In the story “Hip Replacement -- Why did Pop Limp?” Francis says: “The injury I received while rolling rocks in the Grand Canyon the winter before starting High School left the cords in the calf of my leg and back of my knee short so I walked with a hitch.” Between December 11, 1967 and late January 1968, he wrote quite a bit about his life. Included in that is this story of how he got the injury.
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October 1915 found us (Frant and Lawrence) again at the B.A.C., except James (his half brother 13 years older than him), except for James who went to the A.C. This year I was associate editor of the “Student,” president of the Ag. Club, secretary of the Junior Class, and tried to carry a heavy enough course so I could be admitted to the A.C. the next winter.
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There are many questions as to what happened in the automobile accident. This is Francis' first hand account of that accident. Read More...

Francis talked of his hip and the troubles he had with it. He was lucky enough that he was still able to travel. Read More...

Francis was born July 11, 1894 at “the Cove”, a farm near Orderville, Utah. He had 8 brothers and sisters and he was child #8 of 9.
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In early 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. In the first months of the American participation in World War I, enthusiasm was strong but volunteer enlistment into the army was modest. Consequently, a draft was instituted to bring in the needed number of men. On three designated registration days in 1917 and 1918, approximately 24-million civilian men born between 1872 and 1900 provided information for draft registration cards. More than 80% of these civilians received exemptions or deferrals, and they were thus never called for military service.
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I was nine when Pop died. I remember being startled that they would shoot guns at a gravesite, not understanding that it was a salute to his service.
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Ron was quite young at the time, but sometime in the '50s he remembers Pop at the county hospital after having his hip replaced. It was revolutionary at the time and he was one of the first in Utah to have it done. They didn't let kids in hospitals at the time, but Ron remembers the family who did get to go in for a visit, waving out the window to him. Funny, I remember the same thing when Brent was born; I was nearly five. They held him up to the window and let me wave to him. This is very different from my daughter, who was born at 9:53 p.m. on Christmas Eve, at a birthing center and we were home before 7:00 the next morning. Her brother was rocking her less than ten hours later. He thought he got her for Christmas (he was 14 months old). Read More...