Alan and Suzanne Osmond will receive the Pillars of Utah Valley Award on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
The Osmonds Second Generation will perform for their parents at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
Nathan Osmond was the MC for the Pillars of Utah Valley on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
Courtesy Marcia Harris
Alan and Suzanne Osmond will receive the Pillars of Utah Valley Award on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
Dubbed a “dynamic duo,” Alan and Suzanne Osmond were honored as the Pillars of the Valley on Tuesday during a flamboyant celebration hosted by the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The evening included a pre-dinner reception with Governor Spencer Cox, the Alan Osmond family, and guests. The Utah Valley Convention Center, home of the Pillars program, unveiled a wall of permanent photos of the couple.
While most Utahners know at least the Osmond family and their generations of talented musicians and entrepreneurs, the community-based and global exploits of Alan and Suzanne Osmond are not as widespread.
Love story
Alan was the appointed head of the successful Osmond Brothers group first made known through Andy Williams. Since he was eight years old, he was responsible for bringing the boys together and practicing. You worked hard back then and Alan never stopped – which includes his time in the army while his brothers were growing up.
Suzanne Pinegar was a student and cheerleader at Brigham Young University. When Alan saw her cheering at a BYU basketball game, the twinkle came to his eyes. He went down after the game and met her.
Courtesy Marcia Harris
The Osmonds Second Generation will perform for their parents at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
Her first date was a motorcycle ride up Y Mountain. Suzanne says she went down in the end and Alan knew he’d met “the one”.
For any fan who dreamed of being Mrs. Alan Osmond one day, it was all over. After less than a month, most of which was separated, Alan and Suzanne were married on July 16, 1974 in the Provo LDS Temple.
After photos and some family time, they boarded a plane to Las Vegas, where Alan put on two shows with the brothers at the Tropicana Hotel. It was their first wedding night.
“When I said I was going to marry you, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” said Suzanne Osmond at the event. “Our life was uninterrupted and I wouldn’t change anything.”
It was also that night that Suzanne Alan performed for the first time. She was amazed at all the things he could do on stage. She knew he was the one and that her life had changed.
Courtesy Marcia Harris
Nathan Osmond was the MC for the Pillars of Utah Valley on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
“I’ve dated a lot of different people,” said Alan. “She stole my heart. She is my real girl.”
Over the next 15 years, eight boys joined their family and, like any Osmond father, Alan began his musical life by teaching them to sing the old barbershop tunes he and his brothers first learned. They became the second generation of the Osmonds.
On Tuesday, all eight boys came to the Pillars banquet and surprised their parents. There was Michael, Nathan, Douglas, David, Scott, Jonathan, Alexander and Tyler.
For the Pillars of Utah Valley event, Nathan was the master of ceremonies, while David and his Osmond Chapman Orchestra – big band style – provided the music.
Alan and Suzanne’s sons also surprised them with performances of “Crazy Horses”, “Goin ‘Back to Utah” and “Love Me for a Reason”.
A highlight of the evening was when Nathan invited his “Aunt M” to sing with them. Marie Osmond had flown in and left for the event only before it was over. Nonetheless, tears of surprise and love flowed on and off the stage for the Osmond family during their visit.
Career
Over the years, Alan and his brothers Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy and “sis” Marie have collected numerous gold and platinum albums. There are awards not only in the world of rock ‘n’ roll but also in country music. In their country era, the Osmonds owned a theater in Branson, Missouri.
You met with Presidents, with Alan producing the Ronald Regan inauguration program. They also provided command performances for Queen Elizabeth II in England.
While the Beatles kept American fans happy with album after album, the Osmonds built a loyal fan base in the British Isles with their concerts, TV appearances, radio interviews and records.
“Tonight is not about Alan or Suzanne,” said Ron Clark, an Osmond publicist for 49 years. “It’s about you and the team you have become.”
“The critics said you will never make it in this business, you are too good. They would be chewed up and spat out, ”he said. “You turned the industry upside down and I watched it.”
It wasn’t just about the music they played, but who they were and what they stood for, which drew so many to the Osmonds.
Clark told the crowd of about 1,000 when President Spencer W. Kimball of Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ invited the Osmonds to his home for dinner over the 1979 holidays.
Kimball told them that in recent months the Church had found that about 28,000 converts had joined the Church because of the family.
Clark said he believes there are enough converts drawn to their faith by the Osmonds to fill hundreds of congregations in the Church.
“Thank goodness George and Olive (Osmond) didn’t listen when they were told not to have children after Virl and Tom, the oldest brothers who are profoundly deaf,” added Clark.
Alan was next in line after Tom, and he said he had felt music and singing from birth – it was in his DNA.
It was also Alan Osmond and his brother Merrill who took the celebration of the Freedom Festival Panorama to new heights and bright lights when they took it over and turned it into the Stadium of Fire. Alan wrote the theme song and pulled all the strings he needed to bring world-class artists to Provo.
From Bob Hope to the Beach Boys to a few Osmonds, the Stadium of Fire has become an international event broadcast on the networks of the armed forces.
The July 4th fireworks finale of America’s Freedom Festival has been one of the nation’s biggest birthday celebrations for 40 years.
multiple sclerosis
When Alan found out he was diagnosed with MS, Suzanne knew she had a new job – to keep Alan going.
“She was the wind in his sails. The depression and the doctor’s visits kept everything together, ”said Clark. “She made sure Alan had the strength to do what he had to do. He never felt sorry for himself. “
One of Alan’s mantras, he says with a smile, is, “I may have MS, but MS doesn’t have me.”
Alan has had his ups and downs with MS, from wheelchairs and walking sticks to motorized scooters and walking aids, they were just tools to keep him moving. Although he was forced to perform on stage, he never stopped being himself.
OneHeart Foundation
More than 25 years ago, Suzanne and Alan Osmond started a charity called OneHeart to help strengthen families.
“I’ve traveled the world with them,” said John Bishop, CEO of OneHeart. “Your OneHeart Foundation has funded medical care for over a million orphans in China.”
Bishop noted that they had recently returned from Ethiopia, where the foundation donated humanitarian items such as food, blankets, clothing and other items to those in need.
“Nobody deserves more than they do,” said Bishop of the Pillars of the Valley award.
While OneHeart is a passion for her, it isn’t the only community service that has influenced her.
Alan helped Marie and actor / singer John Schneider start the Children’s Miracle Network in the Osmond studios formerly located in Orem. The charity continues to aid children’s hospitals across the country and to date has raised $ 7 billion in donations to meet children’s needs.
The evening was rounded off with a video presentation with commentary from friends and family and ended with comments from former Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Chairman of the Utah Valley Chamber Advisory Board.
“Many of us grew up with the Osmonds,” said Herbert. “They let us know how important families are.”
The Utah Valley Pillar (s) is awarded annually for the past decade by the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce to those they believe are pillars of strength in the community.
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