Don Bryant

Profile Updated: November 3, 2020
Where do you live now? UT
Spouse/Partner: Shelly
What do you do now and how did you get into that? retired; Paramedic/Firefighter/HAZ-Mat Tech SLCo Fire Dept.// Tooele Co Sheriff's Dept. Corrections
Kids? 2; boy & girl
Yes! Attending Reunion
High school story and favorite high school memories (i.e. secret crush, embarrassing moment, funniest thing you did in high school, favorite high school hangout, favorite teachers)

Chasing the girls out of history class with a dissected fetal pig; then hanging it from the exit sign.

Holding the door for Tim Love (class of 70) so he could ride his dirt bike through the halls.

Watching Vance Goo(class of 70) spank a mouthy football player (name withheld probably still embarrassing) in the hall. Vance was right, we weren't even late for gym class.
If you could build a second house anywhere, where would it be?

somewhere, where you would have to cut your own lumber

Do you still have family around Salt Lake?

Yes

If you live away from Salt Lake City, how often do you come back? Would you ever move back here?

yes, no

Do you still see/hang out with/or talk to any of our classmates?

yes

What did you want to do or think that you were going to do when you finished high school?

become a Vet; ended up a Paramedic/Firefighter instead

What did you do right after high school?

u of u pre-med

Past jobs?

SLCo. Fire Department, WJC Fire Dept. Part time haz-tech for a computer chip manufacturer. Tooele Co Sherriff's Dept.

What did you always want to do that you haven't done yet?

Mt. Everest

High points of your life since high school?

Finding the love of my life.

My two children being born.

After loosing my kayak in Black Canyon in Colorado, making the 3,000 ft. plus, free climb out with one shoe(14 hr. climb).

Married? To who? When? For how long?

Shelly 45 years and counting

Grandkids?

3 boys, 2 girls

What do you do in your spare time?

Lifting weights, Bicycle, rock climbing, motorcycles, kayak, 4x4, same as I did in high school except, I no longer play handball, or rock climb.

Any vices?

Since I chose a career where drugs were out; that just left sex and rock and roll and too much time in the gym.

Travel much?

not enough

Favorite place to go?

somewhere beautiful, with no people, I've found many

How old do you feel?

If you live fast, and don't die young, you end up with alot of miles, most of them hurt, first thing in the morning .

Any gray hair yet?

70%

Did you have any nicknames in school or do you have any now?

not in school;
(SLCo FD) Twig arms,
(WJFD) Silverback, and Yota

What is your favorite memory of East High?

flexible scheduling, and Bill Christy scratching his head in Bells double math class and saying I don't get this, then looking at me and we would both laugh. RIP Bill

Least favorite East High memory?

getting spanked for cooking celulose nitrate in chem class. I don't know why they got so upset. Its not like I was cooking LSD or nitro glycerin.

Biggest thing you would do differently if you went back to your time at East?

Nothing, it was a good mix of sex, drugs, rock and roll, and studies.

List your favorites: Drinks? Sports? Food? Movies? Music? What was the last CD you bought?

Rum and coke, french wine; power lifting, hand ball, bicycling; burritos; Last of the Mohicans, The Count of Monte Christo; ?

Famous or interesting people you've met?

Famous people don't interest me, interesting people do.

A karate instructor who was Matsuyama's youngest Blackbelt, and worked with Sister Tersa before coming to the US.

Filipino Kali Stick Fighting World Champion

Rickson Gracie Ninth Degree Red Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

Cool things you've done?

Lived past 30.

Climbed down a 120 ft. cliff with my Border Collie on my chest (his idea).

Climbed out of Black Canyon Co. with one shoe(3000 ft. plus climb).

Had three baseball bats broken on my chest at a Karate Demonstration at the fair grounds.

Delivered several babies.

Experienced three Back Drafts and numerous Flashovers.

Totaled three motorcycles

Found several rock cairns that I believe are from Butch Cassidy days. Now that I have new knees I'd like to go back into the maze of canyons and continue searching for the remnants of his hideout.

Discovered an old Spanish Gold Mine with cross timbers in the vertical shaft and 5 huge rock cairns in the valley below. It's in a primitive area with no trails with in 5 or 6 miles of it. It needs a return visit with a metal detector.

Any words of wisdom?

Age makes mortals of us all.

Don't get caught being stupid.

Anything else we should know?

Retired for 11 years before returning back to work for TCoSD

Have you ever gone on a blind date? Skipped school? Watched someone die? Been lost?

Yes, a girl from West High;

Never skipped school;

Unfortunately, I've lost count of how many people I've seen die;

Your only lost if you care where you are, so no.

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Swam in the ocean? Played cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians?

no, yes, yes

Have you ever sang karaoke? Paid for meal with coins only? Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?

no, no, Yes more times than I care to remember.

Have you ever made prank phone calls? Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? Danced your heart out?

yes, yes, no,

Have you ever written a letter to Santa Claus? Been kissed under the mistletoe? Watched the sunrise with someone?

no, yes, yes

Have you ever blown bubbles? Gone ice skating?

yes, yes

Have you ever been skinny dipping outdoors? Sat outside in the rain?

many times, many times

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Don Bryant
Don Bryant has left an In Memory comment for EHS Faculty: Orla Lucille Bell.
Sep 25, 2014 at 12:33 PM

Bill Christy and I took her double math class together.  We stayed late To see the first computer in the Utah school system.