by Ora Smith
One hundred and three descendants of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith gathered in Mesa, Arizona for a reunion on January 21st, 2006. This was the third such gathering of Arizona descendants since 2002. Family members were invited to bring with them old ancestral photos and histories, which were scanned and shared on a CD with everyone interested, which was mailed out later. Large wall charts showing family lineages were displayed. They were also fortunate enough to have some great guest speakers, such as the artist Glen S. Hopkinson who brought some of his original paintings and bust of Joseph Smith. In the evening they heard from Gracia and Ivor Jones, Mike Kennedy and Steven Orton, who all in some way or another shared the message of how important it is to gather as a family and get to know each other as well as to know our roots. They made us realize we need to go beyond meeting at reunions, and get to know each other in other ways. We need to be more involved in each others lives and take opportunities to get together more often.
If you are an Arizona descendant (or know someone who is) and you didn’t receive an invitation to the last reunion, please contact Hyrum and Ora Smith at hyora@cox.net.