Rodney Trent John

RODNEY TRENT JOHN 6238 W. 9600 No., Highland, Utah 84003
Ph. # (801) 380-1234 e-mail address: rodnjoan@utahbroadband.com
LIFE SINCE 1952: The summer after graduation I worked at Hill AFB, then enrolled at the University of Utah in
their engineering program. During the following couple of years my education at the "U" was interspersed with or overlapped work with Standard Stations. The winter of 1953-54 was spent working in Los Angeles. In the fall of 1955 I received a call to serve in the New England mission for the LDS Church, and spent the next two years in Massachusetts, Maine and Nova Scotia, Canada. I joined the Utah Air National Guard after my mission release, and in March 1958, until September was on active duty. In the fall of 1958 I went to work for the Sperry Engineering Lab in Salt Lake as an engineering aid. After a year there I was promoted to engineer, and given the responsibility for thrust and drag analysis of the Sergeant missile, which we were building at that time. I worked there for the next few years, simultaneously taking classes in math and engineering. I finally decided this was not the field I was most interested in, and returned to the "U" full time studying in the biological sciences. I graduated from the "U" in 1963, and went to work for the Utah Department of Fish and Game (later to become the Division of Wildlife Resources).
During my active duty training with the Air Guard I met Marian Newsom. She later came to BYU, and we were married in 1960. We had five children, two boys, three girls. While working for the State Wildlife agency I felt I was part of some original and worthwhile accomplishments. I worked with a biologist in Washington State and trapped the first Rocky Mountain goats ever brought into Utah; was in charge of the project to tranquilize and move the first moose transplanted in the stat~ (the first ever done by helicopter); did the first helicopter survey and transplanting of Utah's desert bighorn sheep and some of the original research, including radio telemetry tracking, in the Canyonlands area of the state; was the Regional Supervisor when Strawberry Reservoir was treated with rotenone (the largest project of its kind ever undertaken in the world): and as a Regional Supervisor, pioneered a new personnel management program. I retired in 1993 after 30 years with the DWR.
Interspersed with all of the above I served in various church and other callings. These included Elders Quorum President, Bishopric, Branch President at the Provo Missionary Training Center, Stake High Council, Stake Mission President, Teacher and Councilor at the Utah State Prison, High Priest leadership and at present Ward Executive Secretary. Marian and I were divorced after 26 years of marriage and I married Joan Beck. Our combined families include ten children, 25 grandchildren. and just recently a great grandson. She and I served a mission together in Croatia, which was a part of the Slovenia Ljubljana Mission. We have also traveled a bit together, including several places in the US and Canada, a two-month road trip to Alaska and a six week trip to Europe (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, England and France). We have also taken two cruises to Alaska and cruises to the Caribbean and Panama Canal, and last summer did a cruise on the Baltic Sea, visiting Russia and several other Baltic countries.
Hobbies/Interests/Talents: Woodworking/cabinetmaking, photography, hiking, fishing, travel...