By Victoria Langdorf
The 2002 Unforum gave students an opportunity to reflect upon events of the previous year and challenged them to live up to their divine potential.
Accounting teacher Norm Nemrow conducted the production, which included a showcase of five performance clubs, the recipients of the 2002 Brigham Awards and remarks by President Merrill J. Bateman.
The Unforum began with an introductory video narrated by Lloyd Newell, the familiar voice from 'Music and the Spoken Word.'
'We are all connected by complicated ties and if we examine the relationships between the past, present and the future, we might obtain a vision of who we are and what we can become,' Newell said.
A recording of Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt''s announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor followed with a performance by Swing Kids.
Other historic speeches from famous leaders (and Ferris Bueller) introduced the performers.
The BYU Cougarettes entertained the audience with their usual kicks, flips and pirouettes. Motion, the Break Dance club represented the ''80s and the BYU Steppers stomped and clapped their way to the end of the dancing tribute to previous generations.
A year in review film showed images from the BYU campus, videos of great BYU sports moments and pictures representing memorable events across the world this past year.
After photographs of the World Trade Center attacks, a picture of rescue workers unfurling an American flag caused the audience to start applauding.
'Student reactions exceeded my expectations,' said Ashley Barker, 19, a sophomore from Salt Lake majoring in international development, and program director for the Unforum.
'I was especially moved when we were watching the year in review film and the flag came up and people started clapping. I had seen the movie a million times before but the reactions were what moved me. I got goosebumps,' she said.
Nemrow then announced the winners of the 2002 Brigham Awards, given for exemplary service.
Amie Adams, 22, a senior from Yucaipi, Calif., majoring in English is a volunteer with BYUSA, and worked with the BYU Olympic Committee. She is the editor for Insight magazine, and she volunteers for the public school district.
Amanda Brinley, 25, a senior from Provo, majoring in sociology, works with autistic children, volunteers with the local Boys'' & Girls'' Club and is involved with the Jacobsen Center for Service and Learning. The people who nominated her said she is always organizing service projects for her ward.
Rock Magleby, 24, a senior from American Fork, majoring in economics demonstrates his willingness to serve God''s children, by being actively involved in international development clubs and the micro-enterprise conference. He also helped organize international relief efforts for people in Peru, Bangladesh and India.
Dean of Student Life Nolan Reed is committed to university students. One of the people who nominated him said, 'he works with us, for, us and by our side.'
Larry Peer, professor of comparative literature serves as the faculty advisor for the Blue Key National Honors Fraternity. He is also a Provo housing authority, striving to maintain the historical purity of Provo.
Steven Jones, professor of physics and astronomy lives by the Brigham Young statement 'nothing should be taught without the spirit of God.' He cares about his students and helped them develop a solar cooker for underprivileged people.
Dale Pratt, professor of Portuguese and Spanish, provides meaningful real life experiences for his students. He organizes field trips, supervises the Spanish honors society, Sigma Delta Phi, and recently produced a Spanish theatrical presentation with students.
Don Norton, professor of linguistics, is in charge of the faculty editing service, a program that performs final editing for graduate and post-graduate research papers and theses. He also compiles oral histories, including a World War II veteran''s narrative collection. He has a tireless commitment to students, often staying late and postponing his own work to help students.
After the winners of the Brigham Awards were recognized, President Bateman addressed students about appreciating their heritage. He also challenged students to do what God expects of them and to be a light to those around them.
The BYU Women''s Chorus then sung a rendition of 'America the Beautiful' accompanied by another video of patriotic scenes.
The Unforum closed with the final notes of the song and an image of the American flag they found at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11.
Organizers and attendants agreed that the production was a success.
'I think it went beautifully,' Barker said.