I am an Ogdenite!

I am an Ogdenite. And I love Ogden! I was raised and schooled in Ogden and graduated from Ogden High. I married my high school sweetheart from Ogden and we both returned to Ogden after college and living out of town and state for several years. Our children, like us all graduated from Ogden High as well. Having spent so many years here, Ogden has becomes an old, trusted friend with so many magnificent memories. Reflecting back on nearly fifty years of Ogden, many things have changed and much has improved. But the basics of Ogden that I love so much remain - the people, the opportunities, the diversity, the lifestyle and the beautiful outdoors. 

 Ogden has experienced its share of triumphs and sorrows. Many of those things remain etched deep inside. Today (and now, many years have passed since Nov. 18, 2012), I attended the funeral of Paul Southwick. He was a kind giant in the community, treating over 250,000 patients while raising his lovely family of nine children. The funeral was edifying and uplifting, just as Paul was. He always made everyone feel special. I was reminded of one of those sorrows. I remember being in the first grade when I heard of three young children just a few years older than I who fell and died while hiking to the "waterfall". It was a cold, wintry day with ice packed trails.  The three children all slipped into an icy cravass, falling to their deaths below. The "waterfall" is as common to the locals as the "hotpots", "turkey flats", "red light alley", "the basin", "Malan's Peak", etc. For those not so familiar with the area, the "waterfall" is a beautiful, slightly rigorous hike in the foothills of Ogden, about a mile up.  It was a devastating tragedy in the community.  The three children of doctors Ross, Southwick and Way lived just around the corner from our current home. Shauna Southwick was Paul's daughter.

As a side note, Paul's personal motto was, "Do it. Do it right. Do it right now!".  I have recited that so many times over the years when I face something difficult that I would rather avoid.  It always feels better to just dig in and get 'er done.

Another sorrow of Ogden was the HiFi Murders that happened on April 22, 1974. I was a junior at Ogden High School and Courtney Naisbitt was a sophomore. It involved two airman at HAFB, Pierre Selby and William Andrews who decided to rob the HiFi shop with a third person as the driver.  They took hostage Courtney and two others, Stanley Walker and Michelle Ansley, forcing them to the basement. When Courtney's mom, Carol, went to check on Courtney, she was also taken hostage as was Stanley's dad, Orren Walker.  The hostages were held at gunpoint, forced to drink Draino, the women were raped and then later, Selby began to shoot each hostage in the head. When Orren Walker showed signs of life, Selby, who had run out of bullets, kicked a ball-point pen into his ear.  Only Courtney and Orren survived.  Selby was executed by lethal injection in 1987 and Andrews in 1992. 

Two weeks ago, my rock and roll band, Midlife Crisis played a concert at the Kenley Amphitheater in Layton.  During the concert, mention was made of my former job as a deputy Weber County attorney/prosecutor.  After the concert, Ron and Tracy Bird came up to talk to us.  Ron is a news reporter on Channel 2.  He asked me what my most memorable case was. He asked if I had heard of the HiFi Murders. He didn't realize that I had married into the Naisbitt family of which two of the victims, Carol and Courtney were relatives.  He was a witness to Andrew's execution in 1992. The conversation revived many memories from the past.

In 1992 prior to Andrew's execution, we were living in New Jersey. The execution had garnered nationwide attentnion. Our four year old daughter, Paige, was hospitalized for a double hernia procedure.  I had someone call our home from St. Barnabas Medical Center stating that they noticed Paige was a Naisbitt born in Ogden, Utah and were we related to the victims in the case. Also, the local library in West Orange, NJ had a big display all about the HiFi Murders. That was remarkable.

Despite the ugly, Ogden is an amazing city with an interesting history.  I'm proud to be an Ogdenite.