1990
FYI: For Your Information
May 1990


“FYI: For Your Information,” New Era, May 1990, 34–37

FYI:
For Your Information

When good is the best.

How Good Are You?

Are you a good friend, brother, sister, son, or daughter? Just about everyone would like to be. Here’s a little self-test to help you assess just how good you really are. Indicate with a yes or a no whether each statement applies to you.

  1. You try to be aware of other people’s feelings and you don’t intentionally bring up subjects that will hurt or embarrass them.

  2. You can really keep a secret, and you don’t save information to use to put others down in public.

  3. You always do what you say you’ll do. You keep your promises to your friends and family, you pay an honest tithe, and you’re usually on time.

  4. You don’t take credit for other people’s accomplishments, and you compliment other people in public when they’ve achieved something or done a favor for you.

  5. You analyze your actions after an argument with someone, and you admit it and apologize when you were the one in the wrong.

  6. You don’t take things to the extreme when you’re really angry. For example, you don’t write off a friend completely when you have a fight, you don’t tell your parents you’re going to run away whenever you disagree, and when you argue with your brothers or sisters, you don’t tell them you hate them.

  7. You don’t get angry when someone else makes a mistake, and you try to understand and be patient with the shortcomings of others.

  8. You don’t consider yourself to be the ultimate authority. You willingly and openly go to others for help and advice, and you frequently check with Heavenly Father through prayer.

Now total your yeses.

If you have seven or eight, good job! you’re generally considerate of others, and they probably like to have you around.

If you have five or six, you do well, but you might need a little work in the areas you answered no to.

If you have fewer than five, don’t give up on yourself. You can develop these positive traits if you consciously work toward them.

Youth of the Year

Angela Jane Hardy of the Provo 29th Ward, Provo Utah North Stake, was named Youth of the Year and received a Reed Smoot Citizen of the Year Award in her community. The Reed Smoot Award was named in honor of the Apostle of the Church who served as a U.S. senator in the early 1900s.

Angela is active in all aspects of her life. She lettered in both basketball and volleyball all four years of high school and served as team captain of both teams her senior year. She is an accomplished pianist and enjoys dance, including tap, ballet, and clogging. Angela was a straight-A student and donated her time as a community volunteer, including her favorite project, Special Olympics. Angela has earned her Young Womanhood Medallion and graduated from seminary.

Hint of Humor

Seeing the funny side of life comes naturally to Adeolu Akinrujomu, 17, of the Peckham Ward, Wandsworth Stake, England. He’s an accomplished cartoonist and is currently studying art, maths, and English A levels at Southwark College, Waterloo.

“I hope to become qualified enough to attend Southwark Art College and specialize in cartoon work,” Ade (pronounced Aday) says. His talents have already been spotted by a publisher in London, where he attends a practical workshop every Monday.

Ade was born in England, but also spent many years in his native Nigeria. He and his family joined the Church in 1987. He serves as the Young Men secretary in his ward.

Only LDS

When Jani Elizabeth Piercey first entered St. Margaret’s, an Episcopal girls’ school in Tappahanock, Virginia, she was looked at with a little curiosity and a little suspicion. After all, she was the only LDS girl there.

But when she graduated, it was with honors and respect. She was awarded the outstanding student award in eight different disciplines, was valedictorian of her class, and won the Spirit of St. Margaret’s Prize, awarded to the student who best exemplifies the “high ideals of young womanhood.” And that’s only to name a few.

Jani also took advantage of the many missionary opportunities in the area, giving presentations on her beliefs in religious education classes, and, as a ward missionary, she helped the sister missionaries often. She also served as a Primary teacher, Laurel class president, and earned her Young Womanhood Recognition. In addition, Jani received Harvard University’s “Most Outstanding Rising Senior” award.

Now that her high school career is over, Jani is taking on another challenge—the honors program at BYU.

Javelin Expert

Catherine Gunn from Blackwood Ward, Cardiff Wales Stake, knows how to throw her weight around. She won the Welsh Javelin Junior Championships and came in second representing Wales in the Junior Championships for Great Britain. In addition, she represented her country on the Welsh Sixth Form college volleyball and table tennis teams throughout the British Isles.

Catherine also participates in Church sports. She was the outright winner of shot and discus at the All British Church Athletics.

Miles of Service

The Young Men and Young Women of the Grants Ward, Grants New Mexico Stake, really went the extra mile when they volunteered to wire signs to fences denoting the newly created national monument and conservation area known as “El Malpais.”

There were ten miles of fences surrounding the lava-filled valley with geological and archaeological sites. The youth were required to wire signs every tenth of a mile. The Bureau of Land Management representative expected the project to take all day. He was surprised and pleased to find that the youth completed it in a mere two hours, and he commented on their enthusiasm and efficiency.

The young men and women not only enjoyed the work, but felt good about the example they’d set. They were also proud to have a hand in helping their area’s new national monument.

Seeing Double

If you teach in the Magrath Third Ward, Magrath Alberta Stake, chances are you’ll be awfully confused. After all, there are four sets of male twins in the ward, and all are very involved in the Church.

It’s an interesting phenomenon in a ward that’s only 1 1/2 blocks wide and one mile long. The boundaries incorporate Shane and Shaun Salmon, and Jon and Con West, all priests. In addition, there are Cameron and Clayton Anderson, Blazer A’s, and Richard and Jeremy Hunt, Valiant B’s. On second thought, their teachers probably do double duty.

All-Around Guy

Robert Powell, a priest in the Ocean Shores Branch, Elma Washington Stake, has played varsity football and golf for three years and has been on the varsity wrestling team for four years. He has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average since seventh grade.

Now that you know that, you probably won’t be surprised to find out that he was class valedictorian, and that he has been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy. He’s also found time to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He was one of only two LDS students in his high school.

Sharp Shooter

Youth in the Moore Ward, Moore Oklahoma Stake, are right on target with their air rifles. Six ward members placed in the top ten spots at state competition, with Misty Wolfe, 17, scoring highest of all—the top female in the state.

Misty also works hard at school, and is the number 2 seat on her high school varsity golf team. She has served in her Laurel class presidency, and attends early-morning seminary. She has her sights set on one day being a professional golfer.

Handy and Helpful

When you’re a 13-year-old girl and the oldest of six children, you can count on spending a lot of time helping your parents.

Crystal Rose McEwan does it without complaint, and does well in a number of other activities too.

Recently Crystal won first prize for her original entry in an antidrug poster contest. She also serves as first counselor in her Beehive class in the Juniper Ward, Lancaster California Stake.

Hi Cuz!

Andrea Fawson thought she was hearing things when she was introduced to Andrea Fawson at a Young Women conference in northern California. But after checking out their well-mapped family histories, the two girls discovered that they not only shared names, but bloodlines too.

Andrea Fawson, 15, from Fairfield, California, and Andrea Fawson, 16, from Ukiah, California, noted in their conversation at the conference that they both had 13-year-old brothers named Richard [will the two Richard Fawsons meet up at a Scout camp some day?] and first cousins named Angela and Christy. Once they got home, they looked at their family charts and found that they were actually distant cousins. You never know who will turn up in your family history.

Number 1 Gymnast

At 12, Benjamin Dale Nordby of the Cedar Rapids Iowa Second Ward, Cedar Rapids Iowa Stake, has already made a name for himself in gymnastics. He has been the top all-around gymnast in his class at a number of multistate meets and has helped his team win many honors.

Ben’s interest in gymnastics stemmed from watching his sister perform. Ben practices about 15 hours per week, but he also plays the viola and piano, gets good grades, and serves as a deacon in his ward.

Photography by Peggy Jellinghausen

Angela Jane Hardy

Adeolu Akinrujomu of the Peckham Ward, England, can always draw a smile. (Photography by David Bradshaw.)

Jani Elizabeth Piercey

Catherine Gunn

A New Mexico national monument will never be the same thanks to the efforts of local Young Men and Young Women.

Robert Powell

Misty Wolfe

“Andrea Fawson, meet Andrea Fawson.”

Benjamin Dale Nordby