Henry David Thoreau said, "That
man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest."
Now, money has never been Bart Anderson's
motivation, but by Thoreau's definition, he
is among the richest men on earth. He takes
the greatest of pleasure in finding the
extraordinary, and he is happiest when he is
sharing his wealth of knowledge with anyone
who will listen. Bart has turned down a
number of very profitable opportunities
because they would have taken him away from
Dixie. As he puts it, he has too much red
dirt running through his veins.
"Ranger" Bart Anderson has been called
"one of Dixie's greatest natural resources" by former St. George City Mayor Karl Brooks. He has
become such a fixture in the St. George area
that it surprises people to learn that St.
George was not always his home. His
birthplace was in Idaho, but he was raised in
Salt Lake City. At the age of three, he contracted
polio, and his parents were told he would
never walk again. His father, who was very
athletic and a member of the U.S. Swim Team,
would have none of that. Bart says that
when he was four years old his father threw
him in the pool and made him swim and he continued to make sure that he followed an
avid exercise program. By the age of five or
six he had already learned to compensate for
the polio and could walk again. Even at the
young age of six he was determined to turn
this weakness into strength. When he was
eleven, Bart's father arranged for him to
work for the Boy Scouts as a guide into the
back country, which he did every summer until
he was nineteen. He developed a great love of
hiking and the outdoors that still enriches
his life daily. He has hiked across the Grand
Canyon (no small feat) and every other canyon
and glen he can find.
Bart eventually attended the
University of Utah pursuing a degree in
English Literature. While also participating
in ROTC and preparing to join the Navy, he
got sidetracked and worked part-time drawing
blood, he says, to make some extra cash to
buy a boat. He became very interested in the
field and switched his major to Laboratory
Medicine. While doing an internship, he met
Dr. Craig Booth in the forensics lab, which
is where he heard a lot of stories about
Dixie. He eventually received his degree as a
Specialist in Hematology.
Bart had a lot of
adventures in his youth, and the truth of the
matter is, Bart refused to ever outgrow his
youth. The adventures are continuing. He
traveled the world as a member of UTD and was
employed for a time by the Howard Hughes
organization (lots of cloak and dagger
adventures there!). Lured to St. George by
year-round hiking and a desire to learn the
history of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, Bart
followed a close friend (Gene Latimer, M.D.)
to southern Utah and sought out the well-known, Juanita Brooks who helped us with his love of
history grew to a passion. Her son, Karl
Brooks, (former St. George City Mayor), says that
Bart and his mother have a special fondness
and found a kindred spirit in one another.
Bart felt that in St. George he had found a
bonanza. He spent many hours interviewing
"old timers" where the history of the area
sprang alive in his soul.
Several years ago, Bart decided to
blend hiking with history by giving walking
tours in downtown St. George. He then began a
series of history lectures for which he has
developed over ninety slide programs in his
repertoire. Many days (and most evenings)
Bart can be found speaking and sharing his
love of Dixie to various groups. His weekly
Saturday hikes are equally popular, drawing
both seniors and families, often numbering in
the hundreds. Along with the exercise, the
hikers learn the importance of history and
nature and hear a lot of "Bartonized" stories
and folklore in the process.
Some sixteen years ago, Bart married
his sweetheart, Delorice, whom he calls "the
wind beneath my wings." She supports his love
of nature and history and accompanies him at
most of his lectures. Bart is one of those
people who can tell the same story the same
way over and over again, so she has heard
many of his stories hundreds of times.
Bart loves to perform and often delights his
friends and audiences with one of his many memorized poems, such as "The Ballad
of Sam McGee". He began learning these poems back in his days at Boy Scout Camp
when all the boys would gather around the campfire and share their talents. Bart
didn't think he could sing or play guitar, so he learned stories and poems that
still captivates his listeners.
Bart has received much recognition for
the time he devotes to learning and teaching
the history of the area. Of special note was
the first "Quiet Pioneer Award" given by KSL
and the Day of 47 for his vast public
service without pay. He was also one of only
five people in the nation to be honored and
awarded by Hilary Clinton as an Outstanding
Volunteer.
If Bart isn't hiking or lecturing ,
you're likely to find him with his nose in a
book or writing one of the many columns he
contributes to the Spectrum, the Senior
Sampler, and the St. George Magazine. He
loves people and is very involved in the
community. He has served on the Board of
Directors for many organizations, including
the St. George Chamber of Commerce, Southwest
Symphony, Zion Natural History Association,
National Area's Association, the Arizona
Strip Interpretive Association, the American
Heart Association, and the Folklore
Association of the University of Utah. He has
served as President and State Lt. Governor
for the Kiwanis Club, and is currently
serving as president of the Washington County
Historical Society.
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