Ed Achziger:  

Classmates Personal History If your memory for trivia is still functioning, you might recall that I showed up at B.H.S. just after Thanksgiving in 67, and that Kris Walker and I were cousins. Before Brighton High School: ¿ In the spring of 1967 my Uncle Henry, who lived in Ft Lupton, was working on a truck that had a flat tire. The truck fell off the jack, breaking his leg and then he also had a mild heart attack. It was decided among my grandparents/aunts/uncles that I would be the one to go live with my aunt/uncle for the summer to help them out. I will never forget my first day out there; my uncle was sitting in the family room watching television, with his leg propped up. He looked at me, asked me if I knew how to drive, I told him no, so he said, ¿The tractor is outside, come back in when you know how to drive,¿ and that was how I learned most things with him. ¿ I had been planning this for a while, and on Thanksgiving Day of 1967 during a big family dinner I made my ¿pitch¿ to live with my Aunt Elizabeth/Uncle Henry or Grandma/Grandpa Walker of Brighton. So, just a short time after Thanksgiving, I enrolled at BHS. My grandparents home was peaceful, and my time with them special. My wife and I even named our daughter after my grandmother. After Graduation: ¿ After graduation I went on to college, did some (ok, a lot) of the usual partying, but also getting sick with pneumonia and mono, plus putting my first wife through college so I didn¿t graduate in four years, but there were some other milestones, like my first date. I turned 19 in October of 1970 and in November I finally met a girl at Metro State College, and somehow found the courage to ask her out on a date. ¿ I did get married in late 73 but we separated and divorced in just over 6 years. There were no kids from that marriage and I see her every once in a while at family funerals, and she seems to be doing great without me. ¿ In January of 1981, I joined ¿The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints¿; some people may know our church better as the ¿Mormons.¿ It is a long story as to my joining the LDS church, but one of my athletes greatly influenced me in my decision. I will say that regardless of the type of church involved, if every 16 year-old had that kind of knowledge, passion and testimony about their own church, this would be a very different and better world in which to live. ¿ In the summer of 1981 I was working at a BYU track clinic and I thought, if I¿m going to do this ¿Mormon¿ thing I want to move to Utah so I have a better chance of finding someone to marry. So, I found a job teaching/coaching (Orem HS) and moved to Utah in the fall of 81. It took me a bit, but I was working for the Utah Activities Association at the state volleyball finals in 84 when I saw this coach from American Fork HS and thought ¿I need to get to know her.¿ It took me a little while, but I figured out who she was, and then a couple of my friends told me she was going to be at a Valentines party, but other than that I was on my own. I was able to meet this beautiful Susan Ballantyne, we were married in July of 85, and coming this July we will have been married 25 years. Now, Susan does have different version of our first couple of meetings, but just ignore her on this. ¿ Susan and I were able to adopt 3 children and I have long stories about how each one of them came into our lives, but I do know they were meant for us, and they are all special. Matthew (19) is a graphic designer and I am amazed at the things he produces. He also provided us with our first grandchild in October. Stephen (18) is living in Switzerland training at the Zurich Ballet school. And, Laura (16) hated high school so she is attending college where she is on the dean¿s list. She, like Stephen, is an accomplished dancer with the aspiration of moving to Europe to dance in the next year or two. ¿ As far as profe...Expand for more