Our Years at RootsTech for Fun and Family

In true Larry Jamison fashion, he's having fun with DearMyrtle in the Expo Hall of the 2012 RootsTech Conference.

In February 2011, on my computer, I watched the opening session of the first RootsTech genealogy conference in Salt Lake City. I had no idea what to expect and hadn't given any thought to attending in person. But I was interested in learning, so I tuned in. I half expected an elderly gentleman to be standing at a podium in a seminar room, greeting the attendees with a calm "Hello, everyone! We're so glad you could be here today." Instead, as it began, I witnessed the lights being lowered on the stage in a huge convention hall as the sound was turned up to concert level and an excited, enthusiastic gentleman said in a booming voice "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!"  I was hooked! This was like a rock concert. There were young people in attendance, thousands of them! Was this the new face of family history? I knew within the first 5 minutes of the opening welcome that we'd be going to RootsTech in 2012.
  

I'm sharing pictures of my husband's involvement in the RootsTech conferences we attended through 2018. It was Larry Jamison who got me interested in researching my family's history. I resisted for 6 years, almost defiantly refusing to consider even discussing the topic, for personal reasons. But he persisted and aided and baited and..... Both my step-mother Phyllis Jones Margheim and father-in-law Lt. Col. L. R. Jamison passed away in 1997. My father moved here to Canon City in 1998 to be close to us and benefit from having family near. With Dad's encouragement, I decided to print a pedigree chart for my son so I installed Dad's unused gift copy of Family Tree Maker on my computer and filled in the blanks for the first 4 generations of my son's pedigree. But I noticed each page asked for the names of the parents, and when I didn't know them anymore, I was challenged to continue researching. And again I was hooked!   

This photo above has such special meaning to me. Larry is standing beside Janet, one of the housekeepers employed in the Salt Palace. It was within Larry's heart to always notice those who don't draw the attention of the crowd and to do something to help them feel special. Larry visited with Janet in the Expo Hall and showed true interest in her personally. He was complimentary of the good work she'd done and thanked her for her service to the convention attendees. And Larry did this for Janet each of the 7 years we attended the conference, as future photos will attest.

In 2013 Larry and I again made the trip to Salt Lake City to attend RootsTech, and to visit his brother and family, who were residents there too.  

Larry's again "visiting" and having fun with DearMyrtle in the Expo Hall in Feb. 2013.

Larry is "looking up to" Dennis Brimhall, CEO of Family Search, Int'l at the 2013 RootsTech, after Dennis delivered the opening Keynote address to the thousands of attendees. Larry never knew a stranger!

In 2014 we were blessed with the company of Larry's brother and sister-in-law Dick and Linda Jamison who attended the evening concerts with us. This picture is precious to us since Dick passed away in Sept 2017 and Larry passed away in November 2018. 

Larry would pose with anyone! I can't remember the name of this character who was on staff at the Conference, but Larry found it an opportunity to have FUN!

And Larry had to make a stop at the Studio C booth in the Expo Hall and grab a pair of the glasses they were giving away. 

Here he's proudly wearing his Studio C glasses and acting silly while waiting for one of the Keynote addresses to be delivered. 

The scooter Larry used for transportation was a Godsend for several years. Larry experienced 4 major surgeries in 5 years, so felt a lot of pain from shoulders to back and hips. This scooter got him from the Radisson Hotel to the Salt Palace and all through the halls of the conference for 6 days each year that we attended. 

Larry proudly poses again in 2015 with our friend Janet, of Salt Palace Housekeeping. 

Larry was thrilled to meet and pose with Mary Tedesco, above, and Kenyatta Berry, below, hosts of the popular TV program "Genealogy Roadshow". 

Here's the story behind this photo! As we flew on Delta airlines from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City, Larry noticed his wallet was missing from his pocket when he got up to go to the restroom. That's NOT what I wanted to hear during our travels. Traveling with Larry was not easy. As we looked around his airline seat, a very nice lady seated behind him delivered his wallet, which had fallen out of his pocket onto the floor and was UNDER his seat. When we arrived in Salt Lake City, Larry asked our sister-in-law Linda to take him to a store to buy a cord to attach his wallet to his belt loop so that wouldn't happen again. That's the way Larry carried his wallet in his pocket for the duration of his life!  

In 2016 with our friend Denise Levenick, the Family Curator from California. 

Larry meets up again with our friend Pat Richley-Erickson, "Dear Myrtle".

And of course, no RootsTech Conference would be complete without an opportunity to visit with our friend Janet, of the Salt Palace Housekeeping staff!

When Larry meets up with family, he always has someone to clown around with. In the photo above, he's enjoying time with his brother Dick Jamison, sister-in-law Linda, and their daughter Tracy.

In this touching photo, Larry is returning to the car in the Village Inn parking lot, assisting his older brother Dick. Or perhaps Dick was assisting Larry!

 Again in 2017, we were delighted to meet up with Janet and "share the love"!

 

Dick and Larry Jamison got acquainted with "Mr Family Tree"!

This representative from "Moose Roots" gifted Larry with his Moose hat and Larry was thrilled. A rolling advertisement!

 

Larry was not a bit shy about meeting up with Kenyatta Berry, of "The Genealogy Roadshow" while exhibiting his Moose Roots swag!

It was Larry's habit to enjoy exploring the Expo Hall and visit with all the Vendors. He especially liked picking up their swag. At the BYU booth, he picked up a small bouncing rubber ball that was clear but lit up red when it bounced and hit something. Larry attempted to bring it home in his luggage until he hit Security in the Salt Lake City airport. The THREE Security agents couldn't figure out what was going off in their x-rays of his luggage. AFTER A 30 MINUTE INSPECTION, the ball was discovered and confiscated. With Larry's back and shoulder surgery history, he was a bionic man going through security anyway! Oh, the price of having fun traveling with Larry Jamison!  

Our final visit with Janet in 2018! I hope someone at the 2019 RootsTech can find Janet and let her know of Larry's passing. I'd love to give her a hug!

Larry and I met Bruce Buzbee, creator of the RootsMagic genealogy software that we personally use, at a Family History Expo in Loveland, CO many years ago. It was fun to catch up with Bruce each year at RootsTech.

By attending RootsTech each year, we were able to make so many good friends who were also interested in learning about family history. Two of our very special friends from Arizona are Bobbi Twining Rogers, left, and Debbie Merrill Allen, right. We've spent more hours standing in line together than we'd like to admit, and have gotten acquainted as seatmates in many keynote addresses and concerts that were part of the RootsTech venue. I will certainly miss our fellowship together next month.   

We had truly hoped to be able to attend RootsTech 2019! I made our reservations the first day possible in October, 2018 and printed up my schedule (I always attended the classes while Larry visited the vendors in the Expo Hall). By the end of October, however, I realized Larry's health would not allow him to attend, and thus I wouldn't be attending either. I canceled all the reservations and tended to my husband until his untimely death on November 13. I will, however, be watching all the Live Streaming from the Salt Palace next month. And I know Larry will be watching with me.