My Lamppost

Meesun Boice: With the help of my long time friend Craig Paddock, his father-Fred, and writer/director/producer Steve Zeoli, I finally embarked on a journey and a project that is very close to my heart….We created a YouTube video which we will post on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp – and Oprah’s website, in hopes that maybe through the various internet channels, it may reach Oprah and she will heed my plea to put on a meaningful show that will finally give: “Voice for Orphans: Foster, Adopted and Homeless Children” around the world. (Read More)

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Adrienne Aldous has a deep fondness for Brighton, Utah. Her roots are in Brighton. She currently owns Mount Majestic Properties, a business dedicated to marketing Brighton as one of the foremost skiing destinations in the United States. Which it is.

Adrienne Aldous’ connection to Brighton, Utah dates back many generations and begins with her great grandfather, James H. Moyle. When he was a young boy, he immigrated to the United States from Scotland with his family when converting to the Mormon faith. He traveled west to the then-territory of Utah with a group of pioneers. Moyle fell in love with Brighton when he first visited the area in 1887 with his bride-to-be Alice Dinwoody and her mother Catherine, who was acting as chaperone on their excursion into the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City.

Adrienne Aldous’ Great-grandfather Comes to Brighton
It was fashionable at the time to visit the mountain village of Brighton as a respite from the city heat during the summer months. It was suspected that James was trying to create a favorable impression on this distinguished furniture making family. While today Brighton is just twenty-five minutes by car from Salt Lake City, it was then a truly arduous adventure. The three travelers first rode the railroad which ran from Temple square to the granite quarry at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. There they boarded a frightening mule-drawn tramway, which ran to Alta, a busy mining camp at the head of that canyon. During this 9 mile ride they marveled at the beautiful mountains surrounding Alta and Brighton. In Alta, their baggage was loaded into a heavy mountain wagon while the three of them rode horse back over Twin Lake Pass, past untouched crystal lakes and down the winding trail to the small hotel that stood near Silver Lake in Brighton Village. Their luggage was offloaded at the steps to the hotel and the guests retired to their rooms to freshen up after a long tiring journey. Little did Moyle know that he would one day own that hotel when misfortune struck it’s current owner.

Her great grandfather’s second trip to Brighton occurred just a few years later while his first child was still a baby. His new family retraced their courtship journey to Silver Lake via the Little Cottonwood Canyon tramway. From Alta their baggage was hauled by wagon while they walked most of the way over the summit and down to the hotel run by William S. Brighton and family. The Brighton boys were prospecting the surrounding mountains for semi precious metals which unfortunately for them never amounted to much. Along the way, they did amass a great deal of land and became the local merchants and lodging hosts for guests. The Brighton Hotel was a simple building constructed of rough-sawed timber. The ten guest rooms were rustic, with newspapers and magazines pasted to the walls. Mrs. Brighton did the fishing and cooking, which was always a sumptuous meal despite the roughness of her surroundings.

James Moyle Builds His Brighton Mountain retreat
James and his wife dreamed of having a place of their own in Brighton. The Brighton’s, who had patented the greater part of the Silver Lake area, had sold home sites to several Salt Lake City families. It was not long before Moyle negotiated for the purchase of an acre of land near the hotel and began to build his own mountain retreat. He proudly constructed the first home of planed lumber ever built in the area, which fondly became known as “the cottage”. Eventually when logging got a firm grip on the area, the road up to Big Cottonwood Canyon was improved to a point where it was no longer necessary to take the lengthier route via Little Cottonwood Canyon to the south and over Twin Lakes Pass. Now it only took 8-9 hours by team from Salt Lake and as a result interest in Brighton peaked to an all-time high.

After Adrienne’s great grandfather built the cottage, Mr Brighton’s business fell upon hard times. Encouraged by a major lumber dealer to enlarge the hotel, Mr. Brighton mortgaged his property in the city and constructed a new hotel consisting of 54 guest rooms, plus a large dining room with dance hall. The first tragedy to befall Mr. Brighton struck with the death of Mrs. Brighton who had been the genius of the enterprise. Then, a year later, Mr. Brighton himself died.

James Moyle Assumes Mr. Brighton’s Real Estate Holdings
As foreclosure loomed, the Brighton family, who were clients of the Moyle law firm, offered the property to Adrienne’s great grandfather. Thus, James H Moyle came into possession of much of Mr. Brighton’s holdings in the Silver Lake area. As the new owner and manager of the hotel, her great grandfather made a number of renovations including the addition of a bowling alley for guests of the Brighton Hotel.

Generations of family continued to enjoy the Moyle cottage until the summer of 2007 when walls were beginning to lean and leaks were too numerous to repair. The cottage was demolished and is currently being rebuilt with modern amenities by a family cousin Linda Burbidge.

Adrienne’s Childhood at “The Cottage” in Brighton
Adrienne often speaks of her fond memories while visiting the cottage each summer as a child. “My mother and her siblings each got three weeks to enjoy the cool, carefree summer days and we took great advantage of these times. My sister and her friends and I would spend hours exploring the old cabins in the area, catching frogs, digging for lost treasures and hiking to Lake Mary for a dip in the cold clear waters. We would make furniture out of the rocks and trees around the property and pet animals that would stand guard in the yard such as rocks shaped as elephants, dinosaurs, and turtles). Granite boulders were easy to come by in this canyon created by glacial erosion. “

Adrienne continues, “The cottage was only used during the summer months as there was no indoor plumbing and no insulation making it impossible to heat in the winter. I remember many a morning my mother lighting the big stove in the kitchen to start the day and huddling under it for the heat it provided.”

Chez Louisa
In 1956 the first year-round home in Brighton, “Chez Louisa,” was built by James D. Moyle, the grandfather of Adrienne, on a parcel closer to the ski resort. He named it Chez Louisa after his wife Louise. “This is where I learned to ski at age 8”, says Adrienne, “and perfected my turns well into my teens and twenties. Each year our rapidly growing family (cousins and aunts and uncles) would meet on Christmas day for roast beef dinner and picture taking. After dinner, we would gather outside on the deck and hold hands. At the count of five, all of us grandkids were to jump with abandon down into the velvety powder below. My grandfather would take simple motion pictures of us digging our way out of the depth and create funny narratives to share at our next gathering which was always a highlight for us kids.”

Adrienne and her husband, Jay, purchased Chez Louisa in 1993 when it went up for sale after the death of her grandparents, James and Louise. “For the first six years we lived in Chez Louisa year round because we couldn’t afford to own a house in town, as well. Some of our fondest memories are of sledding down the driveway, digging snow caves for sleep outs, cutting down and decorating our Christmas tree, swimming in the lakes and streams, and catching our first fish to eat. Our fist born son Addison learned to ski at age two which was about the same time he learned to walk a straight line. We continue to enjoy winter weekends as well as cool summer nights in this house built by my grandfather.“

Mount Majestic Properties is Born
James, Adrienne’s grandfather, was very keen on preserving the history of Brighton. He wrote a book about his remembrances with a significant portion pertaining to Brighton. In 1996, Adrienne and a neighbor friend decided to share the history of Brighton by organizing a home tour of the old and new homes in the Brighton village. This tour was sponsored by the Utah Heritage Foundation. As a result, Adrienne became close to many of the long-standing property owners and got the idea to start a property management company to rent these homes to out-of-state ski visitors. Many of the home owners in Brighton were finding that the increasing costs of maintaining land in Brighton was becoming prohibitive and welcomed extra income with periodic rentals. Since Adrienne was one of the few who lived in Brighton year-round, it made sense that she rent and manage these homes.

Adrienne named her company Mount Majestic Properties after the magnificent Majestic Mountain. “I enjoy sipping my first cup of coffee each morning while the sun slowly illuminates the mountain”, she says calmly in afterthought. “Early on when I had two babies at home in Brighton it would take me an hour to shovel my way to the road. I had a few cabins that I was responsible for cleaning, maintaining and renting which was just the way I liked it”. The need for homeowners to seek extra income to support their mortgages and ways of living was so great in that area that Mount Majestic Properties grew as fast as Adrienne’s babies did. Today, she is able to share this little slice of paradise with many more lucky visitors. Adrienne remarks, “One of the greatest parts of my job is meeting the wonderful people from around the world who appreciate the unique feel and meter of the somewhat quiet Brighton Village and Brighton Ski Resort.”

Back when Adrienne’s great grandfather was falling in love with Brighton’s mountains, he had no idea that Brighton itself would some day be famous for winter sports. That is where the Wasatch Mountain Club and its original members enter the picture. About 30 odd years after James H. Moyle’s cottage was built, these energetic souls began the sport of skiing in Brighton. There were no lifts in those days. Instead, groups would travel to Park City, climb up over the ridge tops and ski down into Brighton. Routes from Park City to Brighton became so popular that the club marked them with signposts displaying the club’s insignia. “I can only imagine the sophistication of the “boards” tied to boots that got these people up then down that rugged and ungroomed terrain”, Adrienne muses.

1936 – The 1st Rope Tow Installed at Brighton Ski Resort
In 1936, the Wasatch Mountain Club built the first rope tow at Brighton near their overnight lodge. This new sport was short-lived for many as men were called to duty in WWII. Zane Doyle, a meat cutter from nearby Hill Air Force Base, had a vision. Unbeknownst to his wife, he bought a 1,440 foot long T-bar lift built by a local enthusiast near what is today the Alpine Rose Lodge. It had been sitting idle since WWII had erupted. Thus was the birth of Zane’s life in the ski business. Legend has it that the first time Doyle turned on the power, a lift tower collapsed. That was the beginning of many ups and downs for this family, but Zane Doyle’s never-give-up attitude and true resourcefulness got him through the tough times and over the years he continued to install more lifts and gradually increased the size of Brighton Ski Resort. In the winter of 1947-48 a 4,000 foot long, 1,100 foot high Millicent chair lift was erected. It was lauded by the Intermountain Ski Association as one of the best constructed chair lifts in the United States.

Today, Brighton Ski Resort has 1,050 skiable acres with all terrain accessible by high speed quads. In addition, freestyle riders and skiers enjoy Brighton’s four terrain parks as well as 22 runs over 200 lighted acres for night skiing. There are three restaurants and a slope side lodge for guests.
Thanks to Mother Nature, and Zane Doyle, Brighton has become a year round destination for people around the world, and I am proud that my neighbors have opened their homes so that others can experience the wonder, peace and beauty of Brighton, Utah.

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Why Tzvi Kessell Got Involved in Health Insurance
After being self employed for many years in the heavy Engineering, I wanted a change in businesses direction. In 1997 I started getting involved in the financial markets of the United States while still living in Australia. A few years later my wife and I moved to the USA and I became interested in finding ways in which I could help the average person and family to save money for the future using my experience in the financial markets. I first was involved in the mortgage industry but very quickly realized that is was not for me.

I started to learn about health insurance and found that most people were sold health insurance plans that were not always the most affordable plans or the most appropriate in coverage for them. My first health insurance plan that my wife got was one her agent promised was the most common plan for people like us. In the end, it was an appropriate plan but we could have found the same plan with cheaper premiums elsewhere.

After looking into different health insurance plans and learning how to combine them with other financial strategies, I was able to offer the client better plans from a broader array of insurance carriers while at the same time lowering their monthly premiums.

My original plan turned out to be very successful because I was able to help save client’s money while still providing them the coverage that they needed. This savings allowed them more flexibility in saving for the future.

My success was possible because of the way I and my wife were treated when we first searched and ultimately purchased health insurance. I found that most people searching for health insurance had to be trained to ask about plan deductibles and doctor co-payments. I had to explain what affordable really meant. It does no good to buy the cheapest policy out there if it does not cover your needs. Find the right policy, customize it for your needs then price it across all reputable insurance carriers for the optimal price. Moreover, an affordable health insurance plan does not mean a lesser of a plan but quite often means that over the long run you save money while receiving the coverage you need. And since I am not employed by any one of these health insurance carriers, I can honestly and ethically offer the most affordable health insurance coverage.

The challenge now for me is to still provide the personal touch as times change, clients get busier and more and more want to buy health insurance over the phone or internet. So far so good.

Tzvi Kessell
Got Affordable Health Insurance

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I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to interact with some truly amazing individuals throughout my life.  At the very top of that list, I would put Dr. M.L. “Cissy” Petty.  “DP”, as her students affectionately call her, was my dean of students while I was a student at St. Lawrence University in upstate NY.  My first interaction with Cissy was during an accepted student visit day program where she sat down with all of the prospective students and gave each of us a thimble.  I remember the speech as if it were yesterday.  She told us that if we could fill this little thimble with “love, happiness, and respect we would never lack for anything.”  The thimble that she gave me still sits on my desk and has followed me for 6 years.             

While a student at St. Lawrence, Cissy continuously challenged me to step up and become the leader that she knew I could be, even when I didn’t.  She encouraged me to join the student government, a role in which I was able to be a part of a team that really wanted to make a difference on campus and implement new changes for the student body.  Cissy was always willing to lend an ear to us and guide us in the appropriate direction.  She never hesitated to support us with her considerable clout when an issue arose that the student body was passionate about.  It was that dedication that helped her to win the admiration and respect of almost every single student who crossed her path.   

Cissy is not one to accept the status quo.  She really wanted to get to know ALL of her students on a more personal basis.  It was with that in mind that she actually moved into a residence hall for three days.  I don’t know of any other dean of students who would be willing to give up her own home to move back into a residence hall and live like a student (including using the communal bathrooms and laundry facilities).  This seemingly small gesture had a huge impact on so many people.  I remember sitting in her residence hall room with her and seeing students stop and stare when they saw her in the room.  She, in turn, would invite them in and engage with them, helping students to see that this upper-level administrator truly was interested in meeting students on their ground rather than simply staying in her office.  Aside from this, every other Sunday evening, Cissy would open up her own home to students for an informal program called “That’s Life: Chats with the Dean” where all students were welcome to stop in for desserts and to talk about current issues on campus or in the world.  I never missed a “That’s Life” and there was a steady group of about 30 of us who always were in attendance in addition to another 10-20 who varied each week.  These conversations let us see Cissy as a real person and not just as an administrator.  It was these types of moments where she took the initiative to get out and meet students that helped so many of us realize that we did have a role model and ally that we could turn to when something was going on in our lives. 

For me, it wasn’t simply that Cissy supported me as a student that made the difference; rather, it was that she supported me as a PERSON that solidified our relationship.  During my first year at St. Lawrence, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and it was Cissy who, almost daily, either wrote to me, or stopped me while on campus to see how I was doing.  During my junior year, I was struggling with my “coming out” process, and Cissy was the person that I turned to.  I remember staying in her home one night after a “That’s Life” program and just started tearing up.  She knew what I was struggling with, even though I didn’t flat out tell her for another year and a half.  She always supported me and challenged me to be comfortable being the person that I am, something that without her guidance and love, I know I wouldn’t have been able to do. 

What I have loved most about our relationship is that it simply wasn’t limited to my time as a student.  Since graduating from St. Lawrence, I have attended graduate school to work on my Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel Administration, allowing me the opportunity to enter the field of Student Affairs.  I attribute this decision completely to Cissy and helping me to realize that I could indeed make a living while working with students, something I have been passionate about since I was in high school dreaming of being a teacher.  Over the past three years, even though we haven’t seen each other on a daily basis, we keep in regular e-mail contact, and have caught up at conferences where she always makes the time for us to have one-on-one time and to talk about the same types of things we did at “That’s Life,” only this time, it’s not as student-staff, it’s as friends, which has been, hands-down, the best experience of my life. 

Cissy Petty has a passion for working with others that has influenced so many lives over the course of her career.  I speak as one of those lives when I say that I know without a doubt, that my life has been made all the better for having gotten to know this energetic, committed, and truly inspiring woman who has always been in my corner, helping me along, learning from mistakes, and learning to become a better person, something that she always knew I was capable of being, even when I didn’t.  I only hope that as I enter the same field as Cissy, that I will be able to help HALF as many students that she has.  She truly is one-in-a-million.

 - Adam Casler

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The following essay is about Dean Cissy Petty, a lifelong Student Affairs officer. It’s written by a former student of hers and bears witness to the fact that, oftentimes, the least known among us are the most influential.

She’s done this numerous times before. It hasn’t changed in the past 15 years. But the reality today is this, I have never done it before, and I am nervous, very nervous. I know I don’t need to be, but for some reason I am.

“Name? asks the young man behind the counter, who does not look much older than me.

“Danielle, Danielle Weaver”

“Danielle all right on your name tag?”

“Yes, that’d be great, thank you.”

He hands me the blue mesh bag filled with everything I need the next four days. I realize; this is it. This is the start of the rest of my life. I have chosen a career path. As I turn around, I realize she is there, the one who has always been there, she was there, standing behind me on campus, supporting me in my leadership roles for the first two years of my undergraduate career, she was there in spirit, standing behind me when my dad was deathly ill, and she was there, standing behind me, watching me in spirit as I was handed my diploma from St. Lawrence University in May of 2007 and now she was truly standing behind me as I registered for my first NASPA conference.

“How does it feel, you just registered for your first professional conference?” Dean Petty questions.

“Pretty cool,” I utter, for a lack of words.

We make our way into the opening speaker; a colleague of hers had saved two seats for us. I get lost in my thoughts as we are awaiting the opening speaker. I think about how surreal it is that my former Dean of Students stood behind me as I registered for my first professional conference. She knows that she is largely responsible for my choice to enter into the realm of student affairs. I do wonder if she knows how much she has really impacted my life.

Now that I am in graduate school pursuing my master’s degree, I get books that are ‘required reading’ for her, not for class. She wants me to be the best student affairs professional I can possibly be. Over the course of the next three days, I would be introduced to a variety of student affairs professionals who have been in the field longer than I have been alive. Dean Petty introduces me to her friends, both old and new in order to enlarge my network. She knows next year I have no set location in mind and I can go anywhere and do anything as a young professional. She just wants to see me succeed, and be happy both professionally and personally.

Even though I have not seen Dean Petty in three years prior to this conference, her presence was felt in my daily life. Her travels during her year-long sabbatical took her all over the United States and she finally landed at a southern university. I would get e-mails from Oregon, the mid-west and the east coast.

Her notes of inspiration, “Dean’s Dailies”, a daily e-mail which contained a quote, poem or just a positive thought always made me realize I am part of something bigger than I realize, and that at the end of the day it would be alright – whatever ‘it’ was. Even though it was a mass email, it’s a way for her to connect. Some days I felt as if ‘the daily’ was chosen just for me, other days, I realize the words were for one of the hundreds of other students whose lives she has impacted.

Even though Dean Petty is on the other side of the country, spreading her knowledge, passion, love and energy for Student Affairs, I know that anytime I need her, she is standing behind me, loving me, supporting me, challenging me, encouraging me, but perhaps most importantly, I know that she will always be my dean, and nothing will ever change that.

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