This morning, one of the folks for whom I have great admiration spoke at the Family Discovery Day opening session here at RootsTech 2016. Former Governor of Utah Mike Leavitt spent a few minutes telling stories. Posted to the screen were the topics for a number of stories that he’d selected. He let the audience pick the stories they wanted to hear by text messaging, using their smart phones. The same approach was used Friday, during the Innovator Showdown, when the audience voted for the People’s Choice award.
The audience picked the stories they most wanted to hear, and Mike proceeded to tell them. He told about how there had been a fire in the governor’s mansion, caused by faulty wiring to a Christmas tree, and how that became the most memorable Christmas ever – the outpouring of help given to the family, the hours spent helping out in a local homeless shelter,and more. He told us a bit about the delegate-winning process that was used in getting the Republication nomination for Governor Romney, and how that same process is being used today. He told us of the day that he informed Olene Walker that she was about to become governor, as he had been called to serve at secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush Administration in Washington. Mike also told us about the Oval Office and how it’s said that it’s called that as there are no corners to hide in.
The Governor acutally started and ended his story-telling by speaking of the excitement of the moment that it was announced that Utah had won the Winter Olympics – and how needing a last-minute runner for the Olympic flame, a 5th grader was chosen to carry the torch and how it changed that young person’s life.
He ended by saying something like this – and these probably are not his exact words… “The fire on the stick – it’s family.” Wow, what a great start for the final opening session of RootsTech 2016.
