Family values education to Nth degree

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 21, 2004 by Lee Benson Deseret Morning News

Nearly 30 years ago,when Kent and Camille Homer started having children, they had no idea the serious impact they would have on education in Utah.

In the early going, Camille started a tradition of reading at least 20 minutes a night to each of their eight children -- seven daughters and one son -- and both Kent and Camille let it be known that they encouraged everyone in the family to graduate from high school and go on to college. Beyond that, there were no specific education goals; there certainly was no premeditated plan to go after a family record for degrees.

The payback -- and the quest of the mythical family record -- started 11 years ago, when the oldest daughter, Lisa, graduated from high school. There has been a steady parade of graduations ever since.

But the past month has been the climax.

When 18-year-old Natalie graduates from Jordan High School on June 3, that will make four graduations for the family in the spring of 2004 alone.

Two weeks ago, Lisa received her master's degree in nursing from the University of Utah, No. 2 daughter Beverly received her master's in speech pathology from Utah State and No. 4 daughter Heather received her bachelor's degree in community health education from Utah State.

That brings the grand total for the family, if you're keeping score at home, to six high school diplomas (Lisa, Beverly, No. 3 daughter Rachel, Heather, Benjamin and Natalie -- assuming she makes it) and six college degrees (earlier, Lisa and Beverly got bachelor's degrees from BYU and Rachel, who lives in Colorado, got a bachelor's degree from Utah State -- to go along with the bachelor's degree Heather received this year).

Add in Kent's bachelor's degree in communications and Camille's associate's degree from BYU -- they met at, where else, college -- as well as their respective high school degrees, and that's 16 diplomas on the family wall . . . and counting.

The youngest two children -- Megan is a junior-to-be at Jordan High and 13-year-old Nicole is enrolled in a special school for children with disabilities -- have no choice but to keep on going to class. As for Natalie and Benjamin, who will return in August from a two-year LDS mission, they plan to attend BYU and UVSC, respectively, this fall.

As you might expect from a man who has lived his life on the set of "Little Women," Kent Homer, a real-estate broker who lives in Sandy, gives all the credit to his wife.

"She did it," he says, motioning toward Camille as this year's family grads -- Lisa, Bev, Heather and Natalie -- nod their heads in agreement. "She instilled in them the desire to learn. They have such a good mother. She should be nominated for mother of the year or something."

For her part, Camille defers the credit to her parents, LaRue and Louise Miller -- farmers in the small town of Venice in central Utah who obtained college degrees themselves and then encouraged their children, and their grandchildren, to do the same. "They just made education a priority," Camille says.

Almost as amazing as the plethora of degrees is the scant amount of debt the Homer daughters have accumulated along the path of higher learning. "They have pretty much done it on their own," says their father. "We've helped them a little, but they've got scholarships and they've worked and paid their way."

Shortly after Natalie "walks" at Jordan High's ceremonies, the family plans to celebrate this spring's graduations with a "really big dinner at a really nice restaurant." Kent's treat. It's the least he can do.

Lee Benson's column runs Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com and faxes to 801-237-2527.