Our Beloved Mr. D.
It’s incredible how he course of your entire life can change with something as simple as a telephone call. In May 1975, the Music Department at the University of Utah received a call regarding a need for a choir director at Payson High School and their wanting to talk to any potential applicants. Mr. Dahlquist took the bait, applied for the position, drove to Payson from Salt Lake for a face-to-face interview, was hired on the spot, and never once regretted the decision. He was especially grateful that his wife, Maria Elena, who hadn’t accompanied him on that first trip to Payson, agreed to move to what was then a small town, somewhere south of the Wasatch front on the road to Disneyland! The rest is history. Mr. Dahlquist has related on more than one occasion that touring the Fine Arts wing of the relatively new high school and stepping onto the stage of the Auditorium, it “felt like home and that feeling has never left.”
His choral program at Payson High School grew exponentially each year from that fall of 1975 with just twenty-nine singers when he started to the spring of 2005, when he retired, with hundreds in the program. At the peak of his tenure, there were between 375 and 400 singers enrolled in the PHS choir programs.
His greatest regret: having to miss sharing the senior year of the class of 2006, most of whom had sung for him for two years already. When his tenure ended, there were over 2200 alumni of the Concert Choirs who had sang for “Mr. D.” Besides the love of his singers, numerous accolades came to him over the span of his career: Payson City named him both “Educator of the Year” and “Outstanding Citizen” of the year. The graduating class of 2004 named him their “Most Influential Teacher.” The Utah State Legislature named him the “Outstanding Educator in Leg District 67.” And he was honored twice on the “Teacher Feature” sponsored by KSL Newsradio and Zions Bank. He and his wife were recently honored for a second time as the Grand Marshalls of the Payson City “Onion Days” parade and celebration held over the Labor Day weekend.
In the spring of 1981, Mr. Dahlquist combined the collective talents of community adult singers to form a Payson Civic Chorale. Over the ensuing forty years since,, the Chorale has traveled extensively and their most recent highlight was following (figuratively and musically) their director to New York City where Mr. Dahlquist had been invited to guest conduct on stage at Carnegie Hall. In addition to his directing the Chorale, he has also been active in the Payson Community Theater both in the pit as musical director and on stage as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady and John Dickinson in 1776. He directed Camelot, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, Hello Dolly, and Forever Plaid.
When Mr. Dahlquist accepted the choral position at Payson High School in 1975, he brought with him his wife, Maria Elena, and their oldest daughter, Kristiana. While living in Payson ever since, their four other children (Rebekah, Jenny, Ryan, and Sean) were born and truly blessed their lives. He attributes much of what he is able to do, to the loving support of his family. Once again, the commitment and devotion of this mother and father has been evident as they tenderly cared for their five children–four of which were born with severe disabilities and required total care prior to their passing, all within a seven year span from 1995-2002. Their story as a family was shared with the world in an article entitled “In a Quiet House” in the September 2002 issue of the Ensign magazine, a publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Kristiana and her husband, Bill Silver, have made them the proud grandparents of six.
In 2001, a group of choir alumni sought his permission to use his name for a new scholarship to be awarded to a graduating Payson High Choir member each spring to assist in furthering their post-high school education. We, some of his alumni, felt a need to recognize Mr. Dahlquist’s commitment to the value of music education and the tremendous impact he has had on the lives of us, his students. We find ourselves blessed as beneficiaries of one teacher’s example and love. His craft, the art of singing, and the immense joy derived from music has stayed with us in the years since we sang for him in his choirs.
An entire generation went through Payson High School knowing the quality of performance and mark of excellence that his trademark “D” represents. Many of us have had the benefit of continuing our association with Dave Dahlquist since graduation. His dedication and commitment does not waver. He not only expects, but inspires the best from those he teaches. It is respect and a certain sense of “awe” that had students willingly giving their all year after year.
As one of the members of the scholarship committee noted: “A group of us decided there could be no better way to perpetuate our gratitude to Mr. D. than to help deserving students with needed financial assistance, in his honor. We are but a handful representative of the more than 2200 alumni of Payson High School Choirs. If you asked any alumni why we choose to honor David C. Dahlquist, the answer would be the same–he has given so much to so many and we love him.