JOHN D. WHETTEN REMEMBRANCES

REMEMBRANCES OF JOHN D. WHETTEN

Congratulations on your 70th birthday. On this important milestone in your life, I take this opportunity to express my feelings and appreciation for you.

I distinctly remember the first time I met you at BYU. We had both returned to school for our first semester after our missions. We had two afternoon Political Science classes back to back and I was walking to the second class when you caught up to me on the sidewalk, introduced yourself to me and we started to talk. I also started to catch a ride home with you to lower campus after the second class-I lived next to lower campus and you had a math class there which you had to take as a requirement to take other classes necessary to apply to an MBA program. We soon discovered we had a lot in common and our friendship grew and developed. We both applied to graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, both were accepted and we became roommates at Berkeley. We shared so much together. While we have not seen a lot of each other since our Berkeley days, our relationship is based on the quality of our experiences together and not the quantity of time spentp together. A partial list of those experiences include:
1. Our first meeting.
2. Talks as we drove together to lower campus.
3. Study group sessions at the law library in the Smoot building.
4. Listening to news reports on your VW radio on the assassination of Pres. Kennedy.
5. Sharing of spiritual experiences and trying to find a wife.
6. Meeting your family and being loved by them.
7. Graduating at the same time and helping you during our last finals when you and your whole family were so sick.
8. Trip to Berkeley to find an apartment.
9. Being roommates at Berkeley and observing how many TV dinners you can eat after you have eaten dinner.
10. Home Teaching together.
11. Attending your institute class.
12. Double dating together.
13. Great date in San Francisco at the Hungry I.
14. Engagement announcement party together at Bishop Jensen’s home.
15. Attendance at each other’s wedding reception.
16. Trips to the wine country and boating on the Russian River.
17. Touring San Francisco and following Princess Grace Kelly around.
18. Trip to Show Low, Arizona and spending the weekend with you.
19. Your call to me when you were being operated for cancer the next day.
20. Dinners in the Bay Area when we visited there.
21. Telephone calls.
22. Showing you around Grand Junction and seeing where you lived and went to school.
23. Trip to Martin’s Cove and walking Rocky Ridge-a very special experience together.
24. Sharing your writing products and having your missionary books available for me to give to missionaries in my stake when I interview them for their missions.

It is ironic that I moved to the community where you grew up. The Whetten name is still remembered here. I wanted to be a lawyer is a city close to my parents. You wanted to work for Clorox, get trained and then be president of a large corporation. Each of us has accomplished our goal and were happy. Our relationship is based on mutual love, not competition. You were happy in what I accomplished and I was happy in what you accomplished.

Thanks for your love, friendship and support. You certainly have been an important part of my life. I thank God I have a friend such as you. I am a better person because of you.

Your eternal brother,

Kelly Summers