September 24th, 2015 will go down in the Hurricane Valley Sons of Utah Pioneers as a time we honored another one of our own. Donald Lee Beatty, a man born in Hurricane, growing up here, and choosing to raise his family here, was honored as a Modern-Day Pioneer! His family was notified several months earlier that we wanted to do this, and asked them if they would put together a representation of Lee’s life. Having his family with him was a great support, and having Wade give us a brief bio of his dad’s life, then having his daughter Robyn talk about her dad was a great tribute to their father. His granddaughter Cami, the 2015 reigning Miss Hurricane, came forward and sang a song to her grandpa.
After this, Lee’s son Tony, a cinema photographer, went to several men in town, plus his own father, asking them about what it means to be a Modern-day Pioneer, focusing on Lee’s qualities. The video was very well done, and can be viewed at the end of this article. It gives accolades to Lee and what he has done in his life.