Council honors longtime volunteer Paul Summers and Bountiful High championship teams

The Bountiful City Council spent part of its meeting recognizing long-serving community volunteers and celebrating high-school athletic achievements.

Paul Summers, who council members said has lived in Bountiful for about 60 years and served 17 years on the Power Commission plus prior service on the Board of Adjustments and Planning Commission, was honored for decades of local civic work. Council members praised Summers’s long record of service and called him a model of community involvement; Summers thanked the council and named several past mayors and commission colleagues in his remarks.

The council also recognized Jan Whitaker, a longtime coach and teacher who was introduced by the mayor and noted for 35 years of teaching and 25 years coaching drill team; council members said Whitaker’s teams have won a record 18 state drill championships and that she had been inducted into the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Circle of Fame. Whitaker spoke briefly and said she treasured teaching and coaching at Bountiful High.

Elected officials invited the Bountiful High girls basketball team and the Mandanelles drill team to the dais to mark recent state championships. The basketball coach described a multi-sport roster and key contributors; the drill-team coach said the team finished the season undefeated and was ranked No. 1 in RPI and swept its region. Council members and the mayor congratulated the teams and gathered for photographs.

These recognitions were presented during the regular meeting’s ceremonial portion. Council members repeatedly framed the honors as public thanks for sustained volunteerism, coaching and community leadership.