"Come, Meet Jesse"

This post is about an individual, who once lived among us, whose 

character has been paramount and influenced our lives

As you read the post, please think of one person whose pattern of life you would 

personally be honored to follow.  We will return to the request later.

The information given for the post, and the one to follow, was provided by Lou Jean Draper Scadden,  Darlene Draper Kunz, June Draper Sivers, and Robert Miland Draper, the nieces and nephew of Jesse Draper.  

Now, may I introduce you to our family's, much esteemed, Jesse Hyrum Draper.

Birth:  24 December 1890 Kaysville, Davis, Utah Territory     

Died:  27 April 1943 Ogden, Weber, Utah

Uncle Jesse lead a life of honor and varied interest.  His life patterns reach across time giving silent direction to his descendants.

He had an enjoyable sense of humor and mixed it with loving concern for family. He often visited kin folk in Clearfield, Layton and Kaysville providing a proper trip of traveling, as he said, "Around the World," which in his day took all afternoon to make the rounds.  When time came to leave one's home and move onto another, he always made a gesture of pulling a train whistle accompanied with the accurate, piercing, boisterous noise. It became obvious he enjoyed being a contented railroad man by the way he mixed employment with pleasure.

The car he traveled in on his many adventures received the name of Tuesday, which came about because it was purchased on...you guess it - Tuesday.  If you had the honor of riding with him in Tuesday, there was one rule to be obeyed; no questions asked.  Rule: Don't throw anything out the windows! No litter bugs were ever allow to be with Jesse and his Tuesday; whether it was "Around the World" or any other happy excursions.  Regarding Tuesday, he offered wise advice.  He said, "Always keep the top half of the gas tank full."

Uncle Jesse had and enjoyed a yard filled with colorful, sweet, perfumed flowers.  What a pleasure to work with him and learn from his green thumb.  He insisted the rake never be left with it's prongs turned outward. He cautioned, "One might step on the prongs of the rake, attached to the handle, and 'BANG' a blow on the head." Great council; one to follow as if you were an obedient Knight of the Round Table.  One of his nieces wrote of her experiences in his garden. She stated, "In the fall, beautiful peony bushes lined their property and had to be cut back, and I got to ride on top of the wheelbarrow full of trimmings. It was a special time for me and him too." A nephew recalled a sand box next to the garage, which Jesse provided for the young children of his brother, Tom, to play in when they visited. Even though Jesse and his wife did not have children of their own, he wanted a fun experience for his young visitors.

Jesse Draper definitely proved to be a man gifted with leadership qualities.  He served as Bishop of the Ogden 3rd Ward, Ogden, Utah, and gave love and care to his flock.  He also served as an astute scout master for a number of years and felt his boys deserved the best of training with skills to last them for life. In later years, a man by the name of Joe Tippets and three of his companions survived 29 days after an airplane crash in Alaska's cold, relentless winter.  Joe credited Jesse Draper's teaching and the expertise he received as a young scout, in Jesse's troop, to their dangerous and courageous survival.

The Silver Beaver was awarded to Jesse Draper in honor of his dedicated years of service.

Jesse's Silver Beaver

The Silver Beaver was introduced in 1931 as a pin-on medal, but due to the heavy weight of the medallion it was switched over to a neck ribbon in Mid-1932.  A blue-white-blue ribbon (long ago worn-out and discarded; however, in our home, a brown ribbon holds the Silver Beaver) was introduced in 1934 for informal uniform wear. 

The Silver Beaver is the highest award that a council can present to its volunteers.  The Silver Beaver Award is presented upon action of a Council Executive Board on one of the BSA's local Councils or the Direct Service Council for outstanding service to youth within the Council or for outstanding longtime service to youth by a registered Scouter residing within that Council.  The average tenure for Silver Beaver candidates is ten years or longer.  

                                                                                   (Information from Wikipedia Encyclopedia) 

Lou Jean Draper Scadden wrote the following, "I remember the night he came home from a meeting and he had that treasured Silver Beaver award in his hand.  It was a very special achievement for him, and at that time there were not that many given out.  He surely did deserve it...he felt all those scouts were HIS boys.  He just glowed and I can still see him standing in the doorway, and I still feel the thrill of the occasion and the excitement I felt then.  He almost had a halo."

*****

Back to the request at the beginning of the post. Who will you place in the picture frame as the person whose pattern of life you would personally be honored to follow?

Be good to yourself until the next post, which will feature Jesse's musical talent, his camp fires, and his original, delicious "Honky Tonk " recipe.