On June 26th, Kirtland lost a great friend in Hubert (Junior) Orick. Junior, as he was best known, was a mainstay in our city for over sixty years and served as our city’s classic, small town barber shop owner in six different decades. Junior’s friendliness and spirit was unmatched, and his service to our community can’t be appreciated or recognized enough. Junior leaves behind his wife, Virginia, as well as his children and grandchildren. Our hearts go out to Junior’s family, and it is with fond remembrance that we recognize the mark he made on so many lives here in Kirtland.
I want to thank the Kirtland Kiwanis for another tremendous Strawberry Festival. We lucked out with beautiful weather, and it was terrific to see so many people and families enjoy the food, music and fun. The festival always takes an “all hands-on deck” approach and this year required every bit of attention and effort to make sure that the event and parade went off without a hitch and that all festivalgoers felt and remained safe.
The Kirtland Heritage Run was also a huge success on festival weekend and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, once again, exemplified its ability to organize and give back to our community. The event was capped off by a video appearance by church member and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Steve Young. The monologue presentation of Mr. Young spoke of the church’s proud partnership and storied history with and in the City of Kirtland. In addition to Young’s kind words, the city was presented with a generous framed and signed Steve Young jersey as well as a photo that appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1988. Shown in the cover picture, the elite quarterback of the 80’s and 90’s wore a “Kirtland, City of Faith and Beauty” tee-shirt. It truly was a remarkable event and gift to the city.
I know I remark on this quite often but we are so lucky to have such great partnerships and participation with our many churches and civic organizations here in town. In that spirit, I’d like to thank Divine Word Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for what has become annual and very generous contributions toward the beautiful hanging flower baskets throughout the city.
In closing, I want to thank the recently retired City of Kirtland Finance Director, Mary Kovalchik. I’d also like to thank former Mayor Davidson for bringing Mary aboard in the final year of his term as Mayor. Mary’s hard work and knowledge of municipal financing paved the way for a keener look at how we approach spending and financial reporting. In addition to Ms. Kovalchik’s deliberate and watchful eye over your tax dollars, Mary quickly became a true friend and confidant for me in my earliest days as Mayor. Her tremendous wit and unmatched sense for municipal governance was precisely what I needed coming into the office. Mary is one of the hardest working and most intelligent mentors I can think of and I owe her much gratitude for her work and guidance.
Thank you, Mayor Potter