In 1966, Craig's older brothers,
Kavin
and David got
their first homing pigeons from a neighbor. And so Craig's lifelong
love of being a pigeon fancier began at the age of five. Together
the
boys
built their first pigeon loft in Smithfield, Utah from
scrap
lumber
and
started
training and racing pigeons. That was all it took for Craig to
get hooked on the feathered beauty of pigeons. He has had pigeons
ever since, a total of thirty eight years.
When he was in fourth grade, his family moved to Ephraim, Utah
where his dad taught Engineering for a year at Snow College. They
had a few pigeons in the backyard, but were unable to fly with
a club. Then his family moved back to Smithfield and his dad began
teaching at Utah State University.
By the time he was a teenager, Craig was consistently winning
races, awards and trophies in his local club. He loved breeding
pigeons, always trying to create something better that would fly
faster. His efforts paid off and he had some very successful flying
seasons.
When Craig was fifteen, his parents moved to Massachusetts for
a one year sabbatical with their jobs at Space Dynamics Laboratory,
which was associated with Utah State University. He had no choice,
but to go along. No matter how hard he pleaded, his parents would
not
allow
him to
stay
at
home
with
his
older
brother who was staying in Smithfield to attend Utah State University.
At first it was a miserable experience. He did not want to leave
behind his pigeons and friends, but soon after arriving in Bedford,
Craig saw a flock of pigeons flying in the neighborhood. He followed
them home and quickly made a new friend, Claude Harvey. Claude
liked Craig and offered him a job taking care of his pigeons
and loft and working part time at his lumberyard.
By the next fall, Craig started flying with the local club.
It was a new experience for him. In Utah, he had been treated like
one of the grown men who flew pigeons. Here he was treated more
like a kid. This was frustrating for him, but he soon earned some
respect as his birds started wining races. What was supposed to
be one year in Massachusetts turned into two, but Craig made the
best of it by really learning from the members in his new pigeon
club. He gained a lot from their many years of experience, their
ideas and philosophies about pigeons.
When he returned to Smithfield, he was able to finally get his
drivers license. This allowed him to really train his pigeons on
a rigorous schedule. Soon he was a flyer to be reckoned with in
his club. Everyone wanted to beat Craig. With a perfect loft position,
this was almost impossible to do. For two years, he won almost
every award in the club.
At age nineteen, Craig took two years off to serve a mission for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He served in the
Arcadia California Mission. This was a wonderful experience for
him. While he was gone, his parents and his older sister, Georgiann
raced his pigeons. They didn't train much, but they still won
a few races. When he returned from his mission, he still had a
great team of birds.
Craig and Carol were married in 1982 in the Logan LDS temple.
Craig continued to race his pigeons in Smithfield while he attended
Utah
State
University,
but did not have quite as much time to devote to them. After graduating
in Vocational Education in 1986, Craig and Carol and the two daughters
that had been born to their family moved to Sunset, Utah so he
could teach school at Clearfield High School.
The first year was very difficult for Craig being away from his
pigeons again, but he couldn't have them at the apartment where
they lived.
They made frequent trips home to Smithfield on the weekends so
he could care for them and keep his coops clean. In 1988 they were
able to build and move into a new home in West Point, where they
have been ever since.
Craig is still a teacher at Clearfield High School, a job he truly
loves. He enjoys his association with the youth at his school.
His family now has five children, two daughters and three sons.
He is active in his church and was recently called to be the Cubmaster
in his church affiliated Cub Scout Program. Craig has many hobbies
including horseback riding, hunting, camping and fishing. He likes
to tie flies and build things. He has trained his own hunting dogs
and loves to go pheasant hunting with his children. He takes a
yearly horse pack trip into the Uintah Mountains with his brother
and the kids.
Craig has spent time coaching his son's soccer teams and is their
biggest fan. He tries hard to attend all of their soccer games,
baseball games, wrestling matches, scouting events, band concerts
and other school activities. He spends a great deal of time with
his
pigeons,
but
tries to always
put
his family first. He has given up flying old birds the last few
seasons so he can spend more time supporting his children in their
activites. He is a great father, husband, son, brother and friend.
Craig loves to talk on the phone, especially about pigeons. He
talks regularly to fanciers and pigeon breeders all across the
country. Go ahead and give him a call. He will be glad to share
his newest secrets, discuss breeding or racing techniques or talk
about anything else you would like to discuss. You may find you
have made a new friend with just one phone call.
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