cc: file, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner. Diane Cluff, and Andrea Shirts
"I remember my homecoming talk after my mission. It was at the Cedar City Third Ward, at 190 North 300 West where Southern Utah Mortuary is now. I remember one of Mom's single lady friends came to listen to me, and it was important to Mom that she thought I was special, `Because she knows men.' I remember the theme of my talk was Alma 32, on faith. I remember Brent Sorenson's (one of my high school friend's) brother was in the ward and he just watched me talk and seemed to be making mental notes. I remember how glad I was when I was finished with the talk. I remember driving down to Snow's Canyon with my $15 guitar from Juarez, Mexico within a few days, and writing the song I named `Homecoming.' The words are repeated here as modified from what is written on page 101 of Prime Words:
Following the homecoming talk was a hard transition for me. I recall going to the Stake High Council and giving a report. I remember Mr. Kenney's tears as I bore testimony. I recall President Crawford's anger as I pointed out I felt he had tried to force me to go on a mission with the threat of losing my draft deferment if I waited to go (I was the oldest in my Priest Quorum, and each ward only got two draft deferments for missions per year and I turned mine down because I didn't feel I was ready to go on a mission at 19). I remember Mom and Dad weren't active in the church when I got back, and I felt like it was my responsibility. (I'm finally getting over that and realizing other people have the right to make choices.) I remember I needed to get away from home and go to school. I remember my professors being suprised when I came back and told them I wanted another scholarship (.../9735.html). I remember them telling me `there are no jobs in the oil industry, and you (I) should really look to study in another area, like the social sciences, since you (I) am obviously interested in this area as shown by serving a mission.' I remember how glad they were to have me there less than a year later when the oil embargo completely turned around the oil industry. I am now starting to look back and see how wonderful it all was, how blessed I am, and how much I have been guided by the spirit throughout my life.
Work this week was tied around the SGI (Silicon Graphics Incorporated) Visualization Summit in Galveston Monday through Wednesday. If I would have had my car I would have driven down and back each day. However, because of the mileage limitation on the company car I stayed at the Hotel in Galveston. Good thing I did, since I was obviously really tired. Monday night I slept from 8:00 PM until 7:30 AM. The demos did not go very good on Monday, and there was a lot of stress tied around whether it was a good idea to be there or not. Tuesday was pretty good, and Wednesday even went better. We did not have a lot of traffic. However, those who stopped and talked to us were very high caliber contacts, and were decision makers relative to using out technologies. I gave a talk `Developing Oil & Gas Industry Solutions For Human Scale Display, Immersion, Visual Databases, Spatial Integration, and Collaboration,' which should be posted at off of the SGI Web site later this week as a type of homecoming talk (http://www.sgi.com/events/vis-sum/sessions.html).
Thursday morning Terry Smith and I had breakfast with a contractor I am hoping to do a lot of good work with. There was a lot of catch up work, and getting ready for the North American Prospect Exposition (NAPE) next week. Thursday evening Ed Gray and I went to dinner at Rotesseri for Beef 'N Bird, and spent the evening talking about going to school together at the University of Utah, about working for Mobil, about living across the street from each other in Dallas (see: http://www.walden3d.com/photos/DallasLockmoreLnEdGrayHouse09Jan99.jpg and http://www.walden3d.com/photos/Dallas3332LockmoreLaneMagnolia09Jan99.jpg), about starting Computer Genealogical Services together, and about the prospects we will each be showing at NAPE. It was an evening where our minds jumped to the past and we spent the time together having what can be called virtual homecoming talks.
Friday morning there was a meeting at the VETL with Schlumberger on some Sequence Stratigraphy work I have been helping with. The intellectual property issues surrounding this work are very interesting and very complex. When I got back to the office I caught Dave Monk up on the discussions. Then Gary Crouse and I had an Evolver meeting with Roger Anderson and company at Greenspoint, following which we dropped off a potential investor at the airport and picked up Andrea. It was nice to see Andrea again. There were another type of introduction homecoming talk, as Gary drove us back to the office. After working some on the NAPE SubSalt presentation, Andrea and I went out for a nice dinner. We had a very nice talk, and even though I havn't kissed her yet there is no question that we are becoming more than just friends. Paul had a party Friday evening, and after playing a couple of pool games we had gone downstairs to talk. I guess I realized how much Andrea and my friendship has evolved when I realized I had my arm around her shoulder as we were in the library having philosphical homecoming talks with Ed Gray. Andrea stayed at the La Quinta Inn again.
Saturday I picked up Andrea about 7:30. We went for a run around the block (.../9903.html), stopped and spent an hour talking to David and Karen Kessler, and then fixed pancakes and talked to kids for a while. Ed and Andrea and I drove out to San Felipe, New Ulm to see Ken Turner, and Columbus in the afternoon. That evening 11 of us went to eat at Good Eats, by the Continuum Office, and then 13 of us went to see the movie `A Civil Action.' I liked it, and some of the kid's didn't. At dinner we saw a friend that Ed and I went to school with at The University of Utah in 1973, who has worked for Chevron for 36 years. There was a whole different flavor of homecoming talk tied to this concidental meeting. On the way to drop Andrea off at the motel we got cash from the bank, filled up the gas, and washed the car. Melanie, thanks for pointing out how The Holy Ghost goes to bed after midnight. I do believe this advise applies to me as well as to each of you.
Sunday was Paul's big day. Paul, your two homecoming talks were wonderful. For those who weren't able to be with us, Paul gave a 20 minute talk in Sacrament meeting and a similar length talk for a combined meeting of the Young Men and the Young Women. In Sacrament meeting he told us how after being out only a couple of months he and his companion got stuck in a 3'x 4'x 6.5' elevator for 9 hours with two women. They were both Russian Grandma's in their 60's. He described the joy of seeing a family join the church, be called into the Branch Presidency, Relief Society Presidency, and Young Women's Presidency, and have the faith they would be able to go to the temple by March, even though they didn't have the money. Then he talked about how he learned how their faith had resulted in a dream, a $1,000 donation, and an answer to their prayers from Maryland. He told of meeting an old man in a Siberian Train Station Depot, who didn't know where America is. I cried, for I strongly felt the spirit. The talk to the youth stressed the food, the living conditions, the value of keeping your room clean, the bugs and rats, the activities of each day, and the value of going to seminary and attending your meetings.
When we got back to the house we had spegetti, corn-on-the-cobb, salad, and garlic toast, with a shrimp appetiser. With Melanie's two friends, Rob, Andrea, and Ed, there were 8 of us around the table. It was very enjoyable. Ed went to Hobby and I took Andrea back to Intercontinental after dinner. I have meetings with Boeing in Seattle on February 4th and 5th, and I have arranged to spend that weekend visiting Andrea and Sara in Cedar, as well as my Mom and Grandma in St. George. As Ed pointed out to me, I really do enjoy going back to Southern Utah for what now seems like a very unique homecoming talk.'
