The Huntsman World Senior Games (HWSG) and the BYU Alumni Association will “connect with friends worldwide” at the second annual Evening with Friends, Sunday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Historic St. George Tabernacle. Seats for 50 athletes are reserved. The remaining seats are free and open to the public.
Highlights of the evening will be guest speaker Bruce L. Olsen, former director of Public Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and current alumni president of Brigham Young University, and choral selections by St. George’s own Southern Utah Heritage Choir.
BYU has been a title sponsor of the games since their inception and Howard Gray, BYU gerontology professor, has been an HWSG ambassador for more than 20 years. With his help and the HWSG director’s support, the first “Evening with Friends” was launched in 2007. After the success of the first year, it is now an annual event. Alumni chair of the event, Elaine Facer Davis (BA ’65), said, “We consider it a good fit for the games and the community. It also allows us to connect with our alumni, friends, and athletes who are coming in for the games.”
Bruce Olsen served as the managing director of the Public Affairs Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the past 19 years. His assignment included the direction of worldwide offices in 11 countries and domestic offices in Washington, D. C., New York and Los Angeles. He was responsible for government affairs, community relations, interfaith and media relations programs of the more than 12 million-member Church. For his address, he has chosen the topic, “Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land: How the New Media has Changed the Way We Communicate with the World.”
The Southern Utah Heritage Choir has performed extensively as a non-denominational community choir. The choir’s mission is “to bring everyone, including ourselves, closer to the Lord through the performance of wholesome music from all styles, periods and geographical locations of the world.” The choir has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad and is directed by Dr. Keith Bradshaw, with associate director Dr. Nancy Allred, and Carol Larson, accompanist.
