Space Center Honors.

Hello Troops,
We've had a few recognitions recently that I'd like to post so everyone can celebrate the good things that happen here at the Space Center.

This is Mr. Daymont. He likes soda. He likes soda so much that one is never enough. In this picture you see him reaching for my soda.
"Want!" he said with hand outstretched.
"No. One is enough," I answered as I snapped the picture. What followed wasn't pretty. He doesn't take kindly to "No". Especially if it involves a sugary snack.

Mark is one of our special Flight Directors. The Home brings him by so he can watch and clap for us in the corner of the Magellan Control Room. He is our number one fan and a real lover of "Space Trek" (we tried to teach him to say "Star Trek" but he'll have none of it).

Occasionally Mr. Daymont has a bad day. It happens when his oatmeal at the Home isn't prepared properly. Instead of putting two teaspoons of sugar on his Quaker Oats, the cafeteria ladies give him one. Such a slight causes him to go mad. That's when the Home calls and asks if we would like to tend him for a few hours while they clean oatmeal from the walls and sheets of his room.

If you see Mark on your next visit to the Center, be sure to stop and thank him for his support and enthusiastic clapping. Be sure to hid all sweets before approaching. He has a keen sense of smell and can sniff out a carbohydrate from ten feet.

This is a picture of Natalie, Christine and Mark. Christine is giving us the thumbs up. She and Natalie just finished cleaning Mark's face. Someone stupidly gave him a handful of M and M's for an especially enthusiastic clap when the staff took the Magellan Bridge as Orion Pirates. Luckily he didn't mess up his Space Center shirt.

We're celebrating the February birthdays in this picture. We celebrate staff birthdays at the end of every month. The reasoning is sound. Mrs. Houston only has to bake one cake. We save money on candles. Then there's the singing of "Happy Birthday to You". If you've ever head the staff sing then you'd be grateful we only sing once a month. Anything more might cause a visit from the United Nation's Human Rights Commission. Then there is the problem of birds dropping dead from the sky around the school. Our singing is a real nasty business.

This is Mrs. Houston, a Space Center educator. She looks a bit disheveled because of the singing moments earlier. I'm still gritting my teeth. Not to worry, my jaw relaxes before I'm needed to run the next mission.

And now the recognitions. Miranda was awarded her Year of Service Pin. She's still shivering form the singing fifteen minutes earlier (and I'm still gritting my teeth).

Miranda is receiving her Odyssey Pin from Emily. Great job Miranda. Emily on the other hand, received a warning for wearing long johns under her Space Center shirt. She complains about the cold, but is that any excuse for punishing us with protruding long johns?

This is Bro. Alex congratulating Jorden on receiving his Phoenix Pin. Jorden is actually taller than Bro. Alex, but because of Bro. Alex's temperament, Jorden must stoop down to keep his head lower than Bro. Alex's.

You're asking about Bro. Alex's smile? Alex is preparing for missionary service. We've been working with him on his people skills. That smile is the result of three months work. Do you like it?


This is Jace. Jace was awarded his Voyager Pin on this particular camp. Jace has been working on his Voyager pass since the 5th grade. It was a joy to finally get to give him is pin, especially considering he's an 8th grader now at PG Junior (my jaw is beginning to relax).

Thanks to our Awesome Staff and Volunteers. Now I get to take Mark back to the Home. He's still in the Magellan Control Room clapping for a mission that ended 45 minutes ago.

Mr. W.

The EdVentures Starts Anew

Hello Troops,
It's Monday morning here in Pleasant Grove and time to start another week of EdVentures at the Space Education Center. There are about one gazillion kids anxiously waiting their turn at the what many call "The Best Field Trip in Utah". Our staff had their mandatory one day off for R and R and are already up and about, getting ready for the excitement.

I enjoyed Sunday's rain and the cooler temperatures. I enjoyed it even more when I remembered the oven we call July and August. Let's enjoy each day of this transition to summer. And speaking of summer, have you enrolled in one of our summer camps yet? If not, then get with it. We're working on new missions we're sure you'll enjoy.

OK, time for a few things from the Imaginarium, then I'll hit the road and trek to the Center.


I found this for all our 'green' Space Center campers, staff and volunteers. Save the environment and purchase a bamboo keyboard and mouse.

Chess Wars! It was a bloody day on the battle field. The King was cornered with no hope for rescue.
A good thought with one caution. Careful not to 'waste' too much of it. Remember what I always say, "Some of us have to work for a living?" and "Time is money". And yes, you'll fire back with "You're only young once."

True. So true.

Meanwhile, back in Libya........


Have a great day Troops and I'll see many of you in the trenches.

Mr. Williamson

Saint Sheila. My Hero.

Hello Troops,
Some time ago I wrote about the Space Center’s Patron Saint Sheila. The article was a tribute to Sheila Powell, one of the Space Center’s three field trip teachers.

The people I proclaim ‘Saints‘ encapsulate my vision of heroism. They are selfless with their fellow man. They are kind to a fault. They bear their burdens with a strength that inspires. All this, and much more, defines our Saint Sheila.

Sheila’s rise to sainthood is the result of several factors. Sheila was a sixth grade teacher in the Jordan School District. That fact alone drew Vatican attention. Sheila is a cancer survivor. Cancer survivors no longer exist in the same world as you and I. They experience life differently, knowing how fragile it is and how quickly it can end. They have the power to stop time and enjoy life’s special moments. You see them sometimes, standing alone, looking at something so innocent to us that it would hardly cause a moment’s thought, yet they sit memorized - lost in the fraction of a pleasant second.


A few weeks ago Sheila’s father passed away. It was yet another burden for her to carry, being the eldest and responsible for her surviving mother.

And finally, this week’s news.
“I’ve got Parkinson’s Disease,” she told us on Monday. It was said much like you would say you were coming down with a cold. The calmness of the statement was followed by the brightening of her halo. Such a statement can leave the listener uncertain of how to respond. For a moment you visualize the meaning, then realize the uncertain road ahead. The “I’m so sorry,” that inevitably follows are the only words that manage to surface.

And so, our Saint Sheila embarks on another journey of faith, with us beside her.

Recently I overhead several of the staff discuss a member of BYU’s basketball team. I believe his name was Jimmer. The word ‘hero‘ was used to describe their perceptions of his character and abilities. I thought for a moment of how life changes you as you age. When you’re young you admire people that excel in doing things you dream of doing well yourself. You make them your heroes. You put their posters on your walls. You dress like them, talk like them, and eat the cereals endorsed by them.


Now that I've reached the Autumn of my life, I choose my heroes differently. My heroes are the men, women and children who carry the burden of misfortune and illness with a faith that inspires me to be a better person. I see them playing a hand none of us would want, and yet manage to do it in such a way that we are all the better for it.

Saint Sheila is my hero.

Thank you Saint Sheila.

Thursday Blues

Hello Troops,
Just about to get ready for an appointment I've dreaded for two weeks. At 8:00 A.M. my path will cross paths with "The Dentist!" (lights darken in your room accompanied by the sound of a distant drill and screaming).

A piece of one of my top molars broke off during an overnight camp a month ago. I was eating an ice cream sandwich of all things. The thought crossed my mind to charge my two dentist visits, along with the soon to be fitted crown, to workmen's comp - considering my misfortune occurred while I was at work. While a nice thought, reason tells me the ploy won't work. Soon I'll feel lighter when walking because several hundred dollars will be missing from my wallet.

I've have my fair share of crowns and one more is just par for the course. What I don't like is that first shot of Novocaine my dentist takes great delight in giving me to start every procedure. In fact I've had to stop him on several occasions from giving me one just to take xrays of my teeth! Then there was the time he was having a bad day and chose to use his drill instead of floss to clean my teeth. I stopped him. We talked for awhile. He calmed down. It seemed a three year old had his way with him in a previous appointment.

Our awesome daytime staff will get the field trip started without me. I should be at work before the mission actually begins. I'm wondering how I'll sound over the Voyager's sound system with half a paralyzed mouth?! Who knows, it could be the best Paklid I've every played.

Well, to get the day started right, let's have a few items from the Imaginarium.

This just in. Another sighting of Fred Flintstone near Utah Lake

Ever feel like this when an upcoming test forces you to study?

And finally. A new book in the Media Center. Generally light reading for your third grader.

Wish me Luck with the Butcher of Orem....... It's time.................

Mr. W

March 1st.

Hello Troops,
February is in the rear view mirror and that's where I'm happy to leave it. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and better behaved snow. This is the time of year when snow generally favors the mountains and not the valleys, which makes me happy. This is the time of the year when snow starts to fill our streams and lakes. That makes me happy. This is the time of year when snow falls nicely through the air giving everyone that "It's snowing" rush but disappears upon contact with my driveway. That makes me happy. Yes, this month will give us a better behaved snow.

We had a great time hosting 70 plus students from Goshen yesterday. They did well in the ships and were outstanding in the classroom.

How about a few smiles to start the month?

Perhaps your idea of a perfect school lunch? This is what's on today's lunch menu in the Imaginarium's Cafeteria. All of this at 100 calories.


Coat hangers for Imagineers. The perfect gift.


One of Norman Rockwell's famous paintings from Life Magazine.


And another version from the Imaginarium's Museum of Modified Art.

And from the "Isn't that True" Department.

And now a Scene from the next James Bond 007 Film.


And from "The Stuff No One Told You Department"


A Thought from our "Stuff you Won't Hear in Church This Sunday" Department.



And our Everyday Blues

I'd love a poster like this to recruit new volunteers. Imagine seeing something like this in your school's hallway.

Have a Great March and I'll see you in the Trenches.

Mr. W.