Monday, April 8, 2013
My Goals
“Never let the things which matter most be at the mercy of things which matter least.” –Marion D. Hanks
Ever since my mom sent me a binder full of stories about my ancestors I have had a desire to know more about them. Who they were. What they were like. I also know the importance of recording our own lives so that those we leave behind can have a part of us and know what we loved and valued. My dad passed away when I was 14 and he left very little of his own thoughts behind. Although others can tell me his story it is not the same. It is their story and not his.
Procrastination. It is far too easy for me to say, “I will write in my journal next Sunday” or “I will call Aunt So-and-So next week.” Pretty soon, “next week” has turned into months. I need to make an effort every day to record something and get over putting it off for “just one more day”.
Short term goal: write in my journal at least once a week
Medium: Gather stories and pictures about my dad from my siblings
Long term goal: Find ancestors who need temple work done
Challenges that may derail my goals:
Journal: simply forgetting or too tired at night
Stories about my dad: getting siblings to commit and follow through with getting me their stories and pictures
Find ancestors: will be very time consuming, to find ancestors whose work is not done will require going back several generations to where it is difficult to find information
Plans that will enable me to realize my goals:
Journal: set journal next to bed where I will see it every night, set aside a specific time on Sunday to write (immediately after Sunday dinner)
Stories of Dad: call brothers and sister and explain what I want, email my nieces and nephew who were old enough to remember him, send weekly reminders (occasional phone calls) until information is received.
Find ancestors: make sure my files are as complete as possible, contact every aunt and cousin who could help me track down work that has already been done, set aside time monthly (for now) to spend on searching (on internet or go to family history center)
My Goals:
Get accepted into Social Work program at BYUI
Daily:
· schedule time for homework everyday
· make sure assignments are in on time
Weekly:
· Check GPA
· Research possible career paths
· Talk to professors to see how I am doing
· Write down ideas for application essay
Other:
· Meet with academic advisor to discuss my status and requirements needed (by first week of May 2013)
Deadlines: Before Summer 2014
· Take Social Work 260 (req. B- or higher)
· Math 221C Statistics (req. C or higher)
Application by March 2014 (for Fall 2014 semester)
Go on a Caribbean vacation
Daily:
· At least 45 minutes of exercise (5 days/week)
· Follow healthy eating program
Weekly:
· Research destinations
· Set aside $150 each paycheck (twice a month)
Other:
- Find babysitter to stay with children
- Make reservations by June 31st
Daily:
· Keep all collected information in box next to computer so easily accessible
· Use extra free time to work on book
Weekly:
· Email reminder to siblings, nieces and nephews until I receive all requested information
· Schedule time weekly to work on transcribing, photos editing, etc.
· Research printing and binding options
Other:
· Email all siblings, nieces, and nephews asking for stories, memories, and photos about my dad
Deadline: Have books printed by end of November 2013 and give as Christmas gifts to siblings and mom
Vaun Buxton Hillman
Born on June 15, 1938 in Driggs, Idaho, Vaun Buxton Hillman was the youngest of seven children born to Gheen Hillman and Eva Buxton. (Birth Certificate) He was raised on a farm at the mouth of Darby Canyon, just a few miles south of Driggs, Idaho. (Woolstenhulme 2013)
Vaun met Velma Avonne (Avon) at a party at Vaun’s house when he was a junior in high school and Avon was a freshman. They quickly became friends and started dating. They loved to dance and would go to the Gold and Green Balls held all over Teton Valley. In high school Vaun played on the football and basketball teams for Teton High School. He was voted best dressed his junior year and was Senior Class President. After graduation he attended Utah State University. (Woolstenhulme 2013) Two years later, after Avon graduated, they were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on August 27, 1958. (Marriage Certificate)
Vaun loved to tease and play jokes on others, just like his father. One of his favorite tricks was to make divinity candy out of soap. The Hillmans were all great candy makers and Vaun made wonderful divinity, which means he got a lot of people with that trick. He also loved to sing (although he could not carry a tune) and he had a little song or saying for every situation. (Van Orden)
Vaun was well liked by everyone because he was such a good friend to all who knew him. He was a very caring man and would do anything to help anyone in need. He especially loved young people and loved his job teaching high school math. He loved his children very much and they knew it without question. Vaun also had a very tender heart and it did not take much to bring tears to his eyes. (Van Orden)
Vaun and Avon loved everything about the outdoors. They loved to ski, hike, and camp together as a family. One of their favorite pastimes was Dutch oven cooking. Together, they ran a Dutch oven catering business during the summers called Old West Catering. The business flourished and they spent many summer weekends catering for large events. (Van Orden) It was while cleaning up after one such job that Vaun had a massive heart attack and died on June 13, 1992. (Death Certificate)
Works Cited
Birth Certificate for Vaun Buxton Hillman, 15 June 1938, File No. 268700, State of Idaho Department of Public Health. Copy in possession of author.
Death Certificate for Vaun Buxton Hillman, 13 June 1992, File No. 3535, Idaho State Department of Health. Copy in possession of author.
Marriage Certificate, Vaun Buxton Hillman to Velma Avonne Woolstenhulme, 27 October 1924, Boise, Idaho. Department of Public Health. Copy in possession of author.
Van Orden, Mandee, knowledge, [Blackfoot, Idaho].
Woolstenhulme, Velma Avonne, interview by Mandee Hillman VanOrden. (March 12, 2013).
Gheen Hillman
Gheen Hillman was born on August 28, 1899 to Joseph Silas Hillman and Lydia Manette Robison. He was born in Mammoth, Juab, Utah. (Idaho 1960) In the year 1900, his family moved to Driggs, Idaho and he spent the rest of his life in Teton Valley. (Breckenridge 2013) He married Eva Buxton on October 27, 1924 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. (Idaho 1924) They were blessed with seven children, three sons and four daughters. (Breckenridge 2013)
Gheen was a firm believer in getting a good education even though he only finished high school. He was very gifted when it came to numbers and could logically think through any math problem until it was solved. (Breckenridge 2013) During his school years, he would ride his horse back and forth to school. To pass the time he would memorize short poems that he called memory gems. He kept the poems in small notebooks that he always carried with him. He always remembered these memory gems and would often quote them to his children during teaching moments. (Hillman 2013 )
Gheen was well liked by all who knew him. He was a tease and loved to pull jokes on others. He also enjoyed it just as much if the joke was pulled on him. He had a little electric box, which he would crank up to get an electric shock. He loved to get people to hold hands and feel the electrical shock. One of the jokes he loved to do was to pull someone out of bed and drag them to a nearby ditch of water where he threw them in. When the Darby Ward would go to the springs for a ward, party he dunked everyone young and old. (Breckenridge 2013)
Gheen was not a member of a church, but he would often say, “If you are not involved in church then you should be involved in community activities.” (Hillman 2013 ) He served as a member and chairman of the Teton County School Board for eleven years. He was president of the Teton County Farm Bureau. He served as secretary of the Garden Water Co. for about twenty years, starting at the age of sixteen. He was a director and secretary on the Darby Pipe Line. In Darby there was a community threshing machine. Gheen served as a member of the board and also assisted with the threshing. (Breckenridge 2013)
Although he was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gheen was very supportive of all their projects and activities. The church house in Darby, Idaho burned down on a Sunday morning in February of about 1946. Gheen was there and generously offered to let the ward hold meetings in the house he and Eva were remodeling. When the Darby ward asked for donations for a new church, Gheen was the first person to hand them a check for $1000.00. He was also the first to volunteer his time and also his team of horses to help haul logs from the canyon for the new church house. (Hillman 2013 )
Gheen was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in February of 1960. When the bishop was interviewing him before he was baptized he said, “Gheen, when you join, you have an obligation to want to join for yourself and not because your wife and children want you to join.” He replied, “I want you to know when I join the church I’ll join because I want to and not because someone has pushed me into it.” (Breckenridge 2013) Just two months later, he died of a heart attack on April 8, 1960. (Idaho 1960)
Works Cited
Breckenridge, Ronelle Hillman, interview by Mandee Hillman VanOrden. (March 13, 2013).
Idaho. Bonneville. (1924) Marriage Certificate, Gheen Hillman to Eva Buxton, 27 October 1924, Bonneville County, Idaho. County Recorder's Office, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Copy in possession of author.
Idaho. Ada. (1960) Death Certificate for Gheen Hillman,16 April 1960, File No. 58943, Idaho State Department of Health. Copy in possession of author.
Hillman, John Alfred, interview by Mandee Hillman VanOrden. (March 12, 2013).
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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