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Catching up with ... Andy Methvin, MHS class of '98, anticipating new 'addition'

Q. What is your best Marion High School memory from your senior year?

A. My best school memory of that year was during the winter. It snowed the night before and the wind started blowing fairly hard during the morning after school had started.

Marion let all of the rural kids go home to avoid some of the snow drifts. Instead of going home, though, they all went to the dam and went sledding all afternoon.

A news crew from channel 10 or 3 came by and interviewed them. The news crew then proceeded to the high school to see how everyone else felt about their classmates sledding while they were in school. I thought that was pretty funny.

Q. What are some of your better memories of Marion itself?

A. Some of my favorite memories from Marion are of the old city building where we put on a lot of the plays and programs. I have been in the (USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center) and was really impressed with it. However, we had a lot of fun in the old building and did the best we could with what we had.

Q. What activities were you involved with while in high school?

A. I did a little running in cross country and track. Due to time constraints though, track eventually gave way to other things.

I guess I spent more time working on music projects in school compared to other areas. I was involved with the choir and Swing Singers (which I believe they have since changed the name to MHS Singers) when Mark Lucas was the music teacher. I also played the trumpet in the various bands that Mike Connell directed.

Another activity that is worth mentioning are the plays we put on at Marion. I still think it is a miracle we actually pulled them off, but these were some of the most fun times that I can remember. I never regretted putting time into them because I doubt I will ever get to do that again.

Q. Do you feel one teacher or administrator in particular helped you the most along the way?

A. It would be hard to single out one teacher, but I can think of a few who changed the way I thought about learning during school and helped me improve.

Don Molleker, aside from being entertaining, was very good at applying his subjects to real life situations and somehow he found a way to make physics and calculus a little more approachable.

Jim Versch, the art teacher, was always very honest about my projects as to whether he liked them or not. But, he always looked for ways to change and improve my process for completing a project and whether I was being a little closed-minded.

I think he helped spark a little creativity that actually carried over into college. Even though I never got into film as a degree, I took several film classes and enjoy making videos for my family.

Aside from that, Mr. Versch became a good friend, and I still try to catch-up with him from time to time.

Q. How often have you been back to Marion County?

A. I live in Lakewood, Colo., just outside of Denver, so it is not too far of a drive to get back to Marion. My wife, Melissa and I come home for either Christmas or Thanksgiving. Aside from that, we probably make it back a handful of times during the year.

Q. What schools have you attended and towns have you lived since graduating high school? Have you started a family?

A. After graduating from Marion, I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for a year. I then spent two years in Spain as a service missionary for the Mormon Church.

After that, I spent six more years at BYU getting my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. I married Melissa Hunt in 2006 and we currently live in Lakewood, Colo.

Q. What do you miss the most about not living in Marion County?

A. Well, technically, I lived in Chase County, but I do miss living in that general area.

Denver is nice and I do not have a lot of complaints. However, living in a smaller community is a great life, and I definitely miss that.

The people were very personable and it is a great place to raise a family.

One example that I remember well throughout high school was Don Smith at the gas station.

Because I grew up on a rock road, I would get a lot of flats on the way to school. On more than one occasion, I would drop my car off at Smitty’s before school, and he would lend me his truck to take to school.

After he had fixed my tire, he would drive over to the high school and swap cars. I always thought that was way above and beyond what most stations would have done for a customer.

However, I think he secretly enjoyed watching me drive his truck, which had ultra-sensitive brakes and would nearly put me through the windshield from just tapping them.

This is just one example of people you find in an area like Marion.

Q. Could you see yourself moving back here at anytime? If so, when?

A. Melissa and I would definitely consider moving back to Marion in the future.

However, a lot of it depends on where our work takes us and what opportunities may or may not come our way in Colorado. It would be hard to put a time frame on that, though. 

Q. What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

A. Melissa and I like to run and enjoy hiking in the mountains.

If I had a lot of money and spare time, I would probably become a snowboarding junky. For now, however, I am limited to about two boarding trips a year.

Melissa would tell you that my favorite thing to do with my spare time is trick roping, and that is probably true.

My brother got me hooked on that about six years ago. I try to do as much as I can outside, but when it gets too cold, my living room has to do. Melissa has joked that one thing we will never be able to have is a ceiling fan.

Q. What jobs have you had since graduating from MHS?

A. I worked throughout college in a few different areas.

I worked at some of the computer labs at BYU for a semester. That was not the most exciting job, but I got a lot of homework done.

I actually rode some colts for some friends in Spanish Fork outside of Provo, and then worked as an accounting intern for a company based out of Salt Lake City.

After graduating from BYU, I took a job with KPMG in Denver.

KPMG is an international public accounting firm that audits public, private, and federal entities.

Honestly, auditing just sounds boring. I remember in college during my first auditing class, I could not believe people were actually paid to teach this stuff and that I was paying to learn it. However, after working in public accounting for a year and one-half, auditing is actually fairly interesting.

It is fun being able to walk into a business and be able to see each of its processes up-close, and understand how that business is functioning.

I have a coal-mining client that requires us to visit their mine sites as part of the audit. As a result in January, I had the privilege of traveling to such exotic locations as Jewett, Texas, Buelah, N.D., and Hardin, Mont., and stand outside in minus-20 degree weather to do inventory testing.

Q. Who would be your pick to be the 2008 “Person of the Year” and why?

A. My personal pick of 2008 for Person of Year would be my wife, Melissa. We are currently expecting our first baby, which we recently found out will be a girl.

In spite of being sick throughout the last four months, she has had a great attitude and has been positive throughout this experience. We have had a lot of fun preparing for this change and are looking forward to having a new addition in our family.

Q. What is one thing your former teachers would be surprised to learn about you?

A. My college roommates and I, out of boredom I guess, started making ’80s music videos.

I got fairly good at the cinematography and editing and since have made some family videos and other projects as kind of a hobby. I guess that might be kind of a surprise for some of them. Maybe not to Jim Versch, though. 

Q. If someone asked you to describe Marion and its surrounding areas, what would you tell them?

A. I would say that Marion is a nice, quiet town in one of the prettiest locations you can live.

You will find good people who are down to earth and always willing to help when there is a need.

I would also say that with the recent additions such as the new gym and performing arts center, Marion is a town that is intent on continual improvement.

Finally, I would tell them that Marion is a great place to settle and raise your family.

Last modified Jan. 14, 2009

 

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