Passing of Arnold Friberg an American Treasure

It is only fitting that American artist Arnold Friberg, who passed away on July 1, is remembered during weekend of the 4th of July.  Probably his greatest and most widely distributed work of art was that of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge in behalf of our fledgling nation in a time of desperation.  I took the following from Deseret News:

The painting "Prayer at Valley Forge" is based (as per Arnold Friberg) on the following story by Isaac Potts a resident of Valley Forge:

"What was that?" I inquired. "Do you see that woods, and that plain?" It was about a quarter of a mile from the place we were riding. "There," said he, "laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the ship but that one good man. In that woods," pointing to a close in view, "I heard a plaintive sound, as of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quietly into the woods and to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity, and of the world."

Both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush had this painting and took inspiration from it.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will best remember Arnold Friberg for his series of Book of Mormon paintings.  They illustrate the significant events in the Book of Mormon.  There is a very good chance that anyone possessing a copy of the Book of Mormon with illustrations, is familiar with Mr. Friberg's work.

Arnold Friberg was commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille to make a series of conceptual paintings in the development of the "Ten Commandments."  His work influenced the costuming of the actors and development of the sets used in the "Ten Commandments."  Cecil B. DeMille had developed a close friendship with Bro. Friberg and with President David O. McKay in the course of the production of his epic film. At the invitation of Pres. McKay, DeMille spoke at BYU in May 1957, where he rather surprised the student body by delivering a masterful address on the purpose of God’s laws.  It was at this forum that DeMille declared,“We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them.”

A list of some of Friberg's better known works can be found at Wikipedia.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug dies

While Patrick Swayze's death got far more press, my attention was directed at the passing of a giant of a man, Norman Borlaug, one of the most influentual plant breeders who ever lived. Borlaug was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his role in helping to feed a hungry world through the development of short-stature wheat (Mexico) and rice (India) varieties, that had resulted in a dramatic yield in these two crops. He is widely regarded as the father of the Green Revolution. His contributions, and the recognition he got for his work, had more to do with my decision to pursue a career in plant breeding than any other single consideration. Borlaug is credited with saving the lives of hundreds of millions of people. He worked tirelessly up to his death at age 95, promoting the causes he believed strongly in. One of the statements attributed to Borlaug that left an indelible impression on me during graduate school at the University of Minnesota (coincidentally the same school Borlaug graduated from), was when he was asked what made such a successful plant breeder, he retorted, "I let the plants talk to me." He later explained that what he meant by this was that, as a breeder, he didn't sit behind a desk, or let subordinates do the "dirty work" involved in doing selection...he was out there doing the work himself, which allowed him to develop impressions of what plant characteristics were important in improving yield. This message was especially in parts of the developing world where if you had an advanced degree, that was supposed to mean that you never had to get your hands dirty again.

Former U.S. Congressman Bill Orton killed in an accident

I was surprised to see that Sunday's lead story in the Deseret News was about the untimely death of former Congressman Bill Orton. Bill was a political maverick who served three terms as a Democrat in one of Utah's most conservative districts. The 60-year-old died in an all-terrain vehicle accident Saturday afternoon at the Little Sahara Sand Dunes in Juab County southwest of Provo, Utah. His past political opponents, primarily former Congressman Chris Cannon and former Governor Mike Leavitt, paid generous tributes to Orton for his integrity and his unwavering adherance to the principles he believed in. In other words, he wasn't the typical political animal that stuck his finger in the air to see which way the political winds were blowing before he acted or voted on an issue. To read the readers' comments following the Deseret News article, it is obvious that Orton was a good and decent human being. During the time we lived in Utah between 1993 and 2000, we had some exposure to Bill Orton during election campaigns. I just remember being very impressed by him, and appalled by Cannon's underhanded campaign tactics. Some of this comes out in the article. Orton was an unabashed supporter of Obama. He married and started a family late in life, and has left two sons who are now without a father during a crucial part of their lives. The picture above was taken in 2000. Hopefully, they will have a strong support system surrounding them that will help carry them through. I wish his wife and children well.

Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller: 1944-2009

One of the most generous and extraordinary men Utah has ever produced, has fallen at the not-so-old age of 64, at least not old from my perspective. Quoting from a Deseret News write-up on Miller, "Miller's rags-to-riches story is a chapter out of Horatio Alger. A poor high school student and a college dropout, he started his professional career as a stock boy in an auto parts store and, through the sheer force of his personality, work ethic and natural intelligence, became one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Utah history, and one of its most prominent residents. He graduated from SLC's West High School with a 1.77 GPA, and lasted six weeks at the University of Utah before dropping out. He worked a series of odd jobs for a time before he found his place in car-related businesses. In 1970, he moved to Colorado, where he became a parts manager and eventually general manager for car dealerships in the Denver area. During a vacation visit to Salt Lake City in 1979, he passed a dull afternoon by visiting an old acquaintance in the car business. By the end of the day, he owned his first dealership, purchasing a Toyota store from his acquaintance after writing up terms of the deal on a blank check. Miller not only became the 10th largest car dealer in the nation, with 42 dealerships in six states, but he also began acquiring other businesses in the coming years. The Larry H. Miller Group eventually included 74 business enterprises — movie theaters, auto dealerships, a world-class race track, a movie production company, an advertising agency, ranches, restaurants, TV and radio stations, a real estate development company, an NBA franchise, a professional baseball team, an NBA arena, a motorsports park, sports apparel stores and various philanthropic organizations. At one time they produced $3.2 billion in sales annually."

His association with the Utah Jazz is equally extraordinary, and well worth reading. I recommend going through the entire Deseret News article written by Doug Robinson. It's four web pages long. While we lived in Utah, Miller frequently made the news. I thought his storied life was most fascinating. The man had a reputation for getting very passionate and emotional about issues. It was obvious that he had a heart of gold inside of him. Many benefited from his generousity, adherence to higher principles, and willingness to take enormous business risks that most of us would never have considered taking. He had one of those rare personalities that made him stand apart from the average entrepreneur. I couldn't help but admire him. Here is the sports video associated with his passing.

Passing of a couple of giants

A prominant member of our Church died, who was widely respected in the community. He was a self-made man, in his heyday, had a streak of flamboyancy about him that was referred to during his funeral service. He died from mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer of the lungs associated with exposure to asbestos at the workplace. His great qualities, particularly relating to his employment in the oil industry, included absolute loyalty and integrity, strong sense of fairness, encouraging those starting out in the companies he worked for, and not speaking ill of anyone. It made me stop and think what people might say of me, and whether any of these labels would fit me very well. He will be greatly missed.

Another giant, far better known, who passed on was Al Copeland, founder of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits restaurants, Copeland's restaurants, and other ventures. He too was self-made, and had a flamboyant lifestyle, with a his bevy of speedboats, race cars, flashy motorcycles, and a home in the New Orleans area that at Christmas, was lit up with more than a million lights. He too, died from a rare form of cancer, tumor of the salivary glands. One can only speculate as to whether his cancer was associated with his restaurant business. His compelling story can be found at Wikipedia, among other places.