Rolly: Utes excel in kindness off the field
By Paul Rolly
Tribune Columnist
Article Last Updated: 11/23/2007 12:54:06 AM MST


BYU might be the church school, but Utah supplies the godsends, as far as Arthea Paulos is concerned.
After she was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, some of her friends who happened to be Ute boosters went to coach Kyle Whittingham seeking a football player who could be a chauffeur, errand man and whatever else was needed as a part-time job through the team's "jobs program," started a few years ago by former coach Ron McBride.
Paul Newman, Whittingham's assistant, operates the jobs program, and when he recruited wide receiver Bradon Godfrey for the assignment, it became more than a job. It became a mission.
Paulos says Godfrey, who began helping her in May, did everything for her: buying groceries, driving her around, helping around the house.
In July, Godfrey had to concentrate on football practice, so he was replaced by redshirt lineman Tony Bergstrom, fresh off an LDS mission.
As Paulos' mobility became more limited, the football player's responsibilities increased and Bergstrom, just like Godfrey, was more like Paulos' personal genie than an employee.
"They're like my sons," said Paulos, who currently is living in Florida with one of her children. "Tony was such a a good sport, he let my grandkids climb all over him and would hold them up to see different sights when they were with me."

One message Paulos told me to pass on to the two young men who became so important in her life: "Go, Utes."

Bipartisan approach: Forget the voucher fight for a while. Forget battles over hate crimes, education funding, whether public employees can deduct political contributions from their paychecks.
Republicans and Democrats in Utah plan to come together Dec. 4 for a common cause: to benefit Sen. Ed Mayne, who is suffering from lung cancer.
The West Valley City Democrat might not feel well enough to attend the "toast and roast" banquet in his honor at the Grand America Hotel. If not, organizers are hoping to have it broadcast to his home.
The $150-per-plate event will feature the wit of Sen. Orrin Hatch, attorney Dan Berman, developer Kem Gardner, Republican state Sens. John Valentine and Curt Bramble, and Jim Judd, vice president of the AFL-CIO of Utah, which Mayne has headed for decades. The emcees are Salt Lake County Councilman Randy Horiuchi and lobbyist Dave Spatafore.
A private reception will be held with donors an hour before the 6:30 p.m. festivities.
But can he cook? Carrie Dunn, co-owner of XO Marketing, was running errands with Chazz, her Shih Tzu, last week and stopped at her sister's house, leaving the engine on while she ran into the house.
When she returned, she discovered that Chazz had hit the door lock button and locked her out.
She figured if he could lock the car, he could unlock it, so she began jumping up and down to get him excited enough to jump, too. Sure enough, he hit the button and unlocked the door.
prolly@sltrib.com
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