Mark your calendar for our annual Utah Mayflower Society Fall Banquet, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Empire Room of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our guest speaker will be Utah Mayflower Society’s own Tanya Bird, who is currently serving as the society’s communication chair. Tanya grew up in the Monterey Bay, California area – and met and married her husband Bryce when they were both students at the University of Utah and members of the Ute Marching Band. They are the parents of four children (one daughter and four sons), one son-in-law, and one beautiful grandson.
Tanya holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, both from the University of Utah. Tanya taught third grade with Davis School District and recently returned to graduate school, completing a Master of Arts in Professional Communication from Southern Utah University in August 2019. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for that degree, Tanya worked a six-month internship with FamilySearch, assigned to the Mayflower Digitization Project, an impressive collaborative effort involving FamilySearch, New England Historic Genealogical Society and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. After completing the internship last March, she joined FamilySearch’s North America Operations as a full-time employee.
As a parent, former educator, and family history enthusiast, Tanya is looking forward to sharing information regarding ongoing collaboration efforts underway to commemorate the 400th anniversary of our Pilgrim ancestors’ 1620 landing in New England. Many of these opportunities are available to GSMD members and non-members alike, with some occurring close to home. Come and learn about ways of involving your families in this memorable celebration!