"Come, Meet Jesse Hyrum Draper"

 Saturday, May 16, 2015

"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, I introduce you to our families, much esteemed, Jesse Hyrum Draper.

Birth:  24 December 1890 Kaysville, Davis, Utah Territory     

Died:  27 April 1943 Ogden, Weber, Utah

Uncle Jesse led 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 allowed 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 its 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 counsel!  You needed to follow the advice, 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 white and blue ribbon (long ago worn-out and discarded; however, today 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 the treasured Silver Beaver award in his hand.  It was a very special achievement for him, and at that time there were not 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."

*****

Let’s go 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 campfires, and his original, delicious "Honky Tonk” recipe.

Friday, May 22, 2015

" Come Meet Jesse"  Part II

 

This blog's post is number two on the life of Jesse Draper.

In the quiet, early morning hours, while sitting at my computer desk, I came across the caption:

 "Every person's life matters. It's never too late to celebrate."

 Truly the statement applies to our Uncle Jesse Draper.  

Jesse became a talented music man who enjoyed playing the violin, not only for his own enjoyment, but to give service to others with beautiful, soul felt melodies. The many hours he practiced and performed his God given talent, truly enhanced the gift tenfold.

The Ocarina, also known as the "Sweet Potato" caught Jesse's fancy, because of its shape and it could easily fit into his pocket.  The unusual gadget belongs to an ancient family of wind instruments, believed to date back over 12,000 years. Today, the modern European Ocarina, dating back to the 19th century, originated from Italy. Jesse loved his blue musical device with its soft hallow tones. His niece, Lou Jean, wrote an endearing memory regarding Jesse's talent with his "Sweet Potato."

"He would play his Sweet Potato and we would sing.  He also liked to play the same music when we would stop for a cold drink, from the spring in a cave, while driving up Logan Canyon. He would walk around the edge of the water to the very back of the cave, and I can still hear the beautiful notes echoing through the cave from that instrument."

The Picture above is an Ocarina

Yes, our Uncle Jesse, with his musical talents

enjoyed being a sincere and delightful entertainer.

Uncle Jesse loved to camp.  Maybe it was the Boy Scout spirit in him. Whatever motivated him, he truly set a legacy for all of us to honor.  He lived the Boy Scout motto, BE PREPARED and always carried "dry matches" with him, and used them, among other things, to build a large and crackling bonfire

The family would sit around the camp fire and sing songs.  Perhaps there would be camping tunes like "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" or "Down in the Valley" and of course all would be accompanied by Jesse and his Ocarina.  There would be memories formed of being together and united in feeling the warm, "Hot Face" effect on rosy cheeks; the biting smoke in one’s eyes; sitting on heavy, rough logs circled around the fire pit; while experiencing the cool, damp night air of the canyon; and hearing the gurgling of the nearby stream.  As the fire tamed itself, those watching the dancing flames would appreciate the dry, withered, fire scared wood. The wood had years and years of energy soaked up from the sun, wind and rain all to be released with hisses, sizzling pops, and a thick smell of time burning away.

Jesse would prepare his scrumptious, original "Honky Tonk" soup, which he made for family and his scouts at the campground on an open fire.  Uncle Jesse started early cooking his recipe, and he would keep a watchful eye as all ingredients simmered together for two hours (the same recipe can be made in one’s own kitchen and it will cook-up just fine.) What a treat, at the campsite, to hear the sizzling of the meat and smell the tangy aroma of onions while they cooked and blended together.

The ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef browned and seasoned with salt and pepper

1 medium onion chopped and added to ground beef until tender.

Add remaining ingredients.

3 28 oz store bought chopped canned tomatoes or 2 bottles of home canned tomatoes

1 teaspoon Thyme

1 15 oz can Peas including liquid

1 15 oz can Pork and Beans

Recipe serves 4-6 people.

The meal would be served on enamelware camping dishes.  The color of the dishes were white with a thin black edge; giving them a touch of class.  

A side note from Google:

The enamelware dishes were made with lighter steel, and then coated with a smooth enamel coating. The advantages of enamelware were its low cost, light weight, smooth surface, and glossy finish. Unfortunately, the enamel surfaces were also prone to cracking and chipping, which would expose the metal beneath, causing it to rust.  This tendency was so widespread; a company called Mendets had a successful business in selling patch kits.   

After the hot, hearty meal, fresh wood would be added to the glowing embers and Jesse would begin his story telling.  Before the evening came to a close Jesse, would point out stars and constellations in the dark night sky, and tell his captive audience the name of each one. We could say our Uncle Jesse dabbled in astronomy.

*****

Jesse Hyrum Draper's life, on this earth, came to a close, 27 April, 1943.  His niece, Darlene Draper Kunz wrote, "I was only 8 when Uncle Jesse died and he was sick for several years. I do not have any memories of Uncle Jesse except he was wonderfully kind and loved to be outside in his yard. I also remember Uncle Jesse in his casket in our front room, as was the custom back then, also the black wreath on our door."  

With sad hearts, family and friends bade Jesse farewell.  

We as his relatives are proud to call him our "Uncle Jesse" and know the time will come when we will sing with him and enjoy his robust spirit and gentle love again.

Dear readers, until the next post remember,

"Every person's life matters.  It's never too late to celebrate."  

May I encourage you to celebrate your own life . . . and write about it!

Thanks to June Draper Sivers for her encouragement and skill in editing and adding her valuable insight to the project, and to Robert Miland Draper for his request to write a blog highlighting Jesse Hyrum Draper.