Hawaii

by

The England Fire of 1974

Plain City, Weber County, Utah is not a place that conjures images of billion-dollar industries. Its name suggests modesty, and its streets deliver on that promise — quiet fields, small farms, and houses set back from roads that run straight and flat through Weber County. There is substantial residential development in the past two decades. Even then, this small town produced a remarkable concentration of American transportation entrepreneurial energy. At the center of it stands one man: Chester Rodney England.

When a fire consumed Chester’s lumber yard on the evening of 6 April 1974, his neighbors rose to defend him to allow him to rebuild. Among those neighbors were my grandparents, Milo and Gladys Ross. What they did in the weeks that followed is documented below — eight pages of signatures collected on lumber yard estimate forms, a newspaper clipping, and a typed petition text. This post tells the story behind those pages.

Chester and Maude

Chester Rodney England was born 12 November 1896 in Plain City to William and Ismelda Thueson England. He grew up there, attended Weber Academy, and in 1916 married Maude Vivian Knight — a Plain City girl herself, born in August 1897. One month after their marriage, Chester received a mission call to the Southern States. He was set apart on 5 December 1916 by Apostle Anthony W. Ivins and left his new bride on 6 December 1916, serving for two years. He returned to find Utah in the grip of the 1918 influenza epidemic, his wife under quarantine, and her sister Elizabeth Knight Ericson dead. His mother was also ill, and he spent a week with his aunt Laura England before he could be with his family.

Chester wrote his own history late in life, and his voice is direct. After the mission he worked at the Amalgamated Sugar factory, farmed through the winters, bought a small Ford truck, and began hauling produce to the stores up through Cache Valley. “I found I could make more money doing this than farming,” he wrote, “so I turned the farm back to my father.” On 24 October 1919, his first son, Eugene Knight England, was born in Ogden. On 6 March 1923, his second son, William Knight England, followed. Two daughters, Rosemary and Carol, completed the family.

Milo James Ross
Milo James Ross (1921–2014)

In 1924 the Weber Central Dairy Association organized and asked for bids to truck milk from the dairymen into the dairy on 19 Washington Boulevard in Ogden. Chester submitted his bid, was accepted, and trucked the first load. He delivered milk in the morning and hauled potatoes up through Cache Valley in the afternoon. Gene and Bill grew up in the business. During summers Chester took them along on the long hauls, building a shelf of boxes out from the cab seat so they could nap on the road. He made sure they always had a bottle of pop at each stop.

During World War II, while Gene and Bill served in the military, Chester hauled Mexican bananas coming into the country at El Paso, Texas, distributing them throughout Utah. Gene served in the 77th Infantry Division at Okinawa, earning the Bronze Star for crawling under fire to drag a wounded soldier to safety — 129 men went up to the escarpment, 27 came back after 72 hours. Bill served in the Air Force in the Philippine Islands from 1943 to 1946. The two brothers found each other on Cebu using a coded letter — Gene had written his middle initial as “B” to signal his location — and Bill arrived with a mattress, making Gene the only man in his division sleeping on something other than a canvas cot. A letter written from the Hotel Keystone in San Diego in May 1946 — Chester on the road at age 49 — gives a picture of those years on the home front. He writes to his wife about a load of bananas, his plans to buy a semi-trailer, and his satisfaction that Gene and Bill are doing well.

Shortly after their return from service, Gene and Bill joined Chester hauling produce. Their first postwar hauls included lumber from Oregon back to Utah, and it was that trade that gave the family firsthand knowledge of the lumber market. The first diesel truck — a used 1940 Kenworth conventional — was purchased during this period. As the business grew, the company also ran two packing sheds and a storage facility for Idaho potatoes at its peak. Around 1957, an unforeseen change in the potato hauling market prompted Gene and Bill to file applications for ICC licenses to haul all kinds of freight, opening an entirely new range of products and geographic lanes. That same year, C.R. England offered 72-hour coast-to-coast service, the first such offering available to American shippers. The first trip east was made by driver Robert Gould in a new 1959 Kenworth, tractor number 17, hauling produce from California to Philadelphia.

In the 1950s Chester stepped back from trucking, leaving Gene and Bill to run what had become C.R. England & Sons. He returned his attention to Plain City. As he wrote: “Our sons retired me from C.R. England & Sons so I started building homes on our property in Plain City. I soon decided I needed a lumber yard if I was going to continue to build. In 1960 I built a lumber yard on the property just west of the home we had sold.” The family’s years hauling lumber from Oregon had given Chester intimate knowledge of the lumber trade, and that knowledge informed the decision. He built three homes on adjacent property and sold them to Keith Lund, Ray Cottle, and Blaine Gibson. He built 25 homes in Plain City and many others throughout Weber County. He built a 12-unit apartment complex in Roy. He took second mortgages from young couples who could not otherwise buy. “It was a great satisfaction to have young couples come and tell me they would never have bought their homes without my help,” he wrote.

Maude was with him through all of it. Born in Plain City in August 1897, she never really left. She served as president of the Plain City Primary, held positions in the Relief Society throughout her life, and attended the Ogden Temple with Chester twice a week when they could manage it. She died in Plain City on 12 February 1982, having lived there her entire 84 years. Chester moved to Salt Lake City after her death and died there on 5 January 1989. He is buried beside her in Plain City Cemetery.

The Sugar Factory

The sugar factory was woven into both families long before the fire. The Amalgamated Sugar Company plant at Wilson Lane, just south of Plain City, was one of the economic anchors of Weber County from the early twentieth century onward. Plain City farmers hauled beets to the rail dumps each fall for decades; the railroad that came to Plain City in 1909 arrived largely to move beet cars to that factory. Chester England worked at the sugar factory himself after returning from his mission in late 1918, spending two winters there before he turned to farming and then trucking.

Milo’s father, John “Jack” Ross, worked for Amalgamated Sugar much of his adult life, following the company between its Ogden, Burley, and Paul, Idaho plants as work demanded. That movement accounts for the geography of the Ross children: Milo was born in Plain City in 1921, his brother Paul born in the town of Paul, Idaho in 1922, and Harold born in Burley in 1924. Amalgamated Sugar built its Paul factory in 1917, and families from the Plain City area followed the work north. The factory experienced difficult early years — a postwar agricultural depression after World War I, and then the beet leafhopper blight that devastated crops through the 1920s and into the 1930s — but it survived to become, in time, the largest sugarbeet processing facility in the world. Chester England and Jack Ross were contemporaries who had worked for the same company in the same corner of northern Utah before either of them had settled into the lives their families would remember them by. For more on the sugar factory’s role in Plain City’s history, see History of Plain City Pt. 1.

The Cradle of American Trucking

Chester England’s 1920 Model T purchase was the seed of something considerably larger than one family’s business. Four major American trucking companies trace their origins directly to Plain City, and all four connect back to Chester. The Standard-Examiner and C.R. England’s own history have documented this story in detail.

C.R. England & Sons grew steadily through the postwar decades into one of the largest refrigerated carriers in the United States, eventually operating a fleet approaching 4,000 trucks and headquartered in Salt Lake City. Gene England served as president of the company well into his later years, still coming into the office daily at age 88. He died on 13 November 2024 at the age of 105. Bill England, who married Fern Hadley — a Plain City Hadley, the same family that signed the petition — died on 28 March 2018 at age 95. He spent his last ten years without sight but maintained, as his family recorded, an extraordinary optimism throughout. He entitled his life history “It Is As Good As It Gets.”

Carl Moyes had driven trucks for C.R. England in his younger years. In the late 1950s, Carl and his wife Betty started B&C Truck Leasing in Plain City. In 1966, when their son Jerry graduated from Weber State College, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona and formed the company that would eventually become Swift Transportation — for many years the largest truckload carrier in the United States. Jerry Moyes later observed that he liked to say there was “diesel in the water” in Plain City, and that the people there were conceived in sleeper cabs.

In 1990, brothers Kevin and Keith Knight and their cousins Randy and Gary Knight left Swift to found Knight Transportation. All four had grown up in Plain City and gotten their start working for the Moyes family’s Swift Transportation. The Knights were also related to Maude Knight, who had married Chester England in 1916, making them family to the man who started the Plain City trucking tradition. Knight Transportation started with five trucks; four years after going public the company had between 250 and 300. Knight and Swift announced a merger in April 2017, creating Knight-Swift Transportation, valued at an estimated $5 billion with approximately 23,000 tractors and 77,000 trailers.

In 1976, Jeff England — Gene’s oldest son and Chester’s grandson — bought his first truck while still working at C.R. England as an owner-operator, initially under the name “Pride of England Enterprises.” In 1979, with three trucks and a haul contract moving produce from California to New York, he left the family firm to go fully independent. His wife Pat was his partner from the beginning. In the early 1980s he assembled a group of investors, purchased ten more trucks, and rebranded as Pride Transport Inc. By 2017 the company operated a fleet of 500 trucks. In 2012 Jeff passed ownership to his son Jay England. Jeff England said of his decision to leave: “I felt that I needed to do my own thing.” He was 76 at the time of that interview and still driving a truck a couple of times a month.

The fuel infrastructure serving these fleets also has roots in this region. O. Jay Call, who came to Willard, Utah in the mid-1960s, founded Flying J in 1968, naming it for his love of flying, and built it into the largest retailer of diesel fuel in North America. His uncle, Reuel Call, had founded Maverik convenience stores in 1928 in Afton, Wyoming. FJ Management acquired Maverik in 2012. The Call family’s fuel network and the England-Moyes-Knight trucking empire developed in the same northern Utah environment across the same decades.

In September 2022, representatives of all four trucking firms gathered at Peery’s Egyptian Theater in Ogden for the premiere of a documentary about their shared origins. Gene England, then 102 years old, was present on stage alongside Jeff and Dan England, Jerry Moyes, and Kevin Knight.

The Fire

On the evening of 6 April 1974, Chester England went over to open up the lumber yard. He was 77 years old.

He described what followed in his own autobiography:

As I opened the office door, the place exploded and was engulfed with flames. It had been smoldering during the night. We do not know what caused it but it burned everything. I ran in to get the invoices but the ceiling began falling and burned holes in my jacket so I could have lost my life. This was a terrible experience watching everything you have worked hard for go up in flames. I was down in bed for 10 days from shock. We had insurance on it but I had been buying so much merchandise that the insurance didn’t begin to pay for the loss. I appreciated the fire department and the ward members who worked so hard to help. It took many weeks after to clean up. My family thought I should retire and not build it up again. However, I knew I wouldn’t be happy without something to do so I started rebuilding as soon as I could.

The 1977 History of Plain City records the fire at “England Builder’s Lumber Company” and gives the date as April 6, 1975. That date appears to be a transcription error in the town history; Chester’s own autobiography gives 6 April 1974, and that account is the primary source. The fire also destroyed the adjacent Leigh Archery Company, operated by LeGrande Leigh and Robert Jones. The insurance fell short. Chester was 77 and his family urged him to retire. He refused.

Plain City Will Consider Future of the Lumberyard

A newspaper clipping, attached to the first petition page, reported what happened next:

PLAIN CITY — The City Council here will hold a special session May 9 at 8 p.m. to make a decision on requests to rebuild a lumberyard and business destroyed by fire.

Requests that the city permit reconstruction of the lumberyard and Leigh Archery Co. came from Chester England and LeGrande Leigh and Robert Jones.

The council reported, however, that there have been some objections from citizens who do not want to see the lumber operation reestablished.

It also was reported there have been some questions as to the nature of the archery business being conducted. It has not been determined whether it is a commercial business or a manufacturing operation.

The requests to rebuild have been referred to the city planning commission for its recommendation. The recommendation is expected to be received prior to the May 9 meeting. All interested citizens are invited to attend the meeting which will be held in the City Hall.

The council also will consider various projects the city can carry out under the Utah Extension Service Program. Ronald Bouk of the service outlined various programs cities such as Plain City can conduct that may bring it awards and other benefits. The city must make application for such projects by May 31.

Some citizens did not want Chester to rebuild. And so his neighbors organized.

Milo and Gladys Ross

Milo and Gladys Ross
Milo and Gladys Ross, 30 May 1942

Milo James Ross (1921–2014) was born 4 February 1921 in a log cabin just north of Plain City. His mother, Ethel Sharp Ross, died of puerperal septicemia in August 1925 when Milo was four years old, leaving three surviving boys. Milo went to live with his Uncle Ed Sharp, Harold with Uncle Dale Sharp. They were raised in separate homes within a few blocks of one another in Plain City, the extended Sharp family absorbing the loss. For more on the Sharp family’s tragedies, see Sharp Tragedies.

Milo grew up working Ed Sharp’s farm — tending onions, hauling salt from the flats at Promontory, doing whatever needed doing. He played baseball with the Plain City Farm Bureau team and attended Weber High School.

Plain City baseball team
Plain City baseball team. Back (l-r): William Freestone (manager), Norman Carver, Glen Charlton, Fred Singleton, Elmer Singleton (1918–1996). Middle: Clair Folkman, Dick Skeen, Albert Sharp, Abe Maw, Milo Ross. Front: F. Skeen, Walt Moyes, Arnold Taylor, Lynn Stewart, Theron Rhead. See also: Plain City Hurler.
1937 Plain City Baseball Champions
1937 Plain City Baseball Champions. Back (l-r): Ben Van Shaar, Ervin Heslop, Ellis Stewart, Kenneth Taylor, Don Gibson, John Reese. Middle: Frank Hadley, Howard Wayment, Wayne Rose, Ray Charlton. Front: Keith Hodson, Howard Hunt, Wayne Carver, Lyle Thompson, Milo Ross.

In 1940 Milo met Gladys Maxine Donaldson (1921–2004) at a Plain City celebration. They married on 4 April 1942. Six months later Milo enlisted in the Army. He served in the 33rd Infantry Division, 130th Regiment, Company C, trained in weapons and earned expert ranking. He arrived in Hawaii on 4 July 1943 — the same day his son, Milo Paul, was born in Utah, a son he would not meet for three years. He fought through the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines and was present at the Japanese surrender at Luzon in June 1945. He received two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. His company received a Presidential Citation for outstanding performance during the seizure of Hill X in the Bilbil Mountain Province. For more on Milo’s military service, see Milo James Ross Military Medals and his 1997 oral history interview.

Milo Ross in uniform
Milo Ross in uniform at Fort Lewis, Washington

He came home and went to work as a contractor and builder, eventually building and remodeling hundreds of homes throughout Utah, mostly in Weber County. That work is why, when the time came to gather signatures for Chester England, he had a pad of lumber yard estimate forms at hand. They were his working tools. He pressed them into service as petition pages.

Milo knew Chester England personally. A childhood photograph survives showing Milo alongside Harold Ross, Howard Hunt, Josephine Sharp, and Janelle England on horseback — the England and Ross and Sharp children together in the neighborhood as naturally as their parents moved among one another. In his 1997 oral history interview, Milo recalled Chester among the Plain City men who had struggled during the Depression years, when banks failed and farms were lost. Chester was woven into Milo’s memory of Plain City going back to his earliest years.

On Horse l-r: Harold Ross, Howard Hunt, Milo Ross, Josephine Sharp (arm only), Janelle England, Eddie Sharp. In front l-r: Ruby Sharp, Lucille Maw, and Milo Riley Sharp.

The Petition

The typed text at the center of the petition read:

We the citizens of Plain City feel that Chester England should be allowed to rebuild his lumber yard. Since when do you kick a man when he is down/ Lets stand together and help Chester England when he needs a friend.

The headers on the petition pages identify the organizers: “By Gladys and Milo Ross — To Help Mr. England — Rebuild Back Up.” The forms were passed through the community in the weeks leading up to the May 9 city council meeting. One page was circulated by Joan Jenkins.

My father, Milo Paul Ross, had worked for Chester England as a teenager. He and his first wife, Victoria “Vicki” Feldtman (1945–2018) — married 5 March 1963 — both signed the petition. For more on Vicki, see Vicki’s Class Pictures. My grandfather Harold Ross also signed. The Sharp cousins — W.A. Sharp and Florence Sharp, children of the family that had raised Milo and Harold — signed as well. Maude K. England and Chester R. England signed the petition themselves.

Among the more than 340 signers, the connections to Plain City’s history run deep. The Moyes family signed in force — the same family whose son Carl had driven trucks for Chester England and whose grandson Jerry would found Swift Transportation. The Knights signed — relatives of Maude Knight England and future founders of Knight Transportation. Elmer Singleton (1918–1996), the Plain City baseball legend who pitched in the major leagues for five teams over fifteen years, signed with his wife Elsie. Cherrill Palmer Knight (1931–2021), who had served as Plain City City Recorder and was the daughter of Vern and Viola Palmer — also signers — added her name alongside her husband Thayne (1931–2018). Roxey R. Heslop, who contributed the school and cemetery histories to the 1977 Plain City history book, also signed. Hildor England (1896–1983), born Johnson, who married into the England family, signed as well. Gordon C. Orton (1924–2008), a Plain City general contractor and World War II veteran who served in the Philippines, New Guinea, and Okinawa, signed with his wife Leone. Vernal Moyes, who had served as a Plain City councilman, signed alongside his family.

The 1977 History of Plain City records the outcome: “Builders Bargain Center, formerly England’s Builders. This business was started and run by Chester England for many years.” Chester rebuilt. The community’s voice prevailed. For more on Plain City’s history, see the Plain City series on Sagacity.

Circle A Construction

Milo Paul Ross and Larry Aslett
Milo Paul Ross and Larry Aslett

My father’s career at Circle A Construction was built substantially on the same industry that had shaped the England and Ross families in Plain City. Circle A, founded in 1952 in Jerome, Idaho by Marvin Aslett, hauled sugar beets for Amalgamated Sugar for most of its operating history. For roughly 34 years, from around 1971 until Circle A transferred the Paul operations to AgExpress in 2004, my father supervised beet hauls across the Magic Valley, from the fields to the Amalgamated dumps at Paul and elsewhere across southern Idaho — the same plants Jack Ross had worked in a generation before.

Marvin Aslett and Milo Paul Ross
Marvin Aslett and Milo Paul Ross at Milo’s 20-year service recognition, 1990. See: Circle A Construction Honors.
Circle A truck in Paul parade
Circle A Construction truck in the Paul, Idaho parade, about 1985. See: Circle A Construction Trucks.

Marvin’s sons Larry and Steve Aslett ran the company alongside my father for decades. We called Larry “Uncle Larry” growing up. The Asletts took us to roundups in Mackay, to ranch country above White Knob. I worked for Circle A myself from 1993 through 1998. My first job in 1994 was washing and waxing trucks at the old Hynes beet dump in Paul after harvest. Jack Ross had worked for Amalgamated Sugar in Paul in the 1920s. My father hauled beets to Amalgamated in Paul for three decades. Circle A’s beet hauls fed the same company in the same town across three generations of this family’s working life.

Circle A trucks in front of Idaho Capitol
Circle A Construction trucks in front of the Idaho State Capitol, 2000

The Petition Pages

Below are all eight pages of the petition as collected by Milo and Gladys Ross in the spring of 1974.

Complete List of Signers

Names marked with an asterisk (*) represent uncertain readings of the cursive originals. Dates are given where confirmed through research. This list was transcribed from handwritten signatures; corrections and additions are welcome.

Adams, Alice
Adams, Allene C.
Adams, Calvin Rex
Allen, Jeanine
Alsup, Marguerete W.*
Alsup, Phil S.
Amussen, Doris Maw
Amussen, Richard W.
Ashdown, Rex R.
Ashdown, Virginia
Bacon, R.A.
Baker, Dean A.
Baker, Penny
Baker, Tom D.
Baker, Vivian
Beeler, Diana
Beeler, Jack
Beutler, Kandis C.
Beutler, Lloyd J.
Bingham, Dee
Bingham, Evelyn
Bingham, Farrell J.
Bingham, Junior D.
Bingham, Lorene
Bingham, Zona F.
Brown, Donna
Brown, Robert
Bullock, Duane
Bullock, Joyce W.
Bunn, Carol
Bunn, John H.
Burr, Adle R.
Burr, Arnold K.
Burr, Kenna F.
Burr, Lester
Burr, Roy D.
Butler, Donnette R.
Butler, Kenneth L.
Butterfield, Judy*
Calvert, Elaine
Calvert, Kent W.
Carver, Brent
Carver, Harold C.
Carver, Jane
Carver, Liland
Carver, Theone
Chase, Dannell
Chase, Ladd
Chase, LaRene G.
Chase, Norma P.
Child, Melvin E.
Chournas, Beverly*
Chournas, Chris*
Christensen, Barbara
Christensen, Darrell
Christensen, Ivan
Christensen, Ken
Christensen, Margaret
Christensen, Ted
Cliften, Elaine
Cliften, Robert
Close, Tom*
Cook, Dee
Cook, George
Cook, Harvey
Cook, Jennie
Cook, LaRae
Cook, Lyman H.
Corey, Dean
Corey, Fae
Costley, Elsie
Costley, Paul
Cowell, Florence
Crook, Carlene
Crook, Lane
Daley, Kenneth*
Daley, Thora
Dall, Kathie*
Davidson, Donna
Davidson, Kathy
Davidson, Marland L.
DeVries, Norm
Donaldson, Betty M.
Donaldson, David
East, Ava M.
East, Donald
East, Jimmy K.
Eddy, Beverly
Eddy, Max
Ellis, Carole
Ellis, Diana
Ellis, Donald B.
Ellis, Glen
Ellis, Janet
Ellis, Lynn
Ellis, Ray
England, Boyce
England, Chester R. (1896–1989)
England, Hildor (1896–1983)
England, Marvel S.
England, Maude K. (1897–1982)
England, Merlin
England, Mona
England, Orel W.
Eskelson, David Lon
Etherington, John E.
Etherington, Nelda
Fisher, Dorothy K.
Fisher, Robert W.
Folkman, Andrea
Folkman, Carl
Folkman, Clair
Folkman, Clara
Folkman, Cliff
Folkman, Jim
Folkman, LeRoy
Folkman, Norma
Folkman, Robert L.
Folkman, Viola
Foremaster, Bonne*
Foremaster, Pete
Fuller, Mary Lynn
Fuller, Rex
Fuhriman, Viola
Gallegos, Edith
Gee, Vilate
Giles, Lewis
Giles, Lucille
Grieve, Claramae
Grieve, Paul
Haas, Julie
Hadley, Barbara
Hadley, Connie
Hadley, Devaine
Hadley, Doug
Hadley, Gordon
Hadley, Howard
Hadley, Janet
Hadley, Karma W.*
Hadley, LaVirra*
Hadley, Lenora
Hadley, Mary Fee*
Hamp, Beth
Hansen, Gaylen G.
Hansen, Loren M.
Hansen, Nancy
Havseler/Tesseder, Christine*
Haws, Arlene
Haws, Darwin C.
Haws, Varnell
Heslop, Roxey R.
Higley, Shirley
Higley, Willard J.
Hill, Gary
Hill, Kae
Hipwell, Elmer
Hipwell, Joanne
Hipwell, Rosetta
Hobson, Connie
Hobson, Jack
Hodson, Delbert
Hodson, Lyle M.
Hodson, Mr. Ivan
Hodson, Ms. Ivan
Holmes, Doug
Holmes, Joanne
Hori, Nancy
Hori, Sam
Howard, Virgie
Howell, Kent*
Howell, Peggy J.
Hunt, Jan
Hurst, Vick*
Imlay, Nancy
Imlay, Terrence
Jackson, David W.
Jackson, George
Jackson, Mrs. George
Jackson, Mrs. Keith
Jackson, Keith
Jenkins, Ellen W.
Jenkins, Genevieve
Jenkins, Joan
Jenkins, JoAnn
Jenkins, Joyce
Jenkins, Quentin M.
Jenkins, Ronald
Jensen, Blaine R.
Jensen, Joyce
Jensen, June B.*
Jensen, Kit O.
Johansen, Barry L.
Johansen, Carol
Johnson, Judy B.
Johnson, Randy
Johnson, Rex L.
Jolly, Grace
Jolly, L.M.*
Jones, Kathy
Jones, Robert
Kapp, Clara Jean
Kapp, Leon
Kawa, Grant D.
Kelley, Bertha
Kelley, Gail
Kelley, Jesse R.
Kelley, Leona
Kennedy, Hazel
Kishimoto, Lorn
Knight, Argus*
Knight, Arson*
Knight, Cherrill (1931–2021)
Knight, Thayne E. (1931–2018)
Lakey, Dixie
Lakey, Tom
Large, Fred*
Large, Kay*
Larkin, Wade R.
Laub, William R.
Lord, Clarendon “Gene” (1929–2015)
Lord, Cline
Lund, Elizabeth
Lund, Eugene
Lund, Keith
Lund, Pearl
Mace, Rieths*
Mahoney, Kathryn
Mahnke, Eugene
Mahnke, Laura
Maw, Abram E.
Maw, Floy A.
Maw, Karen
Maw, Monna B.
Maw, Norma Jean
Maw, R. John
McFarland, Fenton
McMillan, Nola L.*
McMillan, Thomas A.*
Merrill, Paul O.*
Mikkelsen, Leo
Mikkelsen, Renee
Miller, Clarence
Miller, Ranae
Miller, Thomas A.
Miller, Veda L.
Moyes, Beverly
Moyes, Dale L.
Moyes, Edna
Moyes, Elaine
Moyes, Elbert
Moyes, Fentis*
Moyes, Ivan
Moyes, Juanita
Moyes, Kay H.
Moyes, LuJean
Moyes, Lynn V.
Moyes, Mable
Moyes, Orin
Moyes, Vernal
Nash, Augusta R.
Neff, Mr. Wayne
Neff, Ms. Wayne
North, Janet
North, Rick
Olofson, Mary L.
Olofson, Robert L.
Olsen, Ian*
Olsen, Mary
Olsen, Ron
Olsen, Yvonne
Orton, Gordon C. (1924–2008)
Orton, Leone
Overman, Curt
Painter, Cleo
Painter, Lee
Palmer, Douglas
Palmer, Lawrence
Palmer, Susanne
Palmer, Thelma H.
Palmer, Vern
Palmer, Viola (1908–2009)
Post, Bessie
Post, Judy O.
Poulsen, Bernard
Poulsen, Nora
Rasmussen, Don J.
Rasmussen, MaryLynn
Reese, J.D.
Rhead, Bonnie
Rhead, Steve
Rhead, Theron
Rhead, Vivian
Ritz, Mark
Robins, Jay*
Robins, Mildred
Robson, Amy
Roddomy, Ronald*
Rogers, Dennis O.
Rogers, Shareen
Roper, Mr. Rodney
Roper, Mrs. Rodney
Ross, Gladys (1921–2004) — organizer
Ross, Harold
Ross, Milo James (1921–2014) — organizer
Ross, Paul M.
Ross, Vicki (1945–2018)
Russell, Joe
Russell, Shirley
Sargent, Evona
Sargent, Kent
Saunders, Carl R.
Searcy, Hazel
Searcy, Kenneth J.
Seegmiller, Dale
Seegmiller, Marie F.
Sharp, Florence
Sharp, Laurel
Sharp, W.A.
Shaw, Jerrell B.
Shaw, Phyllis
Simpson, Archie W.*
Simpson, Florence
Singleton, Elmer (1918–1996)
Singleton, Elsie (–1988)
Singleton, VaCona
Skeen, Archie
Skeen, Charles
Skeen, Dick
Skeen, Lorraine
Skeen, Luella
Skeen, Wayne
Smith, LaWanna R.
Smith, Vernon J.
Sneddon, Dennis
Sorensen, Gordon A.
Sorensen, Karma
Sparks, Mildred
Stagge, Floyd
Stagge, Myrle
Statler, Lynda
Statler, Richard
Stevens, Debra
Stevens, Gwen C.
Stevens, John W.
Tafoya, Arthur
Tafoya, Via
Taylor, Alice
Taylor, Annette
Taylor, Call
Taylor, Clare
Taylor, Edna
Taylor, Elma
Taylor, Elvin L. (1920–2004)
Taylor, Elizabeth
Taylor, Fern
Taylor, Frances
Taylor, Gerald J.*
Taylor, Grant
Taylor, Idona Maw
Taylor, Jr.*
Taylor, Kathlene
Taylor, Kathy
Taylor, Ralph A.
Taylor, Rodney
Taylor, Rolla H.
Taylor, Ross M.
Taylor, Sheri
Taylor, Val
Taylor, Valoy (1932–2024)
Tesseder, Doug*
Thomas, Duane F.
Thompson, Gordon
Thompson, Lavina
Thompson, Margaret
Thompson, Marvel
Thompson, Merrvin*
Tippetts, Larry*
Truscott, L.C.
Truscott, LaVona
Valdez, Evelyn
Valdez, Raymond J.
Van Meeteren, Beth
Van Meeteren, Frank
Van Meeteren, Jean
Van Meeteren, Ron
Van Workom, Joyce*
Vaughn, Bert
Vaughn, Renee
Wakefield, Marilyn
Walton, Neale
Walton, Rhea
Weatherstone, Lorraine
West, George C.
West, Lillian
Westbrook, Herman
Weston, Becky
Weston, Brent
Weston, Eldon
Weston, Fae
Weston, Jae H.
Williams, Arnold A.
Williams, Charlotte
Williams, Delbert
Williams, F. LeRoy
Williams, Karen A.
Williams, Nadiene
Winder, Jane
Winder, Wayne
Wright, Norma

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Ross in Hawaii

I remember Grandpa, Milo James Ross, telling the story of his arrival in Hawaii. He often shared that, upon arriving, he heard over the loudspeakers that he was the father of a new baby boy. Somehow in my mind, I always equated Dad’s birth as the same date Grandpa arrived in Hawaii. Now knowing communications and technology available in 1943, the birth would not have been communicated to Hawaii the same day. The story suggests the birth and related information arrived before Grandpa to Hawaii. But by how much time?

First, Grandpa’s obituary (which I helped write) indicates he enlisted in the Army in October 1942. In the 1997 interview, Grandpa says he went in on “the first draft” shortly after Pearl Harbor (December 1941). He says he was sent to Fort Douglas and shipped out to Fort Lewis the same day. Grandpa also gave me the date for the photo below as 1942, which is almost a year after Pearl Harbor. He was pretty clear to tell me that when he enlisted, he was not aware that Grandma was pregnant. The first draft after Pearl Harbor, whatever that means, seems fairly immediate to me placing enlistment in 1941.

(l-r): Kenneth Barrow, Ellis or Keith Lund, Milo Ross, Jim Jardine, Unknown, Victor Wayment, Earl Collins 16 Oct 1942

The University of Utah Veterans Support Center states Grandpa landed in Hawaii on 4 July 1942. That seems to collaborate the 1997 interview with him enlisting right after Pearl Harbor. I wondered if that was a typo or if they had some records I was not aware. Was he in the army a whole year and just happened to be in Hawaii when the birth was announced?

There had to be some records out there to help clarify or pin down the dates. Military records give the insight needed. It was years since I did this search, and fortunately more records and information are now available. I try to link to them as they are referenced.

The 33rd Infantry Division arrived in Hawaii on 12 July 1943. Multiple independent military history sources — the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Army Divisions records, and others — all confirm this same date. As a reminder, Grandpa was in the 33rd Infantry Division, 130th Regiment, Company C.

The Division’s timeline shows it moved to Fort Lewis in August 1942. In March 1943, after Grandpa arrived in October 1942, the Division moved to Camp Young, California. There it conducted Desert Training Center maneuvers from April to June 1943 and then shipped to Hawaii in July 1943. This follows the pattern in Grandpa’s 1997 interview. (We have many photos of Grandma’s visit to Grandpa at Fort Lewis, I should share some of those.)

Dad was born on 4 July 1943, and the birth announcement came over the loudspeaker as the ship arrived in Hawaii. The official arrival date of 12 July 1943 means the ship would have been at sea on July 4th. “Sergeant Ross, congratulations. Your wife and son are doing well, and, one more thing, before you get off the ship you and your men have guard duty for the next four hours. Welcome to Hawaii.”

Additionally, a detailed record of another soldier, Staff Sergeant Charles Greer, in Company B of the 130th Infantry Regiment confirms the division’s movements through Fort Lewis in September 1942, Camp Clipper/Desert Training Center in early 1943, and onward — matching exactly what Grandpa described in his 1997 interview.

After settling the year, the next question for me was, where did they land in Hawaii and how long were they there? This took some more research to flesh out. I am grateful for those who continue to expand and make available these stories on the internet.

After arrival of the 123rd and 130th Regiments on Oahu in July 1943, the 123rd Regiment was sent to Kauai almost immediately. The 130th Regiment was sent to the Big Island almost immediately and later joined the 123rd on Kauai in December 1943.

Grandpa’s ship likely docked at a port on Oahu, almost certainly Honolulu Harbor. Honolulu was the primary army troop arrival port, rather than Pearl Harbor which was a naval base.

The primary Army installation area on the Big Island was Waikoloa Maneuver Area, near Waimea. Waimea is on the northern part of the island. Waikoloa Maneuver Area, located south of Waimea on Parker Ranch land, was used for live fire exercises in 1943. Camp Tarawa, also in Waimea, was also a major training ground used in late 1943, but primarily by Marines.

Grandpa’s 130th Regiment was almost certainly stationed in the Waimea/Waikoloa before transferring to Kauai in December 1943. I wasn’t able to find a specific named camp for the Army’s 130th Regiment there.

After the 130th joined the 123rd Regiment on Kauai in December 1943, both regiments completed their training and shipped out April 1944 to New Guinea. This comes from the Greer profile, linked above, which noted that on 21 April 1944, the 130th Infantry Regiment sailed from Honolulu to Finschhafen, New Guinea. It took two weeks to get from Honolulu to Finschhafen. Apparently, the 130th traveled on the S.S. Lurline.

The story of Sergeant Philip Beaman matches what Grandpa told in his 1997 interview. During the following months, the men worked to build up the outpost and conducted more amphibious operation training. They were even put to work unloading supplies at the port due to a shortage of stevedores. Grandpa’s account of unloading ships, digging drainage ditches, and building gravel walkways at Finschhafen matches Beaman. According to Beaman, morale suffered badly. According to the division’s own history, The Golden Cross, most men began to feel the division was “World War II’s forgotten unit.” The Division started calling themselves the “4F Division” — the Finschhafen Freight Forward Force.”

The Division arrived at Finschhafen on 11 May 1944 and remained there engaged in jungle and amphibious training. Later in 1944, the Division moved to Morotai Island arriving on 18 December 1944. The Division landed on the west coast without opposition. Grandpa also described in his interview arriving at Morotai, a PT boat mission, the bank robbery incident, booby trap explosion, and guarding the airstrip.

Dexter Kerstetter also served in Company C, 130th Infantry Regiment, with Grandpa. The Japanese had landed a regiment on the island, which lacked heavy weapons but had fortified the thick jungle around Hill 40.

On 10 February 1945, the 33rd Infantry Division landed at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines. After Lingayen Gulf, Beaman describes combat in the foothills of the Caraballo mountain range, in areas nicknamed Bench Mark and Question Mark. From 19 February onward, there is the drive into the Caraballo Mountains toward Baguio.

Kerstetter’s history continues, that on 13 April 1945, during a battle he advanced ahead of his squad. The forward movement had been halted by intense fire that inflicted casualties. Kerstetter advanced beyond his squad and worked his way up the ridge where Japan’s defenses were located. Japan’s soldiers had the ridgeline defended with machine guns, mortars, and infantry in spider holes. He systematically took out enemy defenses with well-aimed rifle fire and grenades. Climbing above the defenses, he dropped down the ridgeline to destroy a cave entrance defense and its four defenders. He resumed his advance on the ridgeline defenses and next encountered a machine gun position, which he destroyed with accurate rifle fire and a grenade, killing four enemy soldiers. Kerstetter then fired on about 20 of Japan’s soldiers behind the main line of defense, scattering them. Out of ammunition, he returned to his squad for resupply. Having good knowledge concerning the locations of Japanese defenses, he led a platoon to the ridgeline and on the way took out a rifle position. The platoon was able to secure the ridgeline. Kerstetter killed 16 Japanese soldiers that day. Company C then held the hill, deterring Japanese counterattacks. During a counterattack two days later on 15 April 1945, Kerstetter was wounded in the leg by sniper fire and sent to a field hospital. He was promoted to sergeant and recommended for the Medal of Honor.

Grandpa being in the same Company was likely involved in some way with much of Kerstetter’s history. The Greer article places the 1st Battalion of the 130th Infantry fighting on Hill 1802 in the Labayug-Alibeng area from 23-25 February 1945. That is just two weeks after landing. The book about the 33rd Division places Hills X and Y in the Kennon Road fighting of late February to March 1945. It was Hill X that gave Grandpa the Silver Star and the whole Unit received the Presidential Citation. Shortly after Hill X Grandpa was wounded while tending to other soldiers who were awaiting medical attention. All this brutal mountain fighting took place on the approaches to Baguio.

Grandpa spent several weeks in recovery. University of Utah says two months, but that cannot be accurate. By mid April 1945 the 130th Infantry Regiment called in air support to help rifle companies get through a network of fortified hills. The fighter-bombers broke Japanese resistance and the 130th finally got across the river. The 33rd Infantry Division liberated what was left of Baguio on 26 April 1945. Grandpa indicates he was present for that liberation, which puts his recovery time at only a couple of weeks, not a full two months.

After Baguio, there was plenty of mopping up work required. The Division mopped up isolated pockets of Japanese troops around Baguio and captured the San Nicholas–Tebbo–Itogon route on 12 May 1945. Fighting continued and on 6 June 1945, Company I of the 130th Regiment was given a Medal of Honor for their activities near Tabio, Luzon. Grandpa indicates he was present at the Japanese surrender at Luzon in June 1945.

On 30 June 1945, all elements of the 33rd Division went to rest and rehabilitation areas. The division then landed on Honshū Island, Japan on 25 September 1945 and performed occupation duties until it was deactivated in early 1946. While the Division performed occupation duties, Grandpa had been honorably discharged 30 September 1945 and shipped home.

I am posting this article ahead of the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Baguio City.

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Anchorage

I wrote of Amanda’s great catch of a deal in 2021 that took the Ross family to Alaska. I shared in that post, last year, that we caught a flight to Fairbanks and made our way to Denali National Park. I also wrote about staying with my Uncle and Aunt Doug and Linda Jonas in Anchorage. While I shared photos with Doug and Linda, Brook and Caitlin, Elle and Blye, I thought I better share some more photos of Anchorage itself.

Hiram, Lillie, Aliza, and James at the Anchorage Visitor Information Center

The visitor center stands out in downtown Anchorage as a log cabin reminder of its past. The amazing part was the flowers. Alaska has long daylight hours with mild temperatures. Due to that, the flowers grow large and pretty. You can definitely see that in these flowers.

Lillie, James, Hiram, and Aliza Ross with bear statue in front of Anchorage City Hall

We wandered around the downtown area to get a feel for the town and its sights.

Lillie, Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross in front of downtown Anchorage Federal Building

This Federal Building is not where the Federal Courts are housed. We had to track that building down about four or five blocks away. Here is a picture we snapped there.

Paul and Aliza Ross at Anchorage’s Federal Courthouse

Classic lawyer nerd taking a picture with a Federal Courthouse!

Hiram reading the James Cook Monument

We walked down to Resolution Park. We read about Captain Cook. The monument was installed as part of the 1976 Bicentennial Celebrations.

CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
R.N., F.R.S.
Navigator, Explorer, Chartmaker, Scientist, Humanist
1728-1779

James Cook was born in Yorkshire, England, on October 27, 1728.  He was apprenticed to serve on sailing ships built in Whitby, near his birth-place, to carry coal along the English coast.  At age 26, he joined the Royal Navy, took part in actions against France and, through his natural flair for mathematics and science, was promoted “King’s Surveyor” and given command of vessels performing survey work on the coast of Newfoundland.    

Chosen as commander to lead an expedition of discovery to the Pacific Ocean, he sailed on his first voyage of exploration (1768-71) to find the continent of Australia as well as Tahiti, New Zealand and New Guinea where he charted coasts and waters previously unknown to the Western World.  On his return, he was honoured by a grateful nation, made a Fellow of the Royal Society, and received by the King.

His second voyage (1772-75) to Antarctic and the South Pacific added the Friendly Isles, New Caledonia, Easter Island, Cook Island and New Georgia to the map. In 1776, Captain Cook set out on his third voyage, aboard his flagship “Resolution”, to find a north-west passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic.  He surveyed the coast of northwest America and Alaska, but, failing to find the passage to the Atlantic, turned south from the Bering Strait and sailed to the Sandwich Isles where, on the Island of Hawaii, he met his death on February 14, 1779.

James Cook, a farm hand’s son who became a Captain in the Royal Navy and gold medalist of the Royal Society, lives in history as the greatest explorer-navigator the world has known.   His real memorial is on the map of the world.

This monument, created by Derek Freeborn after the statue in Whitby, where James Cook began his career as seaman, was donated by The British Petroleum Company as a contribution to the Bicentennial celebration of the United States of America.

Amanda, Aliza, James, and Lillie Ross at Eisenhower Statehood Monument with their flowers

President Dwight D Eisenhower signed Alaska into existence as the 49th State. This monument memorializes that act. It was a culmination of many years of work and something that President Eisenhower took very seriously.

The Alaska Railroad from the Eisenhower Statehood Monument
Lillie, Hiram, Aliza, and Amanda Ross at the Anchorage Alaska Temple

We drove past the temple a couple of times going to and from various places. We had to stop and take some pictures. This temple is being replaced, so it will not be there much longer. The new temple is being built where the Stake Center was next to this Temple. When completed, this will be removed and I believe the new Stake Center will be built. I believe this is the first time in the church where a temple will be formally replaced not on the same footprint.

Amanda and Paul Ross at Anchorage Alaska Temple
Lillie and James with Smokey the Bear at Begich, Boggs Visitor Center

We saw multiple glaciers while in Alaska. We stopped and went through the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. It was interesting to see how close the center once was near glaciers. Now you cannot even see the Portgage Glacier from it. We went and hiked up the Byron Glacier Trail.

Portage Lake
Hanging glaciers up Byron Glacier Trail
Lillie Ross near melting snow with glaciers in the background
Byron Glacier Trail looking back toward Portage Lake

As you can see, the glaciers have heavily retreated. More of just an alpine trail now with some blue snow/ice above.

Hiram, Aliza, and Lillie Ross on Byron Glacier Trail
Lillie Ross at Brook and Caitlin Jonas’ home in Anchorage

My cousin Brook Jonas lives in this home on the foothills west of Anchorage. If you look closely, above Lillie you can see downtown Anchorage. You can also see Fire Island straight out and what is beyond Anchorage.

At a later time, I will have to write of our trips to Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, and Whittier.

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Aliza and Hiram at the Temple

I am afraid the Ross household are temple tourists. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a couple of quirks. One of which, I like to drive by temples. The more distant a location, the greater likelihood I will plan visiting a temple. Even if it is just to drive past and snap a picture. Now that my children are old enough to attend the temple, my unwritten goal is to attend various temples. In visiting with Aliza and Hiram, they have not been keeping much of a record. Here I am, trying to re-create a list of temples they both have attended 2022 to present. I can cheat because we often take a picture while there.

Aliza could start attending the temple in January 2022. We did not have any goals for attendance, usually just whenever our Burley 11 Ward would go to the temple.

12 February 2022 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple
6 March 2022 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple
16 April 2022 – Pocatello Idaho Temple – Bill Teal, Mary Lou Teal, Amanda Ross, Aliza Ross, Paul Ross, Eliza Hales, Brad Hales, Aleah Hales
14 May 2022 – Logan Utah Temple – Paul and Aliza Ross with Aleah, Brad, and Eliza Hales
31 December 2022 – Brigham City Utah Temple – Paul Ross, Aleah Hales, Eliza Hales, Brad Hales, Aliza Ross, Amanda Ross
28 April 2023 – Ogden Utah Temple
27 May 2023 – Bountiful Utah Temple – Paul and Aliza Ross, Brad, Aleah, and Eliza Hales, Marianne Christensen
19 August 2023 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple – Paul Ross, Brad Hales, Aliza Ross, Aleah Hales, Eliza Hales

Hiram could start attending the temple in January 2024. That year the Burley 8 Ward (we moved houses) asked that we set a goal of attending monthly in 2024. We fulfilled that goal.

12 January 2024 – Pocatello Idaho Temple – Amanda, Aliza, Milo, Hiram, and Paul Ross

17 February 2024 – Twin Falls Temple – Burley 8 Ward Temple Trip

8 March 2024 – Bountiful Utah Temple – Bryan Hemsley, Amanda Ross, Aliza Ross, Jill Hemsley, Hiram Ross, Paul Ross
27 March 2024 – Vernal Utah Temple

5 April 2024 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple – Burley 8 Ward Temple Trip

17 May 2024 – Ogden Utah Temple
5 July 2024 – Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
17 August 2024 – Logan Utah Temple
23 August 2024 – Meridian Idaho Temple – Aliza only
22 September 2024 – Layton Utah Temple – Amanda Ross, Aliza Ross, Hiram Ross, Brad Hales, Aleah Hales, Elise Hales, Rachel Hales, Eliza Hales, Paul Ross

Funny story, Layton was the first time I actually took a dead person to the temple. My Great Aunt June Streeter Stout. Ask me for the story.

4 October 2024 – Boise Idaho Temple

9 November 2024 – Twin Falls Temple – Burley 8 Ward Temple Trip

28 December 2024 – Bountiful Utah Temple – Burley 8 Ward Temple Trip

The Ward did not ask us to continue the monthly attendance for 2025, but as a family we have continued the monthly attendance goal.

4 January 2025 – Meridian Idaho Temple

1 February 2025 – Twin Falls Temple

26 March 2025 – Newport Beach California Temple
19 April 2025 – Pocatello Idaho Temple – Brad Hales, Janet Hales, Eliza Hales, Aliza Ross, Aleah Hales, Elise Hales, Paul Ross, Hiram Ross
19 April 2025 – Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
16 May 2025 – Brigham City Utah Temple
17 June 2025 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple
6 July 2025 – Twin Falls Idaho Temple – Derek Hemsley, Paul Ross, Hiram Ross, Aliza Ross, Olivia Hemsley
16 August 2025 – Logan Utah Temple – Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross
6 September 2025 – Twin Falls Temple – Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross
24 October 2025 – Twin Falls Temple – Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross
29 November 2025 – Orem Utah Temple – Paul Ross, Hiram Ross, Derek Hemsley, Olivia Hemsley, Jill Hemsley, Aliza Ross
19 December 2025 – Syracuse Utah Temple – Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross

In addition to attending the temple for ordinances for 2024-2025, we also attended some temple open houses.

26 May 2023 – Saratoga Springs Utah Temple – Front (l-r): Jordan Hemsley, Hiram Ross, Jill Hemsley; Standing: Amanda Ross, Aliza Ross, Rowan Hemsley, Derek Hemsley, Olivia Hemsley, Lillian Ross, Paul Ross, James Ross, Jack Hemsley, Bryan Hemsley
6 August 2023 – Moses Lake Washington Temple
3 November 2023 – St George Utah Temple
23 March 2024 – Manti Utah Temple – Amanda, Paul, Hiram, James, Lillie, and Aliza Ross with Jill Hemsley
17 May 2024 – Layton Utah Temple – Lillian Ross, Paul Ross, Amanda Ross, Aliza Ross, Bryan Hemsley, Jill Hemsley, James Ross, Hiram Ross
18 May 2024 – Taylorsville Utah Temple – Bryan Hemsley, James Ross, Jill Hemsley, Aliza Ross, Lillian Ross, Hiram Ross, Amanda Ross, Paul Ross
11 October 2024 – Deseret Peak Utah Temple – Paul Ross, James Ross, Amanda Ross, Hiram Ross, Aliza Ross, Jill Hemsley, Lillie Ross, Bryan Hemsley, Shanna Thompson
16 May 2025 – Syracuse Utah Temple
30 August 2025 – Elko Nevada Temple – Brad and Rachel Hales Family with Ross Family with Lea Pierucci Izama (exchange student from Germany, staying with Hales family)
8 November 2025 – Burley Idaho Temple, Amanda Ross, Brad Hales, Anson Hales, Aleah Hales, James Ross (front), Lea Pierucci Izama (back), Paul Ross, Audra Hales, Aliza Ross

This was a fun visit. Some of the kids commented about where under the temple, in the foundations, might their rocks be found? We all submitted rocks with thoughts and our names on them that were placed before the foundations were poured.

14 November 2025 – Burley Idaho Temple – Hiram Ross, Amanda Ross, Lillie Ross, Rowan Hemsley (arm around), Margo Hemsley, Bryan Hemsley, Olivia Hemsley, Jill Hemsley, Jack Hemsley, James Ross, Paul Ross, Aliza Ross, Jordan Hemsley, Derek Hemsley

And other drive by shootings related to temples in 2022-2025.

4 June 2022 – Burley Idaho Temple Groundbreaking
6 August 2023 – Columbia River Washington Temple
28 August 2023 – Los Angeles California Temple
1 September 2023 – San Diego California Temple
26 March 2025 – Los Angeles California Temple
29 March 2025 – Oakland California Temple
29 November 2025 – Provo City Utah Temple – Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with Jill Hemsley
23 December 2025 – Laie Hawaii Temple – Amanda and Paul Ross

This is only a record of attending the temple for Aliza and Hiram. Many know I have had my own personal goal for monthly attending the temple from September 1998 to the present.

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Milo James Ross military medals

I previously wrote about the plaque that hung on my Grandparents’ wall in Plain City, Utah. The photo in the center of the plaque showed Milo James Ross receiving the Silver Star by Major General Clarkson.

Milo James Ross WWII medals, clippings, and photo

Before Grandpa passed away, the Army was gearing up to do a more formal presentation of his medals as some of them were just given to him without much fanfare. Apparently some of them deserved a bit more formal recognition. Initially, we were gearing up for Independence Day 2014. However, some things grind slowly forward. We were then talking about some dates in August 2014 and September 2014. Unfortunately, Grandpa passed away 17 July 2014.

In preparation for the more formal presentation, the military gave new copies of some of the medals he had already received and the others he had not yet received. We took those and put them in a shadow box for his funeral. Here is a photo we took of the box before putting it behind glass.

I am not clear on the medals and what they each mean. His obituary lists a number of his medals that were awarded to him.

His obituary included this Army service information:

“Milo enlisted in the Army in October 1942.  He served in the 33 rd Infantry Division, 130 th Regiment, Company C.  He trained in weapons and earned his expert ranking.  He arrived in Hawaii in July 1943 and received the announcement that his son, Milo Paul, had been born.  He served as part of the Philippine invasion force and they fought through the jungles and liberated Baguio City.  He was injured five times, one while tending to other soldiers awaiting medical attention.

“He was present at the Japanese surrender at Luzon as a Technical Sergeant in June 1945.  He received two purple hearts and the Silver Star for his service at the end of World War II.  His Company received a Presidential Citation for outstanding performance during armed conflict with the enemy in efforts to seize Hill X in Bilbil Mountain Province.  At the time of Milo’s death, the military was preparing to award him another Purple Heart, another Silver Star, Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal & Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantry Badge 1 st Award, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and Bronze Star, Honorable Service Button for World War II.  He was also to be awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal and Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Badge from the Philippine Government.

The UofU Commemoration placard for Grandpa in 2009

The 2009 University of Utah Veterans Commemoration included this excerpt about Grandpa:

“Milo James Ross was drafted into the army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was sent to Fort Douglas and shipped out that same day to Fort Lewis, Washington. For the next two months, he went through a weapons platoon crash course. He trained on machine guns, mortars, and hand launchers. Ross quickly earned expert ranking on these weapons. Following basic training, Ross’s unit was sent to Barstow, California. Their training focused on digging fox holes.

“Ross soon shipped out to the Hawaiian Islands, leaving behind his young pregnant wife. As his unit landed on the big island of Hawaii on July 4, 1942, a voice on the loud speaker said, “Sergeant Ross, congratulations. Your wife and son are doing well, and, one more thing, before you get off the ship you and your men have guard duty for the next four hours. Welcome to Hawaii.”

“After a long training in Hawaii, Ross’s unit, “C” Company, 130 Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Division, became part of the Philippine invasion force. They hit the beach in Lingayen Gulf and intensely fought their way through jungles and mountains to the inland city of Baguio.

“Ross was wounded while tending other soldiers who were awaiting medical attention. He spent two months in a hospital while recovering from shrapnel wounds all over his body.

“The day after Ross returned to his unit, they jumped into three months of fighting that only ended with the Japanese surrender at Luzon in June, 1945.

“Company C, 130th Infantry Regiment was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for outstanding performance of duty and superb courage during armed conflict with the enemy in their efforts to seize Hill X in the Bilbil Mountain Province in the Philippines. For his service, Ross was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

The same shadowbox on display at his funeral

BYU Library – Special Collections has this biography and reference citation of Grandpa:

“Milo James Ross (1921-2014) was a World War II veteran who fought in the Pacific battles.

“Milo Ross was born February 4, 1921 just north of Plain City, Utah to John Jack William Ross and Ethel Sharp Ross. When Milo was barely four, his mother passed away in childbirth. Milo and his siblings were cared for by their maternal grandparents until financial strains forced Milo to be raised by his uncle, Edward Sharp, in Plain City, Utah. He grew up farming with his cousins and attended the local schools, eventually graduating from Weber High in 1939. In 1940, at a Plain City celebration, Milo met Gladys Maxine Donaldson and two years later, on April 4, 1942, they were married in her parents’ home in Ogden, Utah. The October of that same year, Milo enlisted in the United States Army at Fort Douglas, Utah, becoming a member of the 33rd Infantry Division, 130th Regiment, Company C. After training they were sent to Needles, California handling freight, setting up tents and digging trenches and then on to Hawaii for further training. When they arrived in Hawaii, on July 4, 1943, Ross was informed his son, Milo Paul, had been born that very same day. Ross’s company was assigned to become part of the Philippine invasion force where they fought in New Guinea and Luzon. They fought through the jungles, liberated Baguio City, was present at the Japanese surrender in Luzon in June 1945, and left Ross injured on five separate occasions.

“Milo Ross was honorably discharged in September of 1945. He was honored with two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star, and the Presidential Citation for outstanding performance. Returning home, Milo worked remodeling homes. He also had two daughters: Judy Ethel and Caroline. Gladys and Milo solemnized their marriage July 2, 1976 in the Ogden Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gladys died in 2004.

“Milo James Ross died in Plain City, Utah on July 17, 2014 at the age of 93.

Citation:

“Standard examiner, via WWW, March 2, 2018 (Milo James Ross; born February 4, 1921 in a log cabin north of Plain City to John Jack William Ross and Ethel Sharp Ross; mother tragically died from childbirth in 1925; Milo and his siblings lived with Ross grandparents until the costs proved too great and his Uncle Edward Sharp raised Milo in Plain City until adulthood; He attended schools in Plain City and graduated from Weber High in 1939; farmed with sharp cousins; Gladys Maxine Donaldson at a Plain City celebration in 1940; married April 4, 1942 in her parent’s home on 8th Street in Ogden; enlisted in the Army in October 1942; 33rd Infantry Division, 130th Regiment, Company C; Philippine invasion force and they fought through the jungles and liberated Baguio City; injured five times; present at the Japanese surrender at Luzon as a Technical Sergeant in June 1945; two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star; Presidential Citation for outstanding performance; He returned home in 1945 and worked remodeling homes; children Milo Paul, Judy Ethel and Caroline; solemnized their marriage July 2, 1976 in the Ogden LDS Temple; died in Plain City on July 17, 2014)

“UPB files, March, 2, 2018 (Milo James Ross; born Feb. 4, 1921 in Plain City, Utah; Joined army Oct. 1942 at Fort Douglas, Utah; fought in new Guinea and Luzon; sent to Needles, California handling freight, setting up tents and digging trenches; sent to Hawaii and landed July 4, 1943 where he received news his son had been born that very same day; wife passed away in 2004 and daughter on 1998)

The new medals shadowbox on display at his funeral
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Remembering Amelia

I wanted to share these clippings my Grandmother, Gladys Donaldson Ross. Not sure if they were all the same time, likely. I don’t know if Amelia was a role-model for my Grandmother. I do recall her mentioning Amelia Earhart in at least one conversation with her, but do not recall the context. Grandma would have been 15 at the time Amelia went missing. Whatever the reason, Grandma clipped these and kept them. I am posting these in honour of what would have been her 103rd birthday this week, 20 September 1921 to 20 September 2024.

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Open primaries bill introduced in Congress

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Layton & Taylorsville Temple Open Houses

Paul, Hiram, and Aliza Ross at Vernal Utah Temple

Before I talk about the Layton and Taylorsville Temples, I thought I better throw in another temple visit we made since I last updated. While on Spring Break this year, we made a stop in Vernal, Utah. While there, we scheduled and attended the Vernal Utah Temple with the kids. Glad we stopped to make another memory at another House of the Lord.

Hiram and Aliza at Vernal Utah Temple on 27 March 2024

Since the kids have a goal to attend the temple every month this year, we did also make it in April to the Twin Falls Temple. In May, while going to Utah for the open houses, we made sure to stop off and fulfill the monthly goal. May took us to Ogden Utah Temple.

Hiram and Aliza Ross at Ogden Utah Temple 17 May 2024

Later that evening, we attended the open house of the Layton Utah Temple with Amanda’s parents. Beautiful.

Paul, Lillian, Amanda, Aliza, James, and Hiram Ross with Bryan and Jill Hemsley 17 May 2024

We look forward to attending the temple after it is dedicated.

The next day we attended the open house for the Taylorsville Utah Temple, again with Amanda’s parents. We were also excited to run into the Brad and Rachel Hales family as well as Sarah Sanderson!

Bryan and Jill Hemsley with James, Aliza, Lillian, Hiram, Amanda, and Paul Ross 18 May 2024

It has been a crazy year for temple attendance and temple open houses. We have attended quite a few and quite a few are coming up for open houses. Wow, should be fun. It is exciting that the Kingdom and Church of God on the earth is in such a position to build so many beautiful houses to the Lord. We are blessed to attend the open houses and hopefully return some day to participate in holy ordinances there.

When I was interviewed for my first temple recommend in 1998, President Gene Hansen indicated he had a goal since he was first endowed to attend the temple every single month. He challenged me to do the same. As long as I have held a recommend, or I had permission to attend, I have attended the temple every single month since 1998. That meant a full day off of work in Missouri as it was a 4 hour drive one way from Branson, Missouri, to St. Louis, Missouri. Or from Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., that was a 4-5 hour drive and we often would go up and spend the night and return home on Saturday or Sunday depending on the circumstances.

Many open houses are upcoming, including Deseret Peak Utah; Casper Wyoming; Grand Junction Colorado; Elko Nevada; Syracuse Utah; Burley Idaho; Lindon Utah; Ephraim Utah; Smithfield Utah; Montpelier Idaho; Heber Valley Utah; Teton River Idaho; Salt Lake City Utah; Provo Rock Canyon Utah; Cody Wyoming; Lethbridge Alberta; Lehi Utah; and West Jordan Utah. Hopefully we can make some of the more exotic ones, particularly Birmingham England; Edinburgh Scotland; Honolulu Hawaii; and Vancouver British Columbia. We will see what our future holds.