podcasts about utahns

Famous Utahn: John Warnock and Jerry Buss

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This month we get ready to close out our year of famous Utahn’s with two more Utahn’s. Although they may not be fully “famous” they are definitely influential Utahn’s.

Jerry Buss is probably best known for his ownership of the LA Lakers up until is death in 2013. He was referred to by the NBA as the greatest owner in sports. Born in Salt Lake City on January 27, 1933 his mother Jessie and his father Lydus, who would end up divorced. At age 9 Jerry moved to Wyoming with his family and eventually made his home in California.

Jerry lived many lives from a chemist, being a real estate investor, a poker player, and of course as his legacy lends, the owner of the Lakers. He changed the way we do basketball. This is the cheerleaders you see on the court. The structured premium seating and music! He wanted it to be an “all-out entertainment” spectacle, and we think it worked!

Lakers owner Jerry Buss (1933-2013). (Getty Images)

John Warnock our second famous Utahn for November was much more of a Utahn than Jerry. Born and raised in SLC, he is a Utahn through and through. John is also one of the few people we’ve featured this year that is still alive! John’s legacy will be one of being a co-founder of Adobe! Yes, little ol Adobe! John was born in Salt Lake City on October 6, 1940. From Wikipedia, “Warnock was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He failed mathematics in ninth grade but graduated from Olympus High School in 1958. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is married to Marva E. Warnock, illustrator, and has three children. Warnock has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and philosophy, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in electrical engineering (computer science), and an honorary degree in science, all from the University of Utah. At the University of Utah he was a member of the Gamma Beta Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He also has an honorary degree from the American Film Institute.” In 2019 Kristin Murphy of the Deseret News did an incredible write up on Mr. Warnock’s visit to Silicone Slopes Summit.

Cool fact here the Adobe typeface “Warnock” is named after him!

2020 has seen many challenges in education and it was a scramble to figure out how to do graduations. John Warnock was the Keynote for the University of Utah.

Some of our resources this episode: Jerry Buss Wikipedia/ Bleacher Report/ Adobe/ UofU/ Deseret News

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Famous Utahn: Winder Family

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Our feature Utahn for the month of August is the Winder Family! We thought there would be a plethora of information but it was pretty straight forward.

The Winders have had a long legacy in the state of Utah in farming cows and in politics. John R Winder, the family patriarch, was born in 1821 and besides his dairy farm would be known best for being a General Authority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mr. Winder had 4 wives and 30 children. According to Wikipedia, “Winder was generous with his wealth: The poor, orphans, and widows benefited greatly from his efforts. Winder also became a figure in politics and the militia in the territory. He led the Nauvoo Legion to stop the advance of Johnston’s Army in the Utah War of 1857. In the Black Hawk War (Utah), he fought as Adjutant General. He was the chief aid to General Daniel H. Wells, and wrote up the expense report submitted to congress at the conclusion of the conflict.“

It wasn’t until 2019 that they discontinued their 139 years of door delivery of their products. Before this discontinuation, Winder Farms provided cheese, yogurt, eggs, fresh-squeezed juices, cookie dough, fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, pasta, bacon and sausage. Not just your typical milkman! Their focus turned to local grocers, and they are currently available in Dan’s, Dick’s, Fresh Market, Harmons, Lee’s Market, Macey’s, Ridley’s, Smith’s, Sprouts, Target, The Store, Whole Foods, Winegars and more. Over 140 years there has been an incredible evolution that Tom Wharton of the Salt Lake Tribune covered in 2013.

Brian Wallace of the Deseret News wrote about the farm, “Along the way, the operations moved from the Poplar Farm, at 2700 S. 300 East, to West Valley City in 1931; milk containers advanced from cans to glass to polycarbonate bottles; deliveries moved from horse-drawn vehicles to trucks; and a partnership was forged between the family and Dolphin II and Peterson Partners in 2004. The product lines have expanded often, too, including the addition of bread to the dairy products in 1958.” It is also on the record that over the years, since 1889, they have been through 30 logos! That has to be some kind of record we imagine. On a side note, if you’ve ever wondered what the red and white checkered tower out in West Valley is, that is the old Winder Farm tower.

Photo: Instagram @cajaaw
Sunset Old Winder Dairy Tower

Not only have the Winder’s had their hands in dairy, they have had 11 family members (there were 10 at the time of the Deseret News article) that have been part of Utah’s political landscape. In 2018, 3 family members won their respective elections. From city council seats, board of education, House of Representatives, Governor’s assistance, and sheriff’s they have definitely put a legacy in Utah politics.

Some of our resources this episode: Deseret News / Salt Lake Tribune / Wikipedia

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Episode 218 Utah Pioneers that changed the World.

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Welcome to your monthly feature on a famous Utahn! Episode 218 we featured the Marriott family. Yes, the famous hoteliers. They were from a little tiny town in Northern Utah, with their name-sake, and created a world-wide empire, in addition to being philanthropists. We learned a lot about their pioneering restaurant business and their impressive almost 100 year legacy in hospitality.

The impact that the Marriott’s have had because of J. Willard’s dedication to customer service is much greater than we ever imagined!

“You’ve got to make your employees happy. If the employees are happy, they are going to make the customers happy.” – J. Willard Marriott.

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.

Famous Utahn: Alfred W. McCune

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Welcome to our monthly Famous Utahn segment! For episode 214 we picked Alfred W. McCune to spotlight.

Who is Alfred W. McCune you say? You may have driven by the McCune Mansion in Downtown Salt Lake City many times coming in or out of the city. That is the same McCune! Alfred wasn’t born in Utah but in Calcutta, India. It was there his father converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The family immigrated to Utah, settling in Farmington, and then planting roots in Nephi. Over his 77 years, Alfred had many jobs as a farmer, a stock herder, a laborer,and cattle rancher. Throughout his life he also traveled the world. In the 1890’s his focus turned from the railroad to mining.  In April 1889, he purchased a one-third interest in Salt Lake City’s streetcar system, and converted it from mule-drawn wagons to electric. He also bought out the Salt Lake Herald, the Salt Lake Tribune’s biggest competitor at the time and was a founder of the Utah Power Company.

According to Wikipedia, he nearly became a U.S. Senator in 1899, but after being unable to receive a majority after numerous ballots and accusations of bribery, the state legislature adjourned without electing anyone to the seat. The Senate seat remained vacant for two years, and in 1901 another man was elected to the position.

It is said, from his friend Heber Grant, by 1908 McCune’s desire to earn money had overwhelmed his Mormon faith. He and his wife eventually moved to California and donated their home to the LDS church. When both he had his wife’s heath started to decline they came back to Salt Lake. Elizabeth McCune died at the Hotel Utah and was buried in Nephi. After her death, Alfred went to Europe where he died in Cannes, France. He is also buried in Nephi.

Now for a little information on the McCune Mansion. According to Utah Historical Markers, The McCune Mansion took just over two years to construct at the cost of just over one million dollars. It was completed in 1901. McCune’s wealth was so great by that point that he spared no expense and is said to have let his wife have anything she wanted for the house. 

Preservation Utah has a great write up about the home as well. It is still, to this day, considered one of the grandest homes in America.

Photos: Stuart Graves

Resources for this episode: Living Places/ Wikipedia/ KSL /Abandoned Spaces

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Famous Utahn: Browning Family

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Episode 209 for our Famous Utahn of May, we decided to do a deep dive into the Browning Family. Yep, that Browning! If you didn’t know the history behind the Browning Gun co. it was started in little old Ogden, Utah.

The Browning Gun Co. doesn’t even start with John Moses Browning, but with his father. His father Jonathan was also a gunsmith who took his training in the Midwest/East and created his first gun in 1831. The Brownings lived in Illinois and were members of The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints. After the assassination of Joseph Smith, the Browning family moved their family west. When they settled in Ogden, Utah Jonathan had a gun shop which is where young John learned the trade.

The Browning Brothers Gun Shop in Utah Territory (circa 1882). In the photo are (left to right): Thomas Samuel Browning, George Emmett Browning, John Moses Browning, Matthew Sandefur Browning, Jonathan Edmund Browning, and Frank Rushton. Public Domain

There is a story that John was 11 and fiddling with gun parts and his dad walked in and told him that he could do better. He was another one of Utah’s very young prodigy’s. *see Martha Hughes Cannon and Philo T Farnsworth for other young Utah prodigy’s we’ve talked about*. Browning developed his first firearm in his father’s gun shop when he was 13 years old, and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents by age 24, a rifle that Winchester would manufacture as the Single Shot Model 1885. Not only was Browning a gunsmith by trade, he also invented firing mechanisms, cartridges, military and civilian firearms that would be used by firearm companies like Winchester and Colt. Browning.com family history timeline says, on November 26, 1926 – John M. Browning suffers a fatal heart attack while working on his latest shotgun design, the over and under Superposed at the Fabrique Nationale factory in Liege, Belgium. The master had finally laid down his tools.

According to Ammo.com, many of Browning’s firearms that are still favorites of the gun-buying public today, including:

  • The single-shot Winchester 1885: Still manufactured today, it can be found in various calibers, including .17 Remington, .243, .30-06, and .45-70 Govt, among others.
  • The lever-action Winchester 1894: One of the most popular hunting rifles in the U.S., it was originally chambered to fire .32-40 Win and .38-55 Win. It was also the first long gun to use the smokeless powder .30-30 round (originally called the .30 WCF). Other caliber variations include: .32 Win Special, .444 Marlin, .45 Long Colt, .450 Marlin, .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and .410 bore, as well as other less-known cartridges.
  • The lever-action Winchester 1895: A popular military and hunting rifle, it was chambered for full-size ammo like 7.62x54mmR, .30-30, .30-06, and .405 Winchester.
  • The pump-action Winchester 1897: Also known as a Trench Gun, this shotgun was offered in various barrel lengths and grades, and came chambered in either 12 or 16 gauge. It was manufactured from 1897 through 1957, and over one million were made.
  • The bolt-action Winchester 1900: A single-shot rifle, the 1900 was designed for the .22LR, but could also fire .22 Short and .22 Long cartridges
Some of Browning’s most popular firearms

There is so much that we could write but you can check out some of the resources we used below. Check out the Browning Museum in Ogden, Utah if you are ever in town.

Some of the great resources we used for this episode were: Range365/ Ammoland/ Ammo/ Browning

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance

Famous Utahn: The Eccles Family

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For March’s Famous Utahn we decided to focus on a family! Have you ever driven through a Utah town and wonder who George S. and Dolores Eccles are and why they have their name on said building?

It was hard to pinpoint the history of George and Dolores as individuals, but we did go down an incredible Utah rabbit hole with the Eccles family. An immigrant family from Scotland, they found their way to Ogden and Logan Utah. The USU Statesman has an incredible write up about the Eccles family if you want to find out more about George’s parents.

Although we could only find pieces of George’s life, his brother Marriner was an incredible Utah businessman. Marriner was an American banker, economist, and member and chairman of the Federal Reserve Board along side several presidents.  George, along with Marriner, was one of 9 children and part of a polygamist family (the other family we will refer to as the Ogden Eccles). George was a Logan Eccles. He eventually graduated from Columbia University in New York City. which is where he met his love. George and Dolores married in 1925. George and his brother founded what we now know as Wells Fargo Bank (formerly First Security Corporation). He spent his lifetime in banking and civic work in the community.

Photo: (Courtesy Photo Salt Lake Tribune)

The George and Dolores Eccles Foundation was founded in 1960. From their website, ” Today, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation continues to further the goals of its founders as it enriches the lives of all Utahns through its ongoing charitable support of the arts, education, health and wellness, social services, historic preservation and the environment.” These are the organizations the foundation has supported,

Arts and culture: Utah Shakespearean Festival

Education:

Preservation and conservation:

Community:

Healthcare:

Dolores passed in 1994, 12 years after George. Their family continues to do amazing things throughout Utah and beyond. Their foundation has donated well over 1 billion dollars, and now when you drive by a building that says George S. and Dolores Eccles you will know some of their history!

Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance