NEWS LETTER OF THE LADIES AUXILIARY, U.S.M.B.
SHIRLEY MAYNES , President
We have had another exciting MORMON BATTALION DAY! I hope that each of you enjoyed it as much as I did. I would like to thank those of you who attended this special event. Everything went smoothly, on schedule, and the day was filled with many activities, including: a hike to Ensign Peak, speakers, elections, and then ended with a dinner and the presentation of awards.
As I take the helm again, I will strive to set worthwhile goals and to accomplish them. One important goal is to memorialize as many of the graves of Mormon Battalion wives as deemed possible. The year 2000 is upon us, and what a splendid time for the Mormon Battalion to conduct programs and other activities relating to the marvelous things that have taken place in these past 2000 years, as well as to future happenings and events.
I would especially like to thank the women who accepted positions on the National Board, as well as the company leaders. All of you are well experienced in your callings, and are professionally qualified to do an excellent job for the Auxiliary. Your influence and efforts contribute greatly, and make a difference in the success of our organization.
The holiday season is upon us! This special time of the year provides us with an opportunity to give our thanks and express our appreciation to our Father in Heaven for the many blessings and privileges that are ours, here in America. May we all do so. My wish for each of you is that you have a Christmas that is merry and a New Year filled with much happiness and good health.
Having gone through elections again, I feel it is time for me to set new goals as to what I, personally, would like to see happen with the Ladies Auxiliary, and how I can make it happen. I believe that it is important for EACH of us to re-dedicate ourselves to the Battalion cause and its purposes. I realize that each of us is busy with our daily lives; I, myself, am due to have a baby in three weeks, while caring for five children and a husband who travels a lot. Still, I need to dedicate some of my time to the Battalion. I consider it as payment to my ancestors who sacrificed so much for our freedom of religion. If we all give a little, then it mounts up fast, and much can be accomplished. Thank goodness, there is still a chance for me to dedicate myself and to try harder.
Mary was born and raised in Oakley, Idaho, in a close-knit LDS family. When she married Lloyd D. Smith in 1951, she accepted the task of working while Lloyd completed his requirements for graduation from Utah State University at Logan, Ut. After Lloyd's graduation, she became an Army officer's wife, as Lloyd began his military career.
President
Shirley Maynes
Vice President
Michelle Teeples
Secretary/Treasurer
Nancy Williams
Historian
Dayle White
Life Memberships
Merle Shurtz
Memorializations
Margaret Larson
Materials Specialist
Collene Jameson
They moved twenty-one times while in the service. The rough years were during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, which meant separation. They are the parents of three children: Douglas and James (now dentists in the Mesa, AZ, area) and Peggy Ann, who with her husband, Ken, lives in Spanish Fork, UT. Lloyd and Mary have 14 grandchildren. Mary has served in the Church all her life: in the Relief Society, of course, and in the Primary and the Boy Scouts. The last 3 years she and Lloyd have enjoyed the privilege of fulfilling Brigham Young's promises by telling the Battalion story out on the Battalion Trail, mostly at night. Mary enjoys going out with the troop and the wives of other Battalion men for their nightly presentation. Also, she has been involved in helping the young people of the Mesa area make their handcart trek each year. She is a great influence in the lives of these young people as she fulfills the legacy of the Mormon Battalion in Arizona. She and Lloyd are life members.