them better. LR: When you got married, how far into your program did you get at Weber College? RC: I was a sophomore. KH: When did you get married? RC: When I was a sophomore. KH: I'm sorry, I'm asking the anniversary. RC: Oh, let’s see, February 26, 1953. 12 KH: You would have been about one term away from graduating, right? Or two? RC: Yes, the Dean of Women said to me, "That is foolish, you should wait.” Doug was going to be stationed at Fort Ord teaching small arms repair. LR: So how long were you at Fort Ord? RC: Two years. LR: Okay. When did you eventually come back to Ogden? RC: When he was out of the army,1954. Then he started back at Weber College. We had started our family, so I didn't go back to school. LR: Okay. About what year was that? Do you remember when you came back to Ogden? RC: Well, it was in 1954. LR: Okay, so you weren't at Fort Ord very long then? RC: No. He had been there longer. LR: Okay. Where did you live when you came back to Ogden? RC: We lived near the Deaf and Blind school on 20th street, and then we lived on Jackson, we lived on Darling, then moved to Roy. I remember his graduation from Weber College. After he graduated, he went to University of Utah. I remember at his graduation from Weber College, it was out on the football field. It started to rain and we thought, “Well, what do we do?” It kept raining, a little bit harder, then a huge downpour. One of the graduates yelled, "You'd think with all this learnin’, someone would have sense enough to get out of the rain!" Suddenly all graduates’ hats went into the air, graduates ran out of the stadium and picked up their diplomas inside. That was a funny memory of college. 13 Years later, my husband Doug Brian became the Student Alumni President of Weber State University. He dedicated the flagpoles in front of the Browning Center. He was a mechanical engineer; he helped with the planning of the pond. I can't remember what it's called. LR: The duck pond. KH: Oh, the Lindquist duck pond. Okay, that's awesome. RC: That was when they were going to dedicate the building where we have the concerts. KH: Oh, the Browning Center. RC: Yes, the Browning Center. After an alumni meeting, he went over and went through the building, catwalk and all. He was very late getting home. I was so concerned about him because he said, "It's our last meeting; it’ll be really short. I'll be home quick." Hours later, I called Alan Hall and said, "Alan, Doug hasn't come home. Did you have a long meeting?" He said, "No, it was a short meeting." Anyway, when he got home, I grounded him. Our son was the senior class president at Davis High School, and he was out working on the senior dance, and Doug said, "Is Scott home?" I said, "No, not yet." He said, "Well, then how can you ground me?" 14 I said, "Because I love you the most!" Anyway, the next day was Saturday, and it was my birthday. We were supposed to be in the president's box because Doug was finishing his term as Alumni President. Let's see, that was President— KH: William Miller? RC: No, after him. KH: Bishop. RC: Yes, President Bishop. Anyway, he hadn’t come home, and I thought we're going to be late. So, I went over to my daughter's house where he was helping with the roofing. He was very near the edge, and I said, "Hey Doug, it's time for you to go." He said, "I know, I'll be right there." Then I went around the back of the house and looked up. The neighbor was standing on the roof and I said, "Doesn't that make you nervous?" He said, "No, but I sure get nervous about the kids running around below." I said, "Well, I can't watch." So, I went back around to the front of the house. and as I got in there, I had just said “hi” to everyone. They were having lunch, and we heard whoosh! I screamed, "The children!" I ran out around the back and as I rounded the corner, someone had gone to the kitchen window and I heard him say, "It's Doug." He had been knocked off the roof. A couple of bundles of shingles had been caught in a microburst. He never regained consciousness. They called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. I rode with him, and he lived 30 hours and then passed away. We had a six-year-old, a 13-year-old, a 15 senior in high school, and two married daughters, and three grandsons. That was a change of life in 30 hours. I became a 44-year-old single mother, and there were only a few single mothers at that time. I would go to football practice, basketball practice, and I'd go other places with the boys, and I'd be the only woman with all the dads. But, after two years, there were more single mothers. LR: I had a question and then I forgot because I didn't write it down. It's not your fault that I didn't write it down. Oh, I remember now. So, this was what, 1970? RC: 1977. LR: Were you still living in Roy? RC: No, we had moved out of SLC to Fruit Heights. The accident was on my birthday. Doug died the next day on my mother's birthday. Doug was 48 years old. I am blessed with good children. LR: That's always a nice thing. So, you talked about being one of only a few single mothers in the late 70s. What was that like, trying to navigate your way as a single mother in the larger community? RC: Well, I wore many different hats. I volunteered at the school and helped as a tutor. I later worked for Doctor Steele as a dental assistant and then as his receptionist. I was asked to be on the McKay Dee Institutional Review Committee. I was involved in community, family and church. I had several church callings at that time. I was a Stake Relief Society president. I was a widow for 17 years. I volunteered at the LDS church offices. I was on the Primary General Board of the LDS church. The only one without a college degree. But I sure loved 16 learning from those amazing women. That was a good experience, and that's where I got to work with Dr. Karen Lofgreen from Weber State University. Dr. Karen Lofgreen, who was in the education department of Weber State and our first chairman of the Storytelling Festival. Michaelene Grassli who was the General President of the Primary Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was also on our steering committee. At a Primary retreat the two of them said, "Raelene come here. Would you go out with Bill Critchlow?" I said, "What happened to Peg?" They said, "Well, she passed away." I didn't know that. I knew Peggy's younger sister as a friend, and I knew who he was. KH: What year would that have been? Do you remember? RC: It would have been before the Storytelling meetings. LR: Okay, so you've met Bill. How long did you date Bill? RC: About nine months. He called for a date, and we went out to eat at the Ben Lomond Hotel. He had tickets to see Swan Lake at the Browning Center. At dinner he kept talking and talking. The auditorium lights were dimming as we went in. And as they dimmed I thought, “Oh good, now people will know he's dating, and he'll start dating a lot. I won't need to go with him again.” He called the next day and wanted to know if on Saturday I would go someplace with him, and I said, "Sorry, I can't. I'm going down to Karen Ashton's and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival." He said "Oh, I like stories. Could I go with you?" 17 I said, "Oh, no, I'm just going to drive down. I told her I'd help her." She and I were on the Primary Committee together. He said, "Well, I'd be glad to drive you down. I'd really like to go with you and you wouldn't have to drive." I said, "Well, okay." He loved the festival. He was on the Stewart Library Board at the time. He saw a young boy tell a story, it was Karen Ashton's son, and he just couldn't get over it. The festival was on their property in several tents and different storytellers were in all the tents. It was a wonderful thing, and he talked about it all the way home. The next library board meeting he went to, he said, “I think we need to have a storytelling festival here.” I guess he talked them into it. He talked me into getting married! [Recording stops] [Recording resumes] LR: Okay, were you still dating Bill? That was the date, right? Going to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival? How long after that did you get married? RC: Well, let's see. All the Primary Board was encouraging me. Karen Ashton was also encouraging me, but I wasn’t ever going to remarry, you know. When the Stewart Library Board decided that they would like to learn about a storytelling festival, he said, "Who do you think could be in charge of it?" I said, "Anyone who could make a success of anything would be Karen Lofgreen." She became the first chairman. We invited Karen Ashton to meet with our Steering Committee and give us some guidelines and suggestions on how 18 plan a successful storytelling festival. Karen started the Timpanogos Festival at the library in Orem. LR: You mentioned that Bill was on the Stewart Board, the Library Board. I'm saying that wrong. RC: Stewart Library Board. LR: Was there anyone in the library who helped organize that? RC: Yes. I can't remember her name. After three years, I think she became chairman. Anyway, she took over and I don't know how many years it was. Maybe two or three. We weren't making it, and she was going to quit. Karen took over again. In the process of those few years, we had no money to work with. That's why I think the library couldn't continue supporting it. In 1998, I think is when they quit, but they were still involved and supportive. We didn't have money so then we had to start getting donors and a steering committee, we did all that groundwork. I think we had a board of about 12 or more on the steering committee. LR: What was the storytelling festival? What did it entail? RC: It entailed storytellers and listeners. We wanted children to enjoy reading stories and retelling them. Local schools were invited to participate; teachers taught the children how to tell stories. They would have contests, and then the winners would come to our festival and participate. About 30 to maybe 70 storytellers would come and share their stories. Another purpose of the festival was to help children develop more interest in cultural arts and expression; self-confidence is what it really did in helping the children. They were delightful. We had national storytellers come and they would 19 tell stories, some were even foreign tellers. We had local tellers from our community. Some came in from Idaho. As it progressed we got the college involved, and now there are children telling stories whose parents told stories in the festival years ago. LR: That is really cool. KH: So, when this started out, where were the stories being told? Was it on campus, was it somewhere outside? RC: First it was on Weber College campus, and we had the big tents, and we got there the first morning it had been raining. All the chairs had a puddle. We all got busy getting the chairs all dried off. We noticed as we went to other places where we were telling stories that it was slushy and the water main had broken. So, we sloshed in all that water and had stories and did everything we had planned. Our next move was down to the David Eccles Conference Center. I don't think we tried it again outside. But we were pleased to have community donors who we wouldn't have been able to even do anything without them. They were faithful. We would take them to lunch the day before the festival began to let them meet all the national storytellers and hear each one tell a little story. Donors were enthusiastic and saw the good and what it could do for the children and the community. That became one of the biggest events for attendance the college has. It's going strong and this year will be the 28th festival. That’s exciting. LR: That is exciting. RC: That it would carry on that long and with enthusiasm was rewarding. Some changes were made each year to improve the festival. All members on the 20 steering committee gave their ideas on making changes to improve any concern and discussion followed. One good idea was to add bilingual stories, and we had storytellers from Ogden who were on our first committee. Anneliese Konkol and the fellow that taught, Bill Higley, would mime at the Tree House and a few like that, who were storytellers who would tell us about storytelling. In 1977, the bicentennial year, Bill had commissioned some well-known artists to paint pictures of the forts in the area. These paintings are in the storytelling video that was produced. There's a video of Bill talking about Fort Buenaventura. We would show those paintings at the festival; they were located in an area on the campus where you could go in and see all the pictures. They were in the library until they moved. They needed more space, and then they put some of those pictures down in storage. But our community here in Fruit Heights is having a library set up and a museum, and they've got permission from the college to house the paintings. DeeDee Mauer is excited about having those historical paintings in the Fruit Heights/Kaysville Museum. A lot has happened from the storytelling and we've received the initial awards. Anneliese has recently been a director of their program—have you seen their programs? LR: I haven't, no. RC: Well, this is talking all about it. It shows all the national storytellers. Oh, we give a Karen J. Ashton award. These are the people who are award winners: this Anneliese Konkol, Bill Higley, Dean Hurst, you would probably recognize all those names. I even got it last year, but I'm not a storyteller. But I was on the committee. 21 LR: When it was first starting, what was your role? How were you involved with the festival? RC: Supporting Bill, I guess. LR: Okay. Well, that's a role. RC: I mean, I helped whatever he was doing, I was helping. We were getting people on the steering committee. We had a lot of the college, even the gal who is on the last—oh, she did costuming. She was on that committee. KH: Catherine Zublin? RC: Yes, Catherine. But here's all the storytellers that are local, and these are regional storytellers. I think we had about 30 of them. Because you must pay the storyteller for every time they come. Then all the youth tellers are listed, their school and their grade. Then here's the schedule of who's telling at different times and where they were doing it. That was probably my first biggest one was to help get this schedule done. Then, I went on a mission with Bill and that that's. When we first started, we charged to attend, and I don't know if we ever charged more than a dollar. When we got donors and money building up then it became free for everyone. At our first meeting down in the David Eccles Conference Center, we'd have Monday night bedtime stories and then a break and we'd give all the kids cookies and milk, they were all donated. They'd come in their pajamas and bring their pillows and their blankets, because the next session, after 30 minutes, was scary stories. Then, they could go home and go to bed. We served cookies and milk for quite a while. Then it just kept changing and changing. 22 But it's a delightful memory for me because of the good that I saw it do for the community, for the parents, for the children. The parents would say "Our children now are not shy. They have self-confidence." LR: What are some of your favorite memories of the festival? RC: Well, one was the water on the seats. Well, that was a hard one. I tried to write down some of the things. I really like the friendships that were established with the community and the college and those that were helping being hostesses. Couples would host the nationals and be their driver and take them everywhere they needed to go. That was very helpful. The festival committee became very close friends because we worked so closely with each other and helped each other. The storytellers really loved to come to Weber College because of the classiness of it. That was from Karen Lofgreen. The exactness, we would have our meetings, we would start on time, and we would end on time, and we would cover all our items—everything was done very nice. I think that's why the donors liked it. It was well done. It was well managed. We had parties after for the storytellers. When we got to be friends and tell them stories, sometimes the storytellers would say, "We are really hungry." One time we said, "Okay," and we took them all out to dinner. Then that got to the point that they'd come in Sunday, so when they came in, there wasn’t anything for them to do. So, we'd go to someone’s home and have a nice meeting and dinner. When one teller didn't get his luggage, a member took him downtown and bought him an outfit. It was nice of us. The stories were just delightful. I think they were funnier then than they are now. Sometimes a shaggy 23 dog story is hard to follow. But then they were so funny. You could remember them. I have a granddaughter who is the mother of three children. She took a daughter to the festival when she was four and she still remembers the story of Buckethead. Because we kept her there for the scary stories after the cookies and milk. It was just a story of this man that had two heads and sometimes that bucket was on this head, and he was a scary person, and then the bucket on other head was a different scary person. One story was about going down the Grand Canyon, and you went right down the Grand Canyon with him. We laughed, and we laughed. It felt good to laugh. I know I've, well maybe it's because I'm older, but all my grandkids we'd take all our families and our kids it was a night out. It was fun, and they became interested in reading stories. So that was a good thing. One thing I remember: it was really thrilling to drive down Washington early in the morning 8:30 and see yellow school buses lined up all along Washington Boulevard, bringing students to the festival. The teachers were in charge and students stayed in line. It was amazing to see their excitement. Then we had big donor dinners at the Timbermine to raise more money. Everything was free except if you came to the festival dinner. Some of our donors would buy tables and bring family or guests. Everyone had four choices to preorder their dinner, prime rib, salmon, chicken or vegetarian. Each storyteller told a story, and one student would be invited to tell their story so donors and guests saw what the storytelling festival was like. 24 LR: It almost sounds as though this festival turned into a family thing for your family. Your entire family was involved at one point or another. RC: They'd all come to hear the storytellers. My nieces, nephews and my sisters invited families and friends. Anyone, neighbors would come because we'd tell them about it and be excited. It became a good thing. We would have events on the campus for the college students to participate in. The storytellers would give workshops, so teachers, students, whoever was interested in learning how to become a storyteller, were given instructions in a workshop. I don't know what it has become. I'm sure as it evolves, it's different. But I still love the storytelling festival. I won't miss it. I still go to the dinners. Let's see, was there anything else? Just memories. LR: Well, let me ask you quick fast. When did you stop being a part of the planning of the festival? RC: Well, when it became hard to get Bill there. It was probably about 20 years. LR: Okay, so you were doing that for a long time. RC: We did leave for two years when Bill was called as director of the St. George Temple Visitors’ Center and the five historic sites. When we returned, we were on the Steering Committee again for a few years and then it became hard to get Bill to the meetings on campus. We were involved in the planning of the festivals, we loved it. I'm just really thrilled that they're still doing it. We had a beautiful painting Norman Skanky painted of children and a storyteller with a staff. Many people wanted a to buy a picture, so we had copies made and sold them at the festival. A local bookstore came and sold children’s books also the tapes and CDs 25 storytellers brought to sell. Skanky was a talented artist and sculpted silver and copper lapel pins of a storyteller holding his staff. A jewelry company made them for us to sell. We gave one to our national storytellers. We did several things to make money for the festival. LR: So, I just have one more question. What do you hope the legacy of the Storytelling Festival is? RC: I hope it continues. I think it met its purpose. The community and children are still enjoying it. We had good sponsors, the Stewart Education Foundation, Lindquists, Denkers, and Felt Family Foundations and many others. I worked some with the donors, great people. Individuals and family donors were mentioned in the festival program each year. We had schoolteachers and principals be our master of ceremonies; there was a lot of community and school involvement. Our hosts and hostesses were locals, wonderful and willing. LR: Okay. Is there any other story or memory you'd like to share before we go? RC: The last day of the festival was held in Layton at the Davis Conference Center. Monday morning of the festival the Children’s Tree House Museum delighted young children with storytellers adding music to their stories. We took storytellers to local elementary and high schools, private schools, senior living and care centers. It was a wonderful experience. LR: Well, thank you so much. Unless you have any other questions, we'll just turn it off. RC: Yeah. Turn it off. 26