In his own words, "I, Eldon Wesley Hughes, Eighth child in a family of thirteen, was born 23 September, 1915, in Mesquite, Clark County, Nevada. My father is Charles Arthur Hughes and my mother is Orilla Luella Leavitt. My mother said I was born in a one-room lumber house on the old Hughes homestead. I was blessed at home by my Father when I was eight days old - this was the custom in our family - and then later was blessed at church. As I recall my early youth while at home, I think of the fine relationships between father and mother; parents and children as well as children to children.

    "I think of mother and her energetic nature, always busy and always finding things to keep the children who were home busy. It seemed to me that there were always things that had to be done, and we had them to do if they had been assigned to us. Mother was a good homemaker; cooking and serving good food, keeping the house clean and pleasant; our friends were always welcome and we enjoyed being at home. Mother loved to go into the out-of-doors. Camping in the mountains was a really enjoyable experience for her, and, as a result, we grew up with this love of camping out.

    "Father was a hard working man, he believed in being busy and keeping things done around the place. I believe he had a philosophy that if anything was worth doing, it was worth doing it the best that it was possible to do. If it was mowing hay, he wanted the hay all cut, not part of it still left standing in the field. He took pride in seeing a hay field that was clean after the hay had been taken off the field. In piling hay there was skill, and he taught us how to do it. He wasn't very pleased with our work if we became careless and didn't do our best job. Father was always stern in his guidance, but never harsh or cruel. He expected obedience because he asked us to do only those things which he felt we could, and should do. He never would ask us to do something he wouldn't do himself, and very seldom would he have something for us to do when he wasn't with us helping to do it.

    "During most of my younger years, I recall, we did things together, from ditch digging to chopping weeds, topping trees to hauling wood, we went as a working crew. When it came to plowing time, we went with three or four teams and plows, up and down the field, one behind the other. This is one big reason why there is such a working relationship between us today.

    "In his relationship to others, Father always believed in giving more than his share. If he was to take something from a working cooperative, he would never take more than he was entitled to. He truly believed in being honest. His language was clean, never defiled or profane, but was always such that even his youngest child could be in his presence without being embarrassed or ashamed.

    "Our family has always been a close-knit unit. The older members of the family always looked after the younger ones. Even on occasions when the older boys were going places and doing things with their own age groups they would take along some of the younger children. We worked together and played together; we joked together, sang together, and worshiped together as well as lived together. Being a part of such a family is one of the greatest experiences an individual can have. Today we still laugh together, joke together, work together, worship together, and even reminisce together, and I am sure that we will always remain together as a strong family unit. We have been taught well, counseled, guided, encouraged and shown the proper and best way of life. If we fail to live accordingly, it is certainly our own mistake and not because of any weakness in our training and teaching at home. We have two of the choicest persons on earth for our parents; the Lord truly blessed us with goodly parents.

    "Although Mother and Father have gone on in their progression, their memory, love, guidance, teachings, training, and devotion to family, remains in each of our lives and hearts. They have gone on to prepare to receive us as we come to join them.

    "It is important that we start radiating into the lives of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren and those that will be coming to live in our families and homes, the true characteristics that we gained from being the children, and students of our parents, we owe this to them. So may we accept this obligation and responsibility in all honor and dignity that others may be blessed, as we have been blessed, by the wonderful lives of our parents."