As a 24-year-old college student in 1976, I went to London for six months on a study abroad program. There were 30 plus students and we became close and almost like family.
We had classroom time, but much of our course work was attending museums, art galleries, historical sites, etc. Some of this “field work” was done as a group. And some was done independently, making decisions for ourselves.
Sherrie was one of my fellow students. We were kindred spirits in a way. Shortly after I met her, she introduced me to the singer Bonnie Raitt by convincing me to go to a concert at The Palladium.
The leaders of our program worried about Sherrie. She skipped many of our group events. She acquired an Egyptian boyfriend and then she skipped even more of our program’s offerings.
I got enlisted to help try to inspire her to see that she was missing out on the “sumptuous buffet…the banquet” (their words) of events and field trips that were a big part of our program. (I agreed with the leaders, but I suspected/knew that she was having her own kind of “buffet” of experiences with her wealthy boyfriend.)
Now, my point (I sometimes have one). Here we are in Sanpete, a very rural part of the world. I occasionally mention in this space that some people from outside of Sanpete, and some people who have moved to Sanpete, wonder what there is to do around here.
My reply to those people is that there is too much to do in Sanpete. Aside from the many events associated with the high schools, churches, communities, lakes, mountains, parks, etc. — there is Snow College.
The “buffet” of happenings at the college is huge – not just for students, but for all of us in Sanpete. The sporting events, the music and theater events, free planetarium shows, convocations, adult education classes, and much more are all top-notch and right here for our local use.
I believe that we “under use” and live beneath our opportunities in lots of ways here. I saw a Facebook post the night of the county fair concert of Chauncey Williams. A Sanpete woman basically said, “Where is everyone?” (The concert was sparsely attended. Though, to be fair, there were high school home football games and other things going on that night in Sanpete)
One of the responses to the post came from one of the long-time music professors at Snow College, “I have brought the best musicians in the world to Sanpete County, only to have them completely ignored by the public…”
I have to say in response to that professor, that I try to support “The Phat Old Professors” classic rock band (for which he drums) whenever I get the chance.
Right here, right now, I’d like to “beat the drum” for something currently “on the buffet” at Snow College. I believe it deserves our support.
An exhibit is now open at the Huntsman Library on the Ephraim campus of the college. The exhibit is “Americans and the Holocaust.” It runs September 4th through October 11th. I had a sneak preview last week.
The persecution and murder of six million Jews during World War II is a big and complex subject. It’s a tragic and awful chapter in our world’s history.
There are Holocaust museums and memorials, of many sizes and varieties, in many places around the world, including America.
I’ve had the opportunity to experience the one in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem along with “death camp sites” in Europe. Those are emotionally draining experiences.
The focus of the exhibit here in Sanpete is sobering, but not on the scale of bigger museums which contain artifacts, etc. Don’t stay away because of fears of seeing awful images or being shocked.
This exhibit’s Holocaust focus is on these two questions: What did Americans know? And, what more could have been done?
Way back in 2006, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Holocaust survivor, the late Elie Weisel visited Snow College. He was world renowned. He famously wrote the book “Night” about his personal experiences, along with many other books.
When he received the Nobel Prize, it was said, “His mission is not to gain the world’s sympathy for victims or the survivors. His aim is to awaken our conscience. Our indifference to evil makes us partners in the crime…We know the unimaginable has happened. What are we doing now to prevent its happening again?”
That is the importance of the current exhibit at the college right now. We, with our adolescents and young adults in our society, need to remain educated to history – even, and probably especially, the parts that are difficult and dark.
There’s a lot to learn at the exhibit. Here’s a sample of a few things that were interesting to me:
1. American Public Opinion Poll, November 1938: “Do you approve or disapprove of the Nazi treatment of Jews in Germany?” Disapprove, 94%; Approve, 6%.
2. “Should we allow a larger number of Jewish exiles from Germany to come to the United States to live?” No, 71%; Yes, 21%; No Opinion, 8%.
3. “Did you know? When World War II began, the United States military was unprepared to enter the conflict. In 1939, the US Army ranked 17th largest in the world in size and combat power.”
4. On September 11, 1941, aviator Charles Lindbergh, one of America’s best-known heroes (first solo trans-Atlantic flight), accused Jews as being “war agitators.” He didn’t want America to get involved with the war. Less than 3 months later, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred.
The “buffet” of events in Sanpete is bigger than Chuck-a-Rama or Golden Corral. Snow College provides a significant part of that.
Try to visit the Holocaust exhibit. Oh, and there’s a special convocation being held September 14th relating to the exhibit. Dr. Kathren Brown will speak at 12:30pm (it is also live streamed). Dr. Brown has had two fellowships with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Oh, again. Granary Arts, on Ephraim’s Main Street (86 N. Main) will have two companion art exhibitions in connection with the Holocaust exhibit at the college.
— Merrill
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