Lehi People
Lehi Luminary: Dale Price leaves legacy of educational excellence
With the passing of Dale H. Price, the local educational community lost a great leader, mentor, colleague and friend.
I had the opportunity to be a student at Lehi High School when Price became the principal of the brand-new school in 1960. I was involved with planning the junior prom along with some dear friends. We envisioned an amazing night of dancing and fun. To our dismay, Principal Price told us that we couldn’t drill holes in the gym walls or string the traditional crepe paper to create a fanciful environment for the dance. He said, “You can start a new tradition. Make a place like no one has ever had before.”
The challenge was issued, and we made the gym into a night club. We used our imagination, and it was a night to remember. We used lights, booths, and music to achieve our dreams. It was pretty memorable! Mr. Price was pleased and praised our efforts.
I also was a teacher who taught under Price’s leadership. He was the first principal at Mountain View High School. He had many challenges to overcome, as any principal does who opens a new school, but he was the consummate leader. He brought together many former Orem High School teachers, new hires and a new student body of many die-hard Orem High School students.Within one year, Mountain View became the envy of the district. He had the remarkable ability to problem solve, organize, and mentor a diverse group of people and create an environment conducive to student achievement.
On one occasion, I was teaching a journalism class and some of my students talked about how easy it was to obtain beer. I was certainly shocked about that and decided we could do some investigative journalism and see if the forbidden beverage could be purchased easily at a local 7-11. I loaded up my car and drove my students to the convenience store. I gave them some money and, sure enough, out they came with a sixpack of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Then, I drove the kids back to school. It wasn’t long before I was asked to visit Mr. Price’s office. His secretary, Mrs. McMillan, gave me a look I won’t forget.
Mr. Price ushered me into his office. He closed the door, and I knew I was in trouble. He proceeded to read me a list of policies I had broken: 1) I shouldn’t have driven students in my car. 2) I did not have permission from parents to take students off school property. 3) I had facilitated student purchase of an illegal substance. I could feel my heart pounding as the prospects of being fired entered my mind. After chastising me and with a familiar glint in his eye, he told me to be careful when getting some hare-brained scheme. At that moment he was the quintessential leader, firm, fair, and friendly.
While at Mountain View, Price oversaw building a trophy case that contained the largest collection of state championships in the district or probably in the state.
He was selected by then Alpine District Superintendent, Dan Peterson, to be Assistant Superintendent over Secondary Schools. He served in this position until his retirement. His influence was, and still is, evident and his legacy of dedicated service to students and staff is legendary.
I was lucky to be able to get to know Dale Price on a personal level. He was a friend and neighbor. He was an ecclesiastical leader who helped my brothers with their church activities. I have tremendous respect Price and his wife, Carma. They were stalwarts in the community and served many years in their church, community, and countless members of the educational community.
